Shanghai, Aug. 1
'A large fire immediately opposite Outwardly a day of "peace and) quiet—except fora sudden outbreak of heavy firing late last night—with esldonts in the International Settlement south of the Soochow Creek searching the sky In vain for raiding Chinese aeroplanes and listening with comparative indifference to the bursts t the Nanking Road jetty, on the Pootung side, sent smoke drifting across the scene. The fire had been caused by a bomb from a Japanese aeroplane which was fired on by a Chinese gun or trench mortar which was apparently concealed somewhere jo neighbourhood. The plane, near of fire from Japanese warships in the harbour, yesterday nevertheless was crucial day for the Japanese Land. ing Party—a day they retrieved at the last minute by means of a determined attack, Supported by barrages} from their' warships, On Tuesday the Chinese had "broken through in the neighbourhood of Thorburn Road and had reached Ward Road before they were checked. There a desperate action ensued, and by dawn, when the light on the new Chinese positions gave the Japanese cruisers in the river a ghanee to size up the losses their Landing Party had suffered, a terrific ly hit by a surprise shell from this weapon, turned sharply and went back (0 mete out dreadful punishment to the gun crew. Spatterings of mud and metal could been seen from the Bund as the plane's bomb dropped on its objective, Early in the, morning Japanese planes systematically bombed Chinese Positions to the north of Chapel, in conjunction with gunfire from war~ ships In the harbour. A number of fires resulted. Incendiary. bombs were apparently dropped" towards ovening, the cause of the number of fires in' Chapel, West Hongkew, and In the parts of the Settlement into which the Chinese had thrust their]
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.