Hangchow-Shanghai, Aug. 30.
Peaceful and calm is Hangchow. No war clouds hover over the West Lake. The lotus blossoms are blooming, "the hills and pagodas tone delightfully with the salubrious mood of the city of gardens and poetry. No clash of arms here. No. hustling motor-ears_ carrying military officers from place place, No marching of soldiers. Hangchow is as far from the war as Shanghai was from the Western front during a muck more serious conflict. agents had succeeded in cutting the railroad at Kashing convinced thousands that the time to rush to the Foreign Concessions was—now.
Very few soldiers were seen either in Hangchow or on the line to Shanghai, The divisions from Fokien, over which the war is apparently being fought, were encamped just outside of Hangchow. But it was understood that. they! were to leave Hangchow on Satur-_ day" night for Shanghai, whence they were to take up their posi-ion on the Quinsan front.
But when one reaches the railway station, the war becomes evident, not "so much because of troop trains, of which there: were none, but because of the huge numbers of Chinese who were rushing to Shanghai, The station was so crowded that one could barely move on the platform, Crowds of women, children and men, loads of baggage, everything and everybody all mixed together. There were not sufficient seats for half the passengers. The aisles were filled with baggage and_servants and chattering amahs. Even the tea-boy could not go his profitable rounds beyond Kashing. He gave it up—atter collecting his coppers.
Why the refugees refuse to remain in Hangchow is somewhat difficult to understand. There will be no fighting there; Shanghai is much closer to the front and is the final objective of the Chili armies, Nevertheless, they come. One poor woman, a baby in arms, was standing on the rear platform, at any moment liable to fall off: Sons were pressing aged parents through the fighting, deafening throng. And each person carried loads of baggage, heirlooms or perhaps family treasures. Generals and their orderlies were there on their way to Lunghua.and what was not at all surprising, the wives of many officials, ' well-dressed ladies, were making their way from the capital to the Inter national Settlement and French Concession where they could be reached neither by one side or the other, should the soldiers decide upon' little private war on their own, Going toward Hangchow on the Friday, one saw worse conditions on the Hangchow to Shanghai tron than were evident on.
Saturday. The crowded conditions of the Sha trams were nothing compared with the trait Reckless gentlemen were hanging on to the steps of the platforms, even as once was done in Shangh: The news that there had been a derailment and that the Kiangsu and that they would be moving toward the Taihu front. On the train, it was even suggested that General Lu Yung-hsiang.
unself might make his headquarters at Huchowfu, from which Point he would direct the armies. This information might be taken with a grain of salt, although it is not altogether impossible that, General Lu will leave Hangchow for closer proximity to the two Kiangsu fronts,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.