Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-14
us. READY TO DELUGE
GERMANY WITH GAS
Plant Making Ten Tons to Foes
One; Wars End Saved
Hun Hordcs.

Washington, Dec 14.-Statements that
America next Spring would have smothered
the German front with undreamed OF
quantities of poison gases, that Edgewood
Arsenal through gas production would
ave brought about the capture of Metz
that America alone would have had ten
tons of mustard gas to Germany's one,
and that our chemists had surprises OF
which German scientists never dreamed
were made public at dinner given last
night by the commissioned personnel OF
the Chemical Warfare Service to Major
General William l.. Sibert, Director of
that service.
Colonel W. FL. Walker, Gas Production
Chief, revealed facts about the gases that
were being made at Edgewood Arsenal,
the secrets of which had heretofore been
carefully guarded He told how one of
the most deadly institutions since time
began had been developed in an isolated
had been invented as 1T was built for no
such industry as it represented had existed
before.
Enlisted men had worked with the
deadly products, he continued, and at
times the casualties has been such as would
be hard to match on the battle front. She Is
loaded with these gases had been going
to Europe by the ship load Hundreds of
tons of gas in contain RS were stacked up,
and its production was already IN advance
of the possibility of allied uee.
Colonel Bradley Dewey, who Was In
charge of gas defense production, said
that a mask had been evolved which re-
qulred no nose clip and no piece In the
mouth, A man could wear 1T indefinitely
and could sleep In it. No such mask
could be made in Germany because of
the lack Of rubber
Back of this production tork WAS the
Research Division under Colonel G. A.
Burrcll, at American University, on the
edge Of Washington.
General Siebert summed up the ac-
complishments of the service. He said:
The Chemical Warfare Service came
into existence as such July l3, 1918, by
executive order. On November ! plants
for the manufacture of the standard
gases were in operation with a manufactu
ring capacity greater than that Of England
and France combined, which capacity
would have been trebled in the case of
certain cases before the beginning of the
new year
Several other endeavors in the toxic
field were Just coming. into production,
Spring Of 1919 We would have subjected
the German 10 deluge Of toxic substances
such as he never dreamed possible when
he commenced this type Of warfare
This gas production record made by
q nation that had not devoted its attention
TO chemical matters the past IS something
to be proud Of and something indicative
as 10 the future Before the war the
world looked to Germany in chemical
matters, and among the great nations
America especially was looked upon as
most backward in such matters
1t is hoped thst ono of the great results
VIII give capital confidence in the ability
OF our chemical engineers to manufacture
chemical substances at cost that will
compete with other nations
This war has shown that chemical
engineering IS the greatest undeveloped
field Of industry in the UnIted States,
and no nation can afford 70 permit such
great possibilities to lie failow Our
colleges, therefore, should make specially
of chemical engineering