Travelling up from Woosung on the decks of the Durmont d'Urville, French sloop, some 350 returning refugees, who arrived off the mouth of the Yangtsze in the s. Andre Lebon at dawn yesterday, had an almost uneventful trip up-river. Almost uneventful, but not quite, for as the cruiser was passing one of the many Japanese destroyers anchored in mid-stream a sudden stack cate "rap-rapping" sent dozens hurrying for shelter, while others flung themselves down onto the deck itself.
They got up rather sheepishly a moment or two later, however, when it transpired that the unexpected noise was only the crackle of firecrackers set off by a Japanese sailor in a moment of fun.
The returning Shanghailanders left Hongkong on Sunday afternoon, after many days of waiting, arguing and Pleading in the offices of the Mes-sagenes Maritimes for berths; every form of accommodation was taken
an official of the company in Hong-up, and just before the ship sailed kong told the "North-China Daily News" that had the Andre Lebon been twice her size people would still have been turned away owing to a lack of accommodation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.