The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-29
BOMB Of DEATH
IS TuRP|N|TE
New Explosive Is Described as the
Most Terrible Thing Yet
Invented to XIII
People.
KILLS BY WHOLESALE
Every Living Thing Within 400
Square Yards Is Annihilated'
by One 5e-Pound
Shell.
KILLS BY WHOLESALE

lUntted Press Leased Wire service.l
LONDON, Sept. 1s.--(By mall to
New York. Whether the. French are
really, using turpinite, the newest
war terror, reported to he in posses,
sion of England's ally is matter OF
greatest speculation In England. This
new explosive which has aroused the
greatest discussion throughout the
world, is declared to be so deadly IN
it's effect that all life is exterm1nated
within a radius of 400 yards OF one
Of the exploding shells. Regiments OF
Germans are reported to have been
found dead in their trenches. their
rifles still in their hands, not a mark
on their bodies, but with the long line
of corpses standing as though IN lie.
The Daily Express declares that
man known to the editor Tor years.
and who is generally well informed
has. written as follows concerning
-turpinite: s
"The new explosive was invented
two years ago by NJ. Turpin, the par
ent inventor of melinite and lyddite
and is undoubtedly the most terrific
and most widely death dealing high
powered explosive ever known. so
lethal in its effect is the new shell on
exploding. that should its use become
widespread whole armies, indeed en-
tire nations, would be completely ex'
terminated in the course OF Few
weeks. For this reason its use is
probably prohibited by articles OF
war, by the international Hague con-
vention. though NJ. Turpin himself
boldly claims this is not the case"
After telling of NJ. Turpin's dislike
Of the French war office methods and
his grievance following the govern
ment's acceptance Of melinite and I'D
dite, the informant of the Express
tells how Turpin set to work upon a
new explosive which he endeavored
to perfect so that as compared 10 IL
melinite and lyddIte would be prac-
tically useless. He worked for years.
had gun made himself, the parts
being constructed at different points
and then assembled and directed the
making of the shells.
'The merest chance enabled me to
witness the early trials of the new
EXPLOSIVE" the writer continues. On
a stretch of sand 500 yards from high
water level, temporary sheep fold
had been erected, about 400 yards
square and rallied off with wooden
hurdles. In this space were dozen
sheep and a couple Of aged and worn
out horses.
zone of the horses was contentedly
munching away at SOME hay and the
other was rubbing himself against
one of the hurdles, while the sheep
were huddled together in one corner.
'This was what I saw through my
glasses when, from a ridge some 1900
yards away, there came sharp, loud
thud and the shrieking sound OF
small shell, just as though somebody
had taken piece of silk and rapidly
torn it in two.
'There was an explosion in the
open space in the middle OF the I'M
provised sheep pen. The sheep were
still huddled in the corner, one of the
old horses was apparently leaning up
against the railing. The one that
had been munching hay lay on his
side.
"When ten minutes later reached
the pen, the sheep looked for all the
world as if they had been petriled.
They were mostly stancing up, one
against the other
Three or four were lying down. but
all we're dead, with their eyes open
an6, lips hanging. 1t was absolutely
shastly. Yet of all the animals only
the old horse that had been munchins
hay was hit by fragment of shell.
The other horse was half falling, half
leaning against the fence, his foreless
stretched out forward. his hind feet
doubled up on the sand beneath him.
Both had been killed Instantly.
There was a faint odor+ in the air.
which can only describe as that
given off by methylatei spirit. yet
mixed with a pungent smell Of men,
thol Later the experiments were re-
heated on a much larger scale at the
French permanent camps of Chalons
and Mailly.
For special reasons which it would
be unfair for me to divulge at the
present moment. am Strongly of the
opinion that these Shells have not
been used to any extent by the French
armies in the field Probably an &C.
tual test under battle conditions has
been made once Or twice. but no
more
THAT this terrific explosive will,
however, be used in case Of such an
eventUality as an attempt to take
Paris by storm, l have no doubt. But
7 am convinced despite the thousands