Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-02
GASFLAMESSEAR
!; MEN IN TRENCHES
Human Courage Futile in Face
of This Latest War
Device.
INVENTIONS TO MULTIPLY
HORROR OF CONFLICT
Cans of High Explosives Hurled by
Catapults Into Lines of
the Enemy.
BY HERBERT COREY.

Copyright. 1851
PARIS, August 17.-Men began to
trickle into the British hospitals again
this week. Not many. perhaps, when
the total strength of the British line
in France is considered. But for sew
eral weeks the daily list Of British
casualties. published in the London
papers, had dwindled to tiny proper
lions. There had been a halt in opera
tons after the Germans had vainly
tried again to break through at Ypres
"Such wounds have not been seen in
warfare since melted lead was poured
on the enemy from castle walls" said
an English surgeon.
They were burned, these men. Burned
and blstered and scared The new
German flame protector had done the
work. BY its use the Germans cap
tured 400 or 500 meters of front trench.
There are no Drawer men than the Brit
ish soldiers. The French soldiers are
just as brave. and SO are the Canadians,
and both French and Canadians have
certain points of superiority to the
British product But no troops on earth
can hold trench more grimly than the
Englishmen. Even they could not stand
in front of a living sheet of flame.
Flesh and blood cannot stand it. Men
will die ma efficiently. They will go
into action knowing that they will die.
But they cannot stay in trench to be
burned alive.
The flames We're projected from gas
cylinders mounted on the German
trench walls" heard. The gas
seemed to be oXy-acetylene. The whole
continuance looked like an exaggerated
biowpipe such as is used by plumbers
The range was approximately ninety
feet"
Chemicals and Fire Used.
The british and German trenches
oft,, lppr cached within FIVE yards of
each other. At the point where the
chief gain was made they averaged
PERHAPS forty yards apart. When the
char.ed and shrieking mentor
burned men will cry aloud like chill
dren-had begun to flee from the first
trenches the Germans followed with a
bombing party. Elsewhere along the
line fire has been used in other ways,
according to report There is story
OF chemical which is sprayed into the
air as one pumps sulphur upon rose
bugs from an airgun. 1t ignited as it
comes into contact with the atmos-
presumably gasoline. and set fire to it
when 1t floods the other trench. They
have a fire bomb which they lob over
into the trenches from some sort of
CdSdpull anu which eSplOOeS upon I'M
pact. 1t burns the ground in a circle
about eight yards in diameter. They
throw picric acid in bombs and squirt
1t from force pumps.
What is the defense against this
hre?" / asked.
We have none as yet was the
reply.
=.-Doubtless an effort is being made to
does not come as surprise to the
allies Three months ago 1t was first
tried. tentatively. by the Germans.
Having proven its value. from their
preparations for its use on a large
scale. The history of the fame pro-
jector is duplicated By that of the
asphy xiatinE gas. Three months be-
fore it was used in the west / am told
the Germans used it against the Rus
slams in the east, though in a small
way. 1t was not until this gas had cost
thousands of lives that an effective
mask was produced by the allies. The
respirator now used by the French is
4 fairly complete protection.
Kaiser Forbade Flame Protector.
Unless a story l heard in Berlin in
February is untrue. the kaiser was at
the outset bitterly opposed to the use
of the fame protector. AS it came to
ne. ''ha!:-baked professor in Ger
man university invented the thing.
TIE general staff experimental with it
and finally decided to adopt it. Nothing
vas said officially to the kaiser about
il, but some one told. He called the
chief of staff.
Il VIII not permit the use Of such de-
vices in my army, said the kaiser.
'"chey are devilish-mon strous-inhu-
man
Put, sire" began the chief of
staff
Enough said the kaiser
~ that time members of the staff
were quoted as expressing regret that
this instrument was forbidden them.
One is compelled to wonder now if the
Kaiser We're in the end defed by the
*taG or whether ne assented to its use,
and what particular epitnets he now
applies to a weapon of war that chars
mems flesh from their bones.
The last few months OF the war have
produced d number of appliances de-
signed for use against the man in the
trench, but the big guns which played
such a part against fortresses are
hardly heard from. The Germans shell
uunkirk now and again from twenty
three miles away, and the story is
often heard that if they get to Calais
they will shell Dover across thirty
miles of sea But the big gun costs
too much to fire and rarely does any
great harm against a trench Its place
IS being taken BY little guns-con-
temptible penny pieces of ordnance
tiny mortars that look like rusty pieces
Of stovepipe The sometimes do more
harm to lives than do the 42s.
Cans of High Explosive.