Mequineza, Mar, 29.
Huge columns of smoke were visible to. advancing Nationalist Troops rty miles from Lerida to-ayes. Republican troops sought fo" burn te city before. abandon Ing "it" to" the. Snvadinng forces Nationalist Headquarters hero re: Puslated. carier thee Eorida already "hed "fallen into Nationalist bands, but said one Column of Gen. Francisco. Franco' {foops' hed reached "Alearram, only Sight miles west of the doomed ety.
Republican troops preparing abandon the city, apparently were Burning petrol "tanks to. prevent heir falling. Into Nationalist" hands Naionalist planes reported that und Fede of white Mags ad: Been hosted Shove Lerign buildings "ler the Sovastating Nationalist Fala two days when more. than 1.800 persona were killed when "160" Nationalist, Blanes dropped tons of explosives the city.
Nationalist columns driving on Catalonia from the. south. preterited new threat to Republican' defences "they neared a large hydroelectric lant inthe. Gram 'Mountaine near Vulde Duchess, 'The electric. plant applies power' {o most Republican of The press is calling for 100,000] volunteers and the construction. of fortifications behind the front and round Bareelona—Reuter.
Moors Chasing Republicans Hendaye, Mar. 30, Republican troops in Catalonia were to-day reported fleeing toward the. Mediterranean as hard-driving Na-tonalist forces neared the gates of Lerida. Disorganized Republican troops, including the famous Inter-ational were retreating along three roads with Nationalist Moors in hot pursuit, Nationalist headquarters said Catalonia province was being conquered at the rate of eighteen square miles per hour motorized columns and cavalry brigades riddled the rear of retreating Republican forees, Republican forces, apparently abandoning immediate efforts to halt the disastrous Nationalist assault, were withdrawing toward Balaguer, 1g ada and Tarragona, without indicat. ing whether another attempt would made to reform their lines. Republican troops at Gandesa were reported to have been routed and riven into the Noguera mountains above the city, "The Nationalist Big Push threat-Jened' to isolate Barcelona from Valencia and Madrid and if success ul, would probably force an carly fend to the Spanish civil war, foreign military experts believed.
Republican troops in retreat, dyne mited a dam on Cinea River anc released 40,000,000 cubic metres. of water into areas already occupied by {the pursuing Nationalists, " Flooding of the area failed to stop the Nation-lists, as they had moved to higher ground in advance.
Advance Slowed Down publican, leaders sent savage sdynamitoroy" "into" the pai of catelly fierce Nationalist, or ocean {Toop ina attempt to delay thei merch von Lerida, Border reports fla the Republican miners were re Sisting every inch, using aynamile Sings to hus their explosives at the Moroccan motorized units and! cavalry were' reported "to" have Seached appoint where the towers of Eeriga were. visible. The "dynamo tores" were reported hastily setting mines under bridges and culverts in Enattempt to belt the Nationalist Flood-waters slowed the Nation list advance to-day and delayed the capture of Lerida, while the Inter~ national Brigade' counter-attacked outside the city after a "sham" retreat.
Farther south the Republicans! threw two crack divisions to offer asperate defence against a possible: [Nationalist thrust to the coast.
'At Perpignan on the French bor-}der, hundreds of Republican desert ers were pouring into France and the passes "were fled with militia-mien, soldiers, and civilians, At Port' Debenesque 600 armed. soldiers and civilians, flowing over the border a 12-hour stream, were immediate ly interned by the French authori. sies.—United Press.
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