The first shipload of refugees to arrive from Nanking since tho} British and American Consuls ordered their nationals from the place came in Shanghai yesterday on the C..N. C. str. Poyang. Amongst the refugees were about 70 British women and children and 30 American. The latter went aboard the steamer just before sailing, being! the mothers with children whom it was thought necessary to evacuate, Graphic descriptions of the city were given to a "North-China Daily News," reporter to-day as liz sat} in a motor car which was transporting one of the American women with liber children to a missionary home, She had been ordered from her home fon Monday night and told to be amongst the Americans who assem-Died at the waterfront at 6.30 the following morning.
During the trip of two nights down the river the mother had been subjected to the greatest hardships, being forced to sleep in the salian of the ship while her two children were clinging to her. The ship, it might be said carried 100 passengers while the usual first-class accommodations are for 13, In contrast' to thi scone was young girl only a short time from an American college, Miss Jane Munn of Spokane,' Washington of facts were almost those of the mother]
(rs, Porter) but who way met at the wharf by a yourg college man from America, who had. visited in Nanking several days before.
According to the stories related from the two women the firing of guns, both field artillery and riftes, was heard beyond the Nanking walls on the night before, This started about 6 o'clock in. the afternoon and lasted until 2 o'clock the next morning, the whole white the firing being mote heavy than during usual Chinese warfare.
"At about 10.80 on Monday night! the Consuls ordered, their nationals to be ready to evacuate at 6.30 the next morning, the British to come the British Consulate and the Americans to the International Export Ca. along the waterfront.
About 6 o'clock in the evening the senior commander of the tw American men-of-war landed party of nine Americans who were to pass through the city gates—ostensibly unarmed—who were supposed to protect the American Con-late. These managed to get through with little difficulty.
'A short time later the commander lof HM.S. Emerald landed a party of about 60 armed bluejackets, who. when they went to the walls, we refused admittance, the guards saying that they could allow no foreign troops who were atmid to pass through the gates.
The British troops are said to have gone back to the ship and at the appointed hour th> following! morning the evacuation started, the British women and children being Drought to the wharf in motor cars while the few men who left went ist ricshas. rate, before noon' prat all of those who wished to be evacuated had arrived at the wharf and were shortly taken aboard pither the British or American mone of-war. From H.M.S. Emerald the British women and children wera taken aboard the Poyang.
The American Consul in Nanking is said to have told the Americans that they would be kept for thea days, after which it was chat they would be taken aboard ona Jor more of the river steamers sent, to their relief.
Tt is also said that at least 200 men and 50 women, practically all of them missionaries, refused to saying that they could speak the language and were id of nothing that happened. Of umber only six were British womn, while practically: the entire Jot were missionaries who have spent China. the greater part of their lives in
During the progress of tha: steamer down stroam she was fire on three times, The first time was Just above Kiangyin—where she was fired on twice within an hour from beth sides of the river and where the river is a mile wide, " An officer of the vessel is reported to have said that it is believed that the firing was deliberate or that thera was fighting going on between the {actions on both sides.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.