The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-06

Men, women and children, packed in the streets, stood transfixed witt horror today as the Japanese plane dived to within 300 feet of the roof tops of higher buildings, droppin, their bombs throughout the city. Appear At 8:3O A. M. The Japanese planes appeared over the city at 8:30 a. m. Contempt uous of the city's anti-aircraft bat teries, they first circled and thel went into power over the heart O. the city. It was like a fantastic aer. ial ballet, danced to the terrible up roar of exploding bombs.
 One bomb causer 100 casualtie; in the Saichuen residential district Twenty bombs dropped directly if the congested Tapinglo bushes. |area. This section, spared in previou. raids, was heavily crowded witt helpless, homeless Chinese refugees
 The planes dived daringly, theil motors rOaring, over the rooftop. of buildings not only in Cantor Proper but in the Shameen foreigr quarter, built on a reclaimed sane bank in the river, facing the city water front.
 Ten Planes Participate
 Ten planes started the lombard, ment. By 1l:40 a. m., there were 30 bombing and diving, in steady TO. tation --- In squadrons and singly
 Several planes concentrated on tht water front. Their objective seemed to be anti-aircraft battery placed there opposite Shameen. It wa. learned that British authoritie. urged the Chinese to move the bat. tery farther from the foreign aera
 But the government building areas and the residential districts were not overlooked. Bombs burst all over the city.
 (The United Press Hong Kong Bureau noted that the explosions could be heard plainly there as United Press Correspondents at Canton telephoned their bulletins on the raid)
 Eight Of Series
 Today's raids, were the eight ir a series which began May 28,-s series of bombardments unparallel. led in the Chinese-Japanese war i not any known to history.
 The raids started two days after the reorganizati ton of the Japanese cabinet on a program pointed tc relentless crushing of China's resist ance.
 The first raids on May 28 were the worst that Canton had ever suffered Great fires flared up from buildings wood yards and oil depots. Glass and other debris filtered the streets Whole blocks of flinlsy residences collapsed in ruins.
 Dig In Ruins
 Red Cross workers were still dig ging in ruins for bodies and fol helpless wounded men, women anc children when the Japanese planes made their second visitation May 29. As this raid started, it was estim- ated that 600 bodies had been re- covered from the ruins of the first raids, and that more than 1,500 were wounded.
 By evening, on the second of eight terrible days, charred corpses lay ir streets. Thousands of the homeless massed along the water front anc watched in mute longing the Sha- meen foreign district across mar row channel of the river. Already the refugee situation in Shameer had become so serious that British tars were landed to guard the dis trict. United Press staff correspon- dents saw bodies of children being carried out of four schools.
 Great pillows of black smoke from smouldering ruins f1oated over Canton on Memorial day as the planes raided again. Twenty planes loosed bombs over the city with such accuracy that it was suggested by Chinese spokesmen that the Jap- anese had obtained the aid of fore ign pilots.
 Poorest Quarters Suffer
 The raids so far had wrought terrible Instructions in the city, poorest quarters. The dead lay SC thick that United Press correspon- dents could not count them.
 One wounded mother was seen clasping the mangled bodies of two babies in her arms.
 More thousands massed on the river front and silently watched flood waters from the recent torrential rains race past.
 The planes raided again May 3l. On this, the least terrible of the eight days of terror, it was estima- ted that hardly 300 were killed or wounded.
 The next raids came last Friday June 3. At first the Japanese planes bombed in three groups of four each. Then they came in larger re- lays, and dropped some of their bombs in the river among the maze of sampans where the poor, river dwelling people make their homes.
 U. S., England Protest
 By this time the United States and British governments had been moved to protest the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas.
 On the next day, Saturday, the answer came-30 planes in single squadron to drop 75 bombs within few minutes.
 Again the dead were strewn toe thickly to make count possible But it was estimated that at least 1000 were killed and another 1000 wounded. Hundreds were buried alive in ruins. United Press Cores pondents saw bodies of women ano children lying crowded on the side walks, many naked because thu clothing had been torn from theil bodies.
 Yesterday, an effort was made tt l total the caSlla lties in all tha raidj