Survivors Describe Bombing

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 71, 16 December 1937, Page 5

Survivors Describe Bombing

-Press Assn.-

"HELL LET LOOSE" Panay's Crew Fought Till Ship Sank FIRED ON FROM BANK

(By Telagraph-

-Copyright.)

(Eeeeived 16, 10.35 a.m.) NEW YOEK, Dec. 15. The Shanghai correspondent of the United Press says that the Amerieans John L. Hodge and Jim Marshall, writer for Collier's Magazine, who witnessed the bombing of the American gunboat Panay and the three oil tankers, arrived from Wuhu in a Japanese rescue plane. Mr. Hodge said: "I left the Panay at 1 p.m. on Sunday to go to the oil tanker Meiping. I was sitting in the fo'castle when I heard planes. I went on to the bridge with Captain Jorgenson to get glasses to see what was lxappening. "The next thing I knew, hell was let loose. Three planes swooped past, turned and headed for the Panay. They hit it. Then they hit the Meiping 's bridge, from which four of us crashod. When I arose I found my head gashed. "A direct hit had set fire to the ship. The crew got out the hoses. The captain handed me the wheel and told me to beach the ship. I tried to go to the north-side bank, but soraebody turned a machine-gun on us." Mr. Marshall said: "The boys on the Panay trained machine-guns on the Japanese planes and continued shooting until the ship sank. The Japanese planes bombed the Panay 12 times. I was assisting the Chinese into a sampan when the final moment came. I then jumped into the water and reached the shore. "I, Mr. Hodge and another American, Mr. C. C. Vines, an employee oF the British-American Tobacco Co., walked to Taiping and found an abandoned mission. A Japanese ofiieer arrived and gave us food, but I was too sick to eat. A Japanese army truck took us to Wuhu. "The Panay 's officers and men showed plenty of courage; they fought praetically until the last bullet. There were flags painted and flying everywkere on the American ships. Three planes dived to within 300 feet of the river and dropped bombs, but did not uso their machine- guns. "The sound of planes diving is something I never want to hear again." A Shanghai message reports that the vessel Oahu is on the way to Shanghai with the British gunboat' Ladybird, bringing the survivors and dead from Hohsien. Tho ships will be preceded by Japanese minesweepers and will only travel in the daytime. Mcanwhile, reports a Tokio messago, a delegation of girl students, after participating in a flag procession to celebrate the fall of Nanking, visited the American Ambassador and expressed the regret with which Japanese women regard the Panay incident. It is understood that a movement is afoot to atart a national subscription to give the United States a gunboat to replace the Panay.