Harbin-Changchun Line Cut in Five Places: Sungari River Overflows Its Banks Harbin, July 20.
Passenger and freight' trae between Harbin and Changehun has been completely suspended as a sult of the overflow of the Lalin River, which has caused extensive washouts on the railway line and converted large areas of the countey= side into lakes, "Washouts have also occurred on the Harbin-Lafa railway and all trame on that tine has been suspended as well.
The washouts on the Harbin-Changchun line are described os "extensive." Five in number, they occurred between Tsaltsadkao, 82 miles south of Harbin, and Taolalchao, 70 miles south of this city.
The North Manchuria Railway authorities are organizing motor-bent and barge services to carry passengers, luggage and mail over the flooded areas. Restoration of normal traffic is expected to take from six to eight days, possibly even longer.
'The aeroplane service between Changchun and Harbin is being augmented to cope with. the situation. Normally, only one flight 'n- each Girection is made dally, but' this. being Increased to six each was Passengers travelling to and from Siberia wilt thus be able to make their "scheduled connections, "Pas sengers will be carried at reduced fares until normal railway trafic has been restored, and, if necessary, the service will be still further imple Harbin Threatened Supplementing, the telegrams which appeared regarding. the floods which have censed some Manchowlevo railways suspend. service, the Mulcten and Harbin. correspondents ey the "North Chiva' Herald" anticipated the situation during the middle of last' week.
The expected weather id not Harbin, July 15, change in the our a couple of days ago as. was expected, rains pouring down to such an extent trame on came. obs railway" which "was" built low-lying country has been. flooded on many occasions and notwithstand-Ing the ditches that have been dug and the dykes which have been constructed, the track suffers every time heavy Fains occur, and there ie always the danger that the line. will be completely washed away as. it was in 1938, when not only this Tine, but a portion of the Harbin-Changchun line was also swept away, and Passengers fad to cross over' the Swollen waters in motor boats.
The Muntelpality of Harbin "have engayied large number of workmen to be ready in the event of the Sungari breaking through the dam, which Was eonatructed on the Tight bank of the river last year. If the river does ise further, the floods will be worse on the opposite bank and not on the Harbin side, though seepage gute to got into the Harbin dvaine aystem and overflow into" the 'The rain has caused a rush to the city' of country residents from the other side of the river, some of them eaving all their belongings in their country houses as they could not get feraft to carry them, The rains are doing enormous damage to the crops and it is feared that the peasants will suffer heavy Josses in northern Manchoukuo, The peasants sowed a larger quantty of wheat than last year and, consequently, their losses in this cereal Will be considerably more than from soya beans, Last year over 60 per cent. of the damage was in the densely populated Fengtien Province. Over 13,000,000 mow of cultivated land was damaged by floods and Impressive strings of Agures are given for the crops destroyed, the live-stock drowned, the houses demolished. 'The list concludes: "A' million' dollars' worth embankments, roads and bridges wiped out"
Floods which occurred earlier this year are not reported to. have amaged the bean crops, but their effect cannot be ignored, and it is quite premature to assume that further damage may not occur. The period of heavy rains has only just begun—70 to 80 per cent. of the annual rain fan (Mukden 687 min. Hsinking (45 min., Harbin 548 min. Newchwang 652" min.) comes heavy showers in the summer months, July and August accounting. for about halt of the annual pre-capitation. The floods" which 30 frequently occur on the plains are seldom heard of inside the Great Wall except when a temporary inlerruption of through railway tame 'Crops in South Manchoukuo as seen from the SMR. train, appear: most satisfactory, but, aside from a few abnormally. early rain storms the weather has been' dry, though during these two months In'an average year a large part of the annual rainfall normally occurs. Unless! more rain comes soon here, it feared that the crops. will not meet the farmers' expectation
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.