Harbin, April, 28, In 1992 and again in 1934 the 'Sungari River was flooded to such fan extent that in the first case, the town of Harbin itself was under /water, and in the second case there were' miles of country Harbin completely inundated, but this year there is a totally different picture, as the river-is lower than it has been for over forty years, the present moment, standing on the shores of the city side of the Sungari, a large number of steamers fand barges are to be seen landed high and dry in the inlets on the opposite bank of the river, where they have been wintering and into which they sailed without any difffeulty last autumn. One of these inlets, named the Solovieft, has Jaried up so completely that " even the smallest boat cannot now sail there.
Attempts are being made to haul the steamers and barges off of th muddy bottom by means of powerful tugs, but unfortunately the heavy jerafis have already suck into the mud, and it will be necessary 10 ig them out, before they can be moved by any' means.
The few steamers and barges which were wintering close to the eft bank of the river, are able to navigate the channel fora short distance, but it is quite impossible for them to approach the right bank Jof the river, as more than half its Tenght (s now either a dry land oF 'a shallow, covered by about three Inches of water. The serious situa lon. as regards navigation is made much worse by the fact that it can hardly "be expected that the water will rise in the first half of the season, thus the transport on the river will be considerably affected. JGenerally, a considerable quantity lof water was brought from the INonni River, but in the present state lof drought it is not likely that this river will give. much water this year, and therefore the only thing to have patience and walt for the rains, which usually fall in June or the beginning of July.
The lack of water in the Sungar! is causing great losses to the owners of goods, og a whole string of river stations are without stocks at the resent moment, and are practically cut off from the whole world, as it ig impossible to send barges, even of a small size, to discharge at the river bank. Not only are the losses very heavy for merchants whose foods are now held up, but also for passengers, as there is-no passenger steamer which can sail up or down the river at the present moment.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.