Shanghai, Aug. 19.
With the sappers and miners standing by mal helpful suggestions, the breakdown gang of the Shanghai: Hangchow Rai way replaced the rails at Jessfield iron bridge at, 10 o'clock last night.
This replacement was auth authorities in accordance with August 17, to the Engineer-in-d Shanghai-Hangchow Railway, wh be restored on the return of the borised by the British military General Duncan's letter dated chief and General manager of the herein it was stated "the line will plane wings.
The aeroplane Wings have been returned. Acting under instructions, a Royal Air Force motor lorry journeyed to Kiangwo:: Race Course just before 7 o'clock last evening and before 8 o'clock the plane wings were safely hous ed in their hangars at the Shanghai Race Course. No souvenirs, in the shape of fragments of the: wings, had been annexed.
Working under the flares of breakdown lights, the railway gang at the iron bridge replaced the rails in about 45 minutes.
Just before midnight, all the outpost had retired to their billets and athing more peaceful could be imfagined tham the scene they left. Three hours before, searchlights were playing on the creek and railway track, and the 18 pounder was still trained on the bend of the railway some 1,800 yards north of the bridge. Sentries patrolled the a} proaches and the whole atmosphere was one of war. Then the order came to retire. Machine guns were packed up, the Royal Artillery commenced to fix up their field piece for transport and at 11.10 p.m. a motor
dragged the 18 pounder to it's base. lorry, '@ roar and a rumble, The British wings were returned! by order of General Ho Ying-ching who wired directly to the troops holding the plane at Kiangwan. The local Nationalist authorities had no knowledge that this action had deen taken, although—negotiations were being carried on through intermediaries until late last eve ing. It is believed that General took this action because of military necessity, the cutting of the railway fecting' the- movement of troops and: supplies, The Probable Reason 'That the: Nationalist army' is now, full flight ip firmly established: Precisely to where they will fy is, at the moment, a matter of speculs tion," wrote " our. representative The scene at the North station yesterday, reminded one of a huge [jumble sale. Boxes, beds, and whatnot were piled everywhere, Hand trucks and ricshas were frantically hailed and unmercifully loaded. And their destination was, of course, the International settlement and' the' French Concession. In civilian' clothes, there was no bin to their admittance and they now seek and. undoubtedly obtain the protection of those they have tried their utmost, encumber, Eighteen Pounder and Ammunition It is, perhaps, unnecessary to say) that the aeroplane wings left at Kiangwan Race Course have not been recovered and that the fifty yards or so of railway rails still remain neatly piled slightly to the south of Jessfield iron bridge, The lonly perceptible difference at that point is the presence of a party of the Royal Artillery with an 18 pounder, accompanied, of course, with a full supply of ammunition, Yesterday afternoon, Nationalist lanny stragglers approached the iron bridge. On being interrogated, they said that they had arrived on a pas-Jsenger train from Nanking and proposed to walk to: their homes at JHangchow. They were told'by the /Beds, and Herts, togo by another route. They were-quite docile and mutered into an animated conversation with the interpreters at th point Thalr main "pien was thet earlier, yesterday. ever, also firmly It is, how-they wanted to go home, They can, established but not vid the iron bridge, a more that they will not, in the /devious detour was advised.
Com:
lioner for Foreign Affairs, absence of delivery of a pair of Brit-}
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.