Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-04-05
CHAPTER XIII.
Gas attacks and Spies.


Fritz, the Germans sent over gas. Il
did not catch us unawares, because the
wind had been made to order, that Ia,
II was blowing from the German
trenches toward ours at the rate Of
about five miles per hour.
Warnings had been passed down tho
trench to keep sharp lookout for gas.
We had new man at the perlscope,
on this afternoon In question; / was
sitting on the fire step, cleaning my
rifle, when he called out to me:
There's sort of greenlsh, yellow
cloud rolling along the ground out In
front, It's coming"
But | waited for no more, grabbing
my bayOnet, which was detached from
the rifle, gave the alarm by banging
an empty shell case, which was hang
Ing near the perlscope. At the same
instant, gongs started ringing down the
trench, the signal for Tommy to don
his resplrator, or smoke helmet, as we
call 1t.
Gas travels quickly so you must not
lose any time; you generally have
about eighteen or twenty seconds In
which to adjust your gas helmet.
A gas helmet is made of cloth, treat
ed with chemicals. There are two win
dows, or glass eyes in It, through which
you can see Inside there is ruSber-
covered tube, which goes In the mouth.
You breathe through your nose; the
gas, passing through the cloth helmet,
is neutralized by the action of the
chemicals The foul air Is exhaled
through the tube In the mouth, tlrls
tube being so constructed that 1t pre-
vents the inhallng Of the outside air or
gas One helmet Is good for five hours
OF the strongest gas. Each Tommy
carries two Of them slung around his
shoulder In waterproof canvas bag.
He must wear this bag at all times,
even while sleeping. To change a de-
fective helmet, you take out the new
one, hold your breath, pull the old one
fon, placing the new one over your
head, tucking In the loose ends under
the collar of your tunic.
For minute, pandemonium reigned
IN our trench-Tommes adjusting
their helmets, bombers running here
and there, and men turning out Of the
'dugouts with fixed bayonets, to man
the fire step.
Requirements were pouring out Of
the communication trenches.
Our guns crew were busy mounting
the machine gun on the parapet and
bringing up extra ammunition from
the dugout.
German gas Is heavier than air and
soon fills the trenches and dugouts,
where 1t has been known to lurk for
two or three days, until the air Is puri-
fed by means Of large chemical spray
ers.
We had to work quickly, as Fritz
generally follows the gas with an In.
fantry attack.
A company man on our right was
100 slow In getting on his helmet; he
sank to the ground, clutching at his
throat, and after few spasmodic
twistings went West (died). 1t was
horrible to see him die, but we were
powerless to help him. In the corner
Of traverse, little, muddy cur dog.
one Of the company's pets, was lying
dead, with his paws over his nose.
It's the animals that suffer the most
the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats
and rats-they having no helmets to
save them. Tommy does not sympa.
thize with rats In gas attack.
At times gas has been known to
travel, with dire results, fifteen miles
behind the lines.
A gas, or smoke helmet, as 1t Is
called, at the best is a vile-smelling
thing, and 1t Is not long before one gets
violent headache from wearing It.
Our elghteen-pounders were burst
ing in No Mans Land, In an effort, by
the artillery, to dispense the gas
clouds.
The fire step was lined with crouch
ing men, bayonets fixed, and bombs
near at hand to repel the expected at.
tack.
Our artillery had put barrage Of
curtain fire on the German lines, to try
and break up their attack and keep
back re-enfOrcements.
l trained my machine gun on their
trench and it's bullets were raking the
parapet.
Then over they came, bayonets glis.
tening. In their rssplrators, which
have large snout In front, they look
ed like some horrible nightmare.
All along our trench, rifles and ma.
chine guns spoke, our shrapnel was
bursting over their heads. They went
down In heaps, but new ones took the
places of the fallen. Nothing could
stop that mad rush. The Germans
reached our barbed wire, which had
previously been demolished by their
shells, then 1t was bomb against bomb,