Rapid Rise of the River: New The Penalty of Bad Workmanship: Official Guilt and the It was officially reported on July i4 that the new embankment on the Han at Tawangmiao had given way.
The river swept away the outer embankments encircling the city and all afternoon the flood was pouring into the two or three miles enclosure between the city and the main river embankment. In 12 hours the water had risen 20 feet and Jast night got to the top of the inner circle when the maximum height seemed to have been reached. The telegraph lines are down, but on the East towards Teian we are still open to the outer world.
Bap anp ExpPENsIve.
The native Press gives the name the place where the break has occurred as Wangehiaying. Tt is the same piece of embankment which was reconstructed the year before last, and in connexion with which inundation much relief work was carried on by foreigners. It is said that the repairing of the break} on that occasion cost the govern-, ment $1,000,000, and it ought not to have given way again under the strain of the first big freshet. It was, suggested at the time that expert, foreign aid should be called in, in connexion with the reconstruction, hut the Chinese would not hear; of it—to have done so would have done way with the chance for scamping the work.
It is said that the present incundation is worse than the last. A wide strip. 200 li long in the districts of Tienmen, Yincheng, Hanchuan and Siaokan, is again under) water and all the crops lost while it is further reported that several hundred people have been drowned as they had no warning and no opportunity to make their escape.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.