Shanghai in Grip of One of Worst Floods City Has Ever Known; Many Motor Cars Stalled HE Western Districts of both Shanghai, June 18, the International Settlement and the French Concession yesterday were in the grip of floods which hid both roadway and pavement beneath swirling yellow waters, made motoring difficult, walking not only uncomfortable but a risk to the health and which resulted in a large number of shops being entirely cut off from customers for the entire day. Many cars were stalled, more particularly on Vu Yuen and Great Western Roads, where the waters were particularly deep.
While the Central District was comparatively free from flooding for change—even the department store concentration at Chekiang and Nan~ King roads corner being almost "dry" the same could not be said for a very large proportion of the streets further west, A tour of the elly yesterday afternoon by a "North-China Daily News" Fepresentative and a photographer revealed that Shanghai was in the grip of one of the worst floods it has ever known, "Avenue Joffre was free from flood: ing until' Rue Baron Gros was reached. Floods were then noticed in side streets and, as Rue Chapsal Was approached, the "waters came more and more to the centre of th rond, Past the tram island, "dry' and' was reached once more, but at Rue Massenet the floods grew deep again and it was here that the "North China Daily News" reporter observed practical application of the saying, "Here's mud in your eye," as a flashy' sedan drove past a tram-island at a most. inconsiderate speed, drenching the unfortunate people waiting for a cheaper form of conveyance. impressed into more oF less effective service after it was too late, Mungjao a Quagmire About the only people to appar cently appreciate the flood waters were the drivers of Japanese military cars coming in from that quagmire which in normal times is known as Hungjao. 'The waters of Great Western Road. seemed to grow even deeper in hue if" that' Were possible—as mud-encrusted cars drove through, to. emerge on the other side looking a ttle better than when they went in, As a result of yesterday's survey, it would appear that the worst floods were (0 be found in the vicinity of Tieng and" Great "Western Roads, running for, say, about a quarter of a mile in any direction. Second came Yuen 'Road where, possibly due fo a slower moving' tragic, more stalled motor cars were to be seen, although the flooding did not seem. quite so bad, And third came the Cathay 'Mansions-French Club flocd centre, which has now been' under water for the greater part of this week.
Turning right at Rue Cardinal Mercier, the Cathay Mansion-Prench Club corer was the next flooded area fo be reached, The French Concession motor buses, which normally travel along Rue Bourgeat to Route des Soeurs before turning Toft again to reach Avenue Foch, were forced fo turn at Cardinal Mercier instead, the road being practically impassable ahead, even to rickshaw tram. The entire roadway at. the corner was under water, the trample policeman in the centro of the road being frequent ly splashed by passing trame, Sandbags Needed The Cathay Mansions, which has sunk several feet since it was com= pleted, had to adopt special precau tions in the shape of boardings and sandbags to prevent the water from rushing in and flooding the ground oer and shops.
The floods gave out again just past. the text station opposite the Lyceum Theatre, "Moulmein Road was under water and so were both sides. of Avenue Foch as far as Seymour Road, The "yellow sea" was then lost sight of for some time, but the floods were far from exhausted, Thay had not even started, On approaching the Avenue Haig/ Great Western Road corner, the real extent of the floods began appreciated, Down Great Western Road, further than the eye could reach, was nothing but water, water and a few motor cars ploughing their way through behind a mighty bow-wave, It was deep, too, even in the middle of the road, as' the "North China. Daily News" reporter found out when the car stalled. A large crowd of exceedingly damp urchins immediately surrounded the vehicle, ready to push; fortunately, their efforts were not needed, but' subsequent observation showed that they were making a steady profit from motorists passing that very spot.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.