Hankow, Sept, 19.
It it is true people got the Jkovernment they deserve, it is time ithe residents of Mankow. took a more forceful interest in their con-
To those who had the knowledge to judge, the flooding of the rear. pat of the port was due to nesiect Mhe principal safeguard would have incurred an expenditure of $20,000 fand have raised a rampart of tive miles of railway embankment. three Feet in height; the smallness of the lcstimated expenditure demonstrates the feasibility of getting the work Jaume "in the limited time. then at disposal, The mistake has been made. Nothing need be said but to irofit_ by experience except that. further foolishness is in progress, therefore becomes desirable to, ace some items of public import fence before those who have the interest of the port at heart.
The sketch plan illustrater that! the back part of Jed. by the Ping-1 leankment on the Yantze front, by the embankment of the Szvchuan Railway from the Han River and the Chang Kung Dyke connecting the two railway embankments, The height of railway embankments above Customs zero is SI fect, the dyke is 85. feet, previous record high water in 1870, 50.6 fect; this high' water mark" 53.6]
The breaks in the rai thank. ment were closed two weeks no and the water confined, which covers square miles at the back of Hai The water the town, to feet, tat the back the level 52 feet. The area at the back dong ut nly contain the market gardens, but also.; odowns, indus: (ial concerns and many thousands of houses, Not one inch more water should be allow. The storm early last [week cost the inhabitants at least some lakhs of dollars, the waves Jearrying away roofs and breaking down brick walls, The refuges can [commence returning to their f when the water drops to 40 fee Inothing: should be done to delay this desired result. The remedy Known, if the culvert, provided for Jdrainage, in the Dyke at. point marked "A" cannot be opened, the Dyke should be cut or the Railway embankment bridged at one of more points, 'To cut the dyke, it should be sufficient to station 20 mon, to Tower the cut as the water goes down. 'There is no reason for delay, ork sheld' be dane now.
taxpayers and people _of Hankow require to see more fic jency from the civic authority need to. be assured that they shall not suiter-again the loss and dis-jester of this year, Three years lage, private enterprise handed over to the local authorities the Chang Kung Dyke in good condition, with circuit road 26 miles in length to permit of easy inspection and the [transit of materials for repair work. Realizing the importance of the de-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.