Basques Vacate Old City

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 132, 21 June 1937, Page 7

Basques Vacate Old City

-Press Aasn.

THREE-MONTHS' SIEGE ENDS Haggard Refugees Greet Victors RIVER DIVIDES ARMIES

(By Telegraph—

Cypyright.)

(Received 21, 11.0 a,ni,) LONDON, June 20. After a siege lastiBg ne&rly three months, the insurgent forces, according to" insurgent foroadcasts, entered the city of Bilbao. Half.a-dozen journaliats were really the first to exiter the city. They slipped ahead of the insurgent army, crossed the River Nervion, and walked down the streets. They fownd »o Basque soldiers hut only civilians who weicomed them. Aiyinen report that the retreating Basque army ig uow about seven mUeg to the westward of the city. The attack began at 1.30 5.01. after a- bombardraent during the morning from the billsides by a fixed column.of Spanish regulars and Italian. "Black Arrow ' ' Legxonaries, assisted by massed tanks, The Basques resisted strongly, Every cottage had beeu fortified, but lack of muntions caused the defenders' eventual retreat. * Tfae rebel tropps approaphing the old city were held up by throngs of fleeing eivilians whom the Basque Governaxent crdered to evaeute the city. The de« fenders abandoned the old city and are coxieentrating on the new city on the opposite bank of the Nervion. It -is reported that the new city hag been fortified in readiness for a further defence. . The troops crossed the river in pon•toons a»d pmietrated a quarter of a mile from the riverbank. They found the greatest resistance in the heavilypopulated Portugalete-Barcaldo quarters. The Britislx United Press correspondent at Bilbao says that engineers began the ereetion of a temporary bridge over the Nervion, and repairing cable, ielephone, water and lighting gervices. Soldiers are renioviug bpdies from rail"vvay tunnels, dark alleys and eellars, these presumably being the bodies of executed people. Thousands of refugees are now returning. Oue of the first actg of the eaptore was to release 1200- hostages who were imprisoned in a ship on the river. Three thousand women and children were found taking refuge in the Santiago Cathedral, which was undamaged. Others hid in the covered markets. Several Basque battalions surrendered Und qrarehed through the streets shouting: "Long Live Spain! " Thousands of refugees f'rom Bilbao •nfered the lines of the insurgent forces at night. The roads to-day were paeked •vfith haggaxd, hungry women and children. They ravenously devoured bread given .them. The insurgent troops sent lorrkeg into which the fugitives were paeked to hasten them to safety. - Among the refugees were 1500 men sympathisers with the insurgents who have just been reieased from prisoxx.