Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-28
OUR BOYS VICTIMS
OF "PH0SGENE" GAS
Poison Has No Distinguishing
Odor and Brings Death
in Two Hours.

Washington, Feb 2S.-ln view of Ger
manv's first gas attack on Gen. Pershing 8
men officials here have let down the bars OF
secrecy in regard TO certain features of i'm
port ant work being done by the gas and
flame division of the army. The fact that
66 American soldiers were gassed should
not be interpreted TO mean that the men IN
the American sector are not fully equipped
10 meet this form of deadly attack
Asamattcr of fact the War Department
Is and has been for some time devoting par
tlcular attention not only 10 protecting its
own troops against enemy gases, hut TO
giving Germany a taste of its own medicine
In n manner which is likely TO become a
feature of the fighting before many weeks.
4 rough idea of the scope of this work
can be CLEANED from the fact that upward
of SlO0.OO0, 600 is being spent by the
United States government on gas masks
alone. Pershing's men already have COM
pletc equipment.
According TO reports the Germans IN
their attack on the American sector hred
from minenwerfers approximately 40
chlorine and phosgenc gas shells. Gas
shells and explosives were hrcd simu-
taneously. From these facts officials here
explain that the Germans used their latest
method Of gas attack.
4 detailed report will he forwarded with
out DELAY 20 the War Department. Experts
nf the gas and flame division will avail
themselves of the information for the train
mc Of men here This training is ad-
mittedly difficult because conditions
change so rapidly that what Is learned to-
dsy may be useless tomorrow.
AZ FIRST the Germans used to SEND
poison gas over the enemy trenches when
the wind was favorable But British
troops soon found an answer to this
form OF attack and the Germans accord
ingly abandoned it. There has not
been n gas wave sent across No Man
Land for months The Germans then
invented the chlorine gas shells and
Others, which they fired at the trenches
nm proiectiles The Russians, however,
invented q mask with a neutralizing
agent in its composition, and the first
whiff Of acrid smoke was the signal for the
donning Of the masks before the fumes
could take effect.
DEATH CONES IN TWO HOURS.
This checked the German gas offensive
sor q time, but the Teutons then came
along with the phosgene shell This was
an odorless shell which could not be
detected for two hours, after which the
heart stopped beating and the victim
fcll dead As there was no odor troops
could not tell they had been gassed until
TOO late. The gas shells and the explosive
shells came over in great number and 1t
seemed impossible 10 distinguish one
from the other.
But here the Allies brought into play
a new defensive move. II was ascer-
tanned that there was q slight difference
IN tone between the detonation Of gas
shell and other shells Men were trained
- distinguish that difference and give the
signal in time for the green rockets and
the gas masks.
Rut the Germans met this with another
move which for s time seemed TO battle
al efforts to counteract IT. They mixed
gas and explosives In the same shell.
This - the form Of attack they tried on
the Americans.
A. an emergency measure the Allies
ordered gas masks to he worn continuous
H.. hut the Germans then invented the
sneeze bombs and the tear bombs 10
force the men 70 take their masks off.
Tins and other devices all have been
counteracted now Zach new move by
Germany Is met with a move 10 offset IT.