Taihoku, Feb, '25.
While the authorities' completed their survey of the damage resulting from the two Chinese air raids on Taihoku and Chikuto on Wednesday, witnesses to-day described scenes attending the bombers' visits, the first recorded over Japanese soil, Many people had left their houses and were enjoying the sunny weather shortly after 11 a.m, when suddenly "tiny specks began dropping from a clear sky," one witness said, At the same time many people heard the drone of aeroplane motors, but the majority of the residents did not hear the craft due to the great height at which they were flying.
Specks like fast darts plunged to the ground and spurts of earth shot upward, In the Taihoku area bombs dropped near houses in Shosansho, a suburb village, in paddy fields and near the electric power station there. Seven villagers on a road near the power station were killed instantly, The victims included women and children, witnesses said, Bombs which dropped in the fields killed one person, on the spot while another died later from his wounds; Hankow, Feb. 25.
Considerable apprehension has been aroused in Hankow as the result of a crop of unconfirmed rumours regarding Japanese reprisals for the recent unusual activity of the Chinese air force, including Wednesday's air raid on Formosa. The most alarming of these says that the Japanese have threatened to send 100 machines to bomb Hankow.
Another unconfirmed report circulated in Chinese circles is that, to test the possibility of conducting air raids on Japanese cities, a Chinese bomber made a successful flight to Tokyo and back to its base on Wednesday. The machine is said to have made the entire trip at a tremendous height.
Hankow has become thoroughly air conscious since last Friday's air raid, which is still the chief topic of conversation among the populace. Everyone is still asking for information regarding the exact number of Japanese planes brought down. In this connection the latest news from Chinese sources is that the Japanese lost sixteen machines, including two bombers.
The populace is expecting another raid at any moment, although, on the assumption that bright sunshine i: not the safest time for an attack, they believe that the Japanese will waif until weather conditions are more suitable.
According to Chinese reports, one Japanese bomber was shot down at Wuhsien, 60 kilometres from the Shansi-Honan border, yesterday.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.