Three Chinese were known to have been killed and six others received injuries yesterday afternoon when Japanese aeroplanes dropped bombs in the Hungjao Road area, near the railway crossing, playing havoc with a group of foreign residences in the vicinity.
The house occupied by Mr. Wilhelm Meller at 140 Hungjao Road was wrecked when a missile landed rapidly towards the west. Ironically, as they moved west a Chinese raider came from the east and succeeded in flying over the river and the Japanese positions, to a storm of anti-air-croft fire.
Seven bombs and four shells fell in the Yangtszepoo district last night at the time of the first air-raid there yesterday evening.
The coal dump of the Shanghai Power Company was the target of one bomb, and a Chinese worker was injured by this missile. Two fell in a piece of vacant ground between the Shanghai Gas Company and the China on the roof, piercing the two-storey building. Other houses, Nos. 130, 132, 184, 136, 138 and 148, which flew British, American and German flags, were more or less damaged, with practically all the window panes shattered. Several flags were noticed to have been badly torn by shrapnel.
Mr. R. A. Close, who lives at No. 180, had a narrow escape from serious injuries or death, as one of the explosives damaged his car. Mr. Close, who was actually getting into the vehicle, quickly took cover in a ditch when the bombers flew low over the area, Empty Coaches Bombed The raid was conducted shortly after 3 p.m. at least six Japanese [o aeroplanes being seen to have taken part with empty coaches stationed On the tracks apparently forming the Objective. No fewer than seventeen bombs were dropped. One coach was badly damaged and another slightly.
"The bombing lasted on and off over period of about two and a half hours. As late as 530 p.m, two missiles were dropped over the) area when two Java pins dived to an altitude of bet 1,000°to 2,000 feet, Despite the loud explosions and the attendant danger, life in—Hungjao Road went ón normally. A group of foreigners, some of whom were women, were found riding in cars or walking about with remarkable calines when a representative of the "North-China Daily News" visited ihe scene shortly before 5 p.m. One foreign couple were seen taking a dog for a walk although several planes were flying over an adjacent area. Two of these returned and did more' bombing.
Employees from the Shanghai Telephone Ca. and the Shanghai Waterworks also attended their work. Only when the two planes were diving did some of the Chinese workers seek temporary shelter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.