As I anticipated, the flood that we had here 10 days ago caused greater damage in other places than in our immediate vicinity. The Hui-fa, which is one of the largest tributaries of the Sun-gan, overflowed its banks in many places and destroyed the crops over large areas. Several large market towns on its banks suffered very heavy losses. The worst place was Kuankai (Hua-tien hsien), a town of about 10,000 inhabitants. It stands on the left bank of the Hui-fa, about 100 English miles south of Kirin. The water rose so rapidly on the 13th and 14th instant that several hundred lives were lost. A report says several thousand, but this seems to me an exaggeration. The whole town was submerged, and, as many of the houses are. of mud, it may be assumed that the town isin ruins. The people stuck by their goods as long as they could, sitting on tables set on hastily improvised rafts. Very few boats were available.
After the disaster the houseless camped out on the nearest dry ground, and as many of them are in danger of starving the Kirin officials despatched several boats of grain the other day. Five hundred piculs of millet and 600 sacks of flour have been sent.
Other towns in the same district are said to have suffered, but not to the same extent. Heishihchen and Chaoyangchen are mentioned, but I have no reliable information about these places.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.