Hankow, Oct. 23.
The Wuhan cities were bombed four times after sunrise this morning. The Japanese bombers, mostly arriving in relays of nine, concentrated again on the Wuchang Station across the river, sending up a huge column of black smoke and starting several fires. Casualties are believed to be small owing to the air raid precautions, but the damage is presumed to be heavy.
It is generally felt here that this is merely a sample of what is to be expected in the next few days, The uneasiness is reflected in the various rumours circulating in the city. Several foreigners in Hankow and Wuchang state that they heard firing downriver today, and think it was from Japanese naval guns—Reuter the Honan-Hupeh border west of Sintien and the Peiping-Hankow railway, headquarters of the Japanese Expeditionary Force in Central China revealed in an official communique issued at 11.30 o'clock yes-{terday morning.
Japanese columns, the communique id, poured into Hupeh Province fatter occupying a hill 1,230 metres jin height. The drive on the hill, which is approximately 12 kilometres southeast of Wulishan, was made [from- three directions, the comfraunique said. One—_ Japanese! Jcolumn, the communique claimed, is holding the hill while two other detachments pushed forward across the border.
Domei dispatches from the front, meanwhile, disclosed that Japanese forces are now flanking the Chinese positions at Wushengkwan, important Chinese defence outpost for the Wuhan area,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.