Evening star., 1938-08-24
JAPANESE PLANES
STRAFE A|RL|NER::
14S[A|N OR HURT
American Pilot Is Uninjured.
Ship Forced Into River
Machine. Gunned.
u. S. GUNBOAT RUSHING
TO ASSIST SURVIVORS
Shanghai Official Among Missing.
DR.. Sun Fo Believed Target
of Aerial Attack.
By he Associated Press.

HONG KONG. Aug. 24-The Ameri-
can pilot of a Chinese airliner re-
ported today that japanese warplanes
had forced him TO set his plane down
near Canton and then machine
gunned it, killing or wounding at least
IA OF the II persons aboard
H. L. Woods of Winfield. Kans.. the
pilot. reached Macao unhurt. All
others on the plane we're Chinese.
The forced landing was made on a
small river between Canton and Ma
Gao. Portuguese colony so miles TO the
south.
Woods sent this message to the
China National Aviation Corp, own
ers of the plane:
Landed on river okay. japanese
machine-gunned us, killing or wound
ing II passengers. also co-plot and
steward. Radio Operator Lob, one pas
senger and myself survived. Other IL
unaccounted for. Ship sunk in river"
L. S. Gunboat Dispatched.
The United States eunboat Min
danao left Hong Kong for Macao to
aid survivors after hurriedly recalling
to duty officers and men ashore here.
Forty-five per cent of the China
National Aviation Corps capital is
held by American interests the rest
by the Chinese government.
Reports from Macao. later than
Woods message, said that c. N. Lou.
the passenger who reached that port
,..,th lo
and was taken to a hospital for an
operation. Still later two other pas
sengers were reported admitted to a
hospital at Chungshan, near the scene
OF the shooting. in grave condition.
The airliner encountered the Jap
anese planes southwest of Canton
while it was flying from Hong Kong
to Wuchow. in Kwangsi Province. en-
route 10 Chungking, present seat OF
civilian branches of the Chinese gov
eminent.
Sun Fo Believed Target.
/ Officials of the c. ~ A. c. said
the japanese proba bly, thought one
of the passengers was DR.. Sun Fo,
head Of the Legislative Council of
China. just returned from Europe,
where he tried to enlist Soviet Rus
! sian, British and other foreign aid
for China's fight against Japan. He
had made reservations, but Cancelled
them.
A British gunboat and Chinese
troops set out from Canton to search
for any further survivors of the at
tack
Wsods brought Lou and his radio
operator to Macao after a difficult
/ journey in a sampan along narrow,
| winding creeks. He reported he had
to bring his plane down when the
Japanese persisted in diving threat
eningly all around it.
Tells Of Plane Chase.
The airliner left Hong Kong at
sos am. and 80 minutes later Woods
radioed: japanese planes chasing us
Only three minutes later this message
was received: Forced land river. All
safe" No further word was received
from Woods until he reached Macao
A c. N A. c. official said:
There is no doubt that the at
tack was entirely premeditated. The
plane was clearly marked and was on
regularly scheduled run.
The assumption is that the pilot
landed in shallow water with his
wheels partly up as the only way to
protect the passengers.
There is no information as to how
many japanese planes participated in
/ forcing the transport down.
1 1t was disclosed that DR.. Sun.
changing his plans overnight, went
to Hankow, China's military capital.
instead of Chungking.
DR.. Sun Safe in Hankow.
DR.. Sun reached Hankow safely at
noon today. but members Of his staff
were aboard the machine-gunned air.
| liner.
! Among the passengers reported miss
ing were HSu Sing-loh. member of the
Shanghai Municipal Council, governing
body of the International Settlement,
and president of the National Com
mercial and Savings Bank and HUI
Pei-kong general manager of the Bank
of Communications.
Two women and two small children
we're among the passengers.
The plane came down 10 miles north
Of Chungshan, which is north of
| Macao. in part of Kwangtung Prov
ince cut up by numerous creeks, canals
and rivers. 1t was believed some of
| the wounded might have drowned while
trying to reach the safety of nearby
| fields
Woods, Lou and Lob reached Chung
shan by separate sampans and then
Hull Seeks Information.
BY the Associated Press.
Secretary of State Hull said today
he was requesting information from
American representatives in China on
| The reported attack upon a Chinese
air liner by japanese war planes.
The liner piloted by an American.
Hugh Leslie Woods of Winfield, Kans..
was forced down. according to dis
patches from Hong Kong, and Jap
anese planes machine gunned the
! occupants, killing or wounding, accord
ing to Woods, IA persons.
The State Department will seek to
ascertain what. if any. American inter-
ests are connected with the air liner.
Calls for Moth Balls.
PITTSBURGH, Aug. "a CP.-Unless
winter makes an unexpected appear
ance. the thief who robbed Salesman