Chinese Mob Overruns British Concession at Hankow With 300 Americans Nearby

Thousands of angry Chinese coolies invaded the British concession at Hankow on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported, creating a situation it called fraught with the gravest dangers. Frantic appeals reached the British government in London for more land and naval forces.

The British warships Vindictive, Carlisle and Wishart were ordered to Hankow from Hong Kong, and an Exchange Telegraph dispatch said all available naval forces at Shanghai were leaving at full speed. British marines, who had held off a coolie invasion on Monday without bloodshed, were withdrawn on Tuesday to prevent almost certain bloodshed, leaving the concession in charge of Cantonese troops. Official dispatches indicated the crowds were out of control, and barricades were destroyed.

Washington estimated that 300 or more Americans lived in Hankow or its suburbs, the Evening Star reported (the Herald put the number at fully 300), and an American destroyer, the John D. Ford, was ordered to the looted city of Wuhu.