Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-08-15

II + . :.
big squeeze began discussion OF
british gas attack was strictly prohi.
bited but now the taboo has been lift.
ed, and a British ''gasman" has been
allowed TO write graphic account OF
the work of his own special corps
whose business II Is. ne says, TO doc
tor the Germans with their own medi-
| cine"
Behind our Ines" he writes, ''the
sun set in a blaze OF glory, A glance
over the parapet shows the green and
scarlet of the popped No-Man's land
already merging into the gray mists
OF twilight; but $50 yards away, like
a brown earth shadow among the
| grays, hangs the rusty barbed wire
OF the enemy and just beyond a white,
chalky upthrow marks his front line
trench. The gasmen stare across the
silent shadows at that white line and
for a moment they think Of the choky,
gurgling cough of the men who die
by gas. 1t Is not pleasant to die by
gas.
Connect up!r -
Connect upt' The order comes
down the line from one bay of the
trench to another, and the gasmen
Immediately get busy, The front rows
OF neatly piled sandbags Of which each
fre-step Is apparently solidly built are
pulled opt and disclose cavity in
which show, black and ominous, the
cowled heads of a row of iron cylin-
ders. They are sunk In pits well
sbagged up to protect them from pos.
sible crack or puncture by flying frag.
ment or ricochetting bullet. Each
cylinder weighs about 100 pounds and
contains sufficient compressed gas, II
It could be used without waste, to put
en- entire company out Of action.
"on top Of the cylinders lies tan
gle Of flexible connecting pipes. three
and four way joints. spigots, and
ecreW.jet, and upon these, with span
ner and key, the gasmen start work.
The cylinders are all connected up in
series, acknowledgements but to throw
the Jets over the top OF the parapet
and open the valves In order to re-
lease the deadly fumes.
But something is required to carry
the gas over to the German lines-a
favoring breeze-and never did sailor
scan the sky more intently than the
gasmen watch their little, inconspicu-
ous wind gauges, fixed to the edge
OF trench. They must have q wind
OF certain direction, and they prefer
II Of q certain strength. On this coca.
sion, the direction Is satisfactory
enough, but the breeze shows signs
Of weakness, and occasionally falls to
mere, almost imperceptible zephyr.
Danger Of leakage.
when not watching the wind, the
gasmen are watching their pipes; re-
peatedly feeling and testing every
inch Of tube and Joint; for none know
better than they the danger of leak
age and bf the escape Of gas into their
own trenches. Persistehtly an ofi1cer
passes down tn cline, casting rapid
though keen Chances Is be, goes at
each set Of cylinders and their con-
Meeting pipes, And In every bay he
pauses and whispers two words to the
corporal IN charge Eleven o'clock.
But the wind. without which the gas
win not reach the enemy's trench and
pants, begins TO peter out.
gAt tep-ffty the gasmen don their
special respirators, which In the dim
light, give the wearers q strange, al
most inhuman appearance. Masked
md goggled; with weird, truuk.like
pieces Of hose running from the mouth
piece 70 the box Of airpurifying chem
Gals strapped to, their chests, they
ook like some of the unearthly beings
who people the books of Mr.. H. G.
wells
'sBut not d breath distnrbs the stili
sir. The feeble breeze has died com.
pletely. Hurriedly the order rms
Town the line. Cancel, ana stand by. !
Behind their masks the eesmen gfaInt |
lisgustedly. But suddenly crack! !
rack! rat-a-tal fat;a,tattatll The
riders 10 the infantry have not been
and the quiet Of the
aight is roughly shattered by. a long |
inc OF viciously cracking rifles and
lewis guns to which the Germans re-
ply.
No security IN Trenches.
The kasmen move about uneasily
L Is not for themselves they fear, but
or those pipes and cylinder heads
wing bare and exposed to the hail OF
flying fragments. Well they know
he danger Of bursts and OF trenches
Hlled with gas and no wind to move
[. But they cannot bag up without
,rdefs. and so they detail one Of their
number IN each bay to watch the cylin-
iers while the rest gather behind the
traverse. as being a slightly safer
;pot.
When day breaks: fair wind is
oloVing, straight towards the German
- - 49, q 81 5---S- ------l