The convoy arrived off Woosung in the early afternoon, most of the merchant vessels dropping anchor at the mouth of the Whangpoo, leaving the gunboats to convey up river their freight of wounded and unharmed survivors of the Panay disaster, and four coffins. After the arrival of the Oahu, alongside the Augusta, there Was some delay as carpenters rigged a gangway up on to the railing around the gunboats' top deck. 'Then, as lights flashed and cameras clicked, the first two to board the Augusta came down' the gangway—Mr. Atcheson, jr. and Mr. J. Halt Paxton, both of the American Embassy, the lotter supported ay an officer' from the Augusta, stretchers, brought down the wounded. 'The less seriously injured among the naval personnel were ae-commodated in the Augusta, the more seriously wounded were taken to the Marines' Hospital, while the civilian wounded were transported to the Country Hospital. On the way up river, "a Naval court of enquiry, presided over by Captain LIV. MeKiltrick, had been taking down statements' from members "of the Panay's crow. The Court had met yesterday morning, and will prebbly sit again to-day, and on succeed ing days.
'A Warm Weleonte There was many a handshake be: tween those waiting on the Augusta and the survivors of the Panay.
tone' of whom was carrying from the sunken gunboat, as the transfer was made to the American flagship, All around the eck stood sailors, marines and civilians, silent, their eyes rooted upon, the gangway, britiantly.iNluminated by the floodlights, down which first the wounded in stretcher and next the unharmed, passed in "Goo, but we're glad to be it did not need {his ejaculation from one of the passengers on. the ilefated Panay to convey the fecl~ ings. of.rellet which were clearly shown on the faces of those ina, the decks of the Oahu that they had returned safely utter a truly gruol-Ving experience, Sunday's Disaster was after lunch, at about 130 pam, last Sunday that the alarm went up "planes overhead" as Japanese atreraft roared over the Panay, ox-plained s.ieutenant J. W. Gels cial distributing oticer aboard the doomed gunboat, in a press Inter= sew given in tke Ward Room of the Augusta, "Suddenly the quarter= aster "eried they are dropping, bombs" continued Lieut, Geist Looking up, lie noticed' three heavy Bombers ata height of about 7,000
The first bomb which Ianded on the gunboat struck the port side, giving jit a list to port, The crew were stunned, not realizing that the ship was being bombed. The bombers, according to Lieut, Geist, appeared to atlaek the Panay first in order to get rid of any resistance they might have put up. When it was realized that the gunboat was sing attacked, the order was given to man the machine-guns. The guns were train ed on the bombing planes. and opened fire. The alm was ineffective, however. owing to the fact that the gun shields had been bent in by the Jeoncussion of the bombs oxplodin and: the guns could not be brought bear upon their objectives. The concussion had also" thrown the ship's generators out of action.
After dropping a number of bombs, which did enormous damage to the Panay, the heavy bombers made off down river. A flight of light bombers then "appeared overhead, and engaged in dive bombing "and wi chine-unning the Panay. The rear deck was completely buckled, and the crew's quarters smashed In, and, to use the words of Lieut. Geist, "shrapnel made paper out of bullet= proof gun shields.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.