On the following morning news was received that the U.S.S. Panay had bombed and sunk and at 12 noon the Bee proceeded down the river with everyone on board prepared to do his best to aid any survivors of the terrible incident. At 2 p.m. that afternoon a huge column of oily black smoke was seen this, as was perceived later, emanating from the two blazing Socony oilers which had been bombed at the same time as the Panay. That same evening the Bee picked up twelve survivors from the oilers and from the Panay on the south bank of the river and the news was imparted that ame of the remainder were on the north bank of the stream.
Before dawn, a search party led by} Rear-Admiral Holt himself left the ship to search for the survivors and
them by telephone but, as they were 1030 amZhad gained contact with many miles inland nothing could be done at Hohsien and so the party returned to the ship to arrange the \]embarkation for that evening.
At 4.30 p.m., the party again went ashore to Hohsien to await the arrival of the men fiom the. Panay but it was* not until 10.30 that they were sighted, all of them being embarked by 11 am the following morning to be tran: ferred to the U.S.S. Oahu and H.M.S.
Ladybird, which were leaving for,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.