White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-11

On a table in a large 0om IN which
were several American oficers-until
recently professors of chemistry and
noted scientists connected with promi-
nent American eorporations-were
several shells. jars OF liquid, small
containers filled win powder and ev-
cry Imaginable thing connected with
the business OF killing and safeguard
ing with and against gas attacks"
For gas has become the big element
of warfare and there i, no telling how
gigantic il may Re before the war
comes 70 an end.
To sit with These experts IN killing
aud listen 10 their simple statements
about the possibilities IF destruction.
and NJ the same time 10 know them
as men of finest sensibilities aud hui
name impulses. is a SORT Of grim y
latiou of the ferribleness al This "A
and the appalling transformation that
is overcoming at least a part OF hui
manity. OF eourSe everyone knows
that Germany started the use OF gas.
She has specialized in the use Of gases
of most deadly character. She has
perfected methods OF spreading these
CHASTITY fumes where soldiers cannot
escape, but must stand or sit and face
death in gas masks. But she has
forced the resi- of the world. as a
means Of self-protection. to enter up
on this cold. calculating. mereiless
work of human destruction. With
out revealing any information not al
ready known 70 the Hun. It may be
stated that Germany realizes that if
she insists upan carrying IN her war
with gas She viii he mel with the
spirit of a tooth for a tooth and an
eye for an eve. and It Is not unlikely
that II may be two for one.
Huge Gas 0ud.
one of the big projeetiles on the
desk in the room referred to was a
gas dud-a shell which did not ex-
plode. Ii was one of 500 which were
hurled simultaneously into the Amer
lean lines. The projectile is 9 inches
in diameter. about IS inches long.
weighs about IS pounds and has a
rather blunt nose. II contains about
two gallons Of the deadly phosgine gas.
isn't II a rather dangerous thing TO
keep around as an office pet2r I asked.
I'VE took the fuse out. Is quite
harmless was the reply.
This dud is hurried by The %fninenwer-
fers. The Germans have Il system Of
attaching a long string of thee weap-
! ons 50 that they are fred with the
touch of a button. This chorus firing
j. continued for perhaps Il minutes
and sends a yeritable shower of the
big projeetiles into the selected spot
and releases a great quantity Of the
deadly gas. II the range is right and
the wind at all favorable the result
is likely" TO be serious. The fumes are
shot out with terrific speed over a
small area by the explosion Of the
| she'll.
There were some smaller shells con-
tanning phosgine, a gas used very ex-
~tensiyely. and others filed with a new
gas used by the Germans. This is
not poisonous but is calculated 10 pave
| the way for a genuine gas attack. The
little shells contain a quantity Of the
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and a surrounding layer Of INT which
causes an explosion which suggests
shrapnel and high explosives instead
! Of gas. The powder Is widely spread
and is intended to ~irritate the men,
| branes Of the throat and nose just
enough to cause the person reached by
Ii To sneeze. When he begins to do
this the supposition Is that he will re-
move his gas mask and on the theory
that he will do 50 he apparently harm
less powder shells are followed by a
blast of mustard gas or phosgine.
Working on New Gases
Suppose | asked one Of the dis
tingnished experts, "a gas she'll should
explode in a city street on a perfectly
still day. how far would the fumes
penetrate and o long would they
take u cover "A given aresf'
The expert opened q Jar containing
about a quart Of dark liquid. When
the air touched If a white smoke arose
slowly. The expert blew this softly
into the room and II settled with about
the speed OF a ring Of smoke from a
fragrant cigar.
THAT'S about the way the gas would
travel II the air were perfectly still.
One shell probably would cover an
area 30 feet in circumference and the
gas would remain for a half hour or
more"
Shells gathered by the Americans
show that the Germans are constantly
working on new gases. This. coupled
with the statements made by German
prisoners. indicate that the German
believes gas viii be the biggest weapon
to hasten the end Of the war.
No gas bombs have yet been drop
ped by either side 10 the war. Not
long ago some small rubber balloons