The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-06-24
CANADIAN OFFICER
SAYS ALLIES NOW
LEADINUSEO OF GAS

BALTIMORE, June 24-"The final
phase OF the war will come when
the nco-British-American effort
reaches its maximum, and the allied
effort is well under way at the
present time" declared Lieut.. Cliff
ford Reilly, Of the French high COM
mission in the United States. before
1000 members of the Ordnance De-
partment OF the United States army
from Edgewood, Md, at a war work
ers' meeting at the Maryland Thea
ter yesterday afternoon. 1t was held
under the direction OF r. Neale Smith,
of the committee on public infOrma-
ton.
Lieutenant Reilly, who was former
ly an officer in the royal highland
ers of Canada and who has fought
IN Flanders and France, was injured
in the battle OF the Somme and in
Valided to the United States. Short
ly after arriving in this country he
was appointed to the French high
commission in the United States. He
was in the thick of the fighting when
the Germans first started to use gas
and described the terrors that beset
the men when they got their first taste
of it He said the allies have become
even better at using 1t than the Ger
mans.
Regiments Killed By Gas.
Back in the campaign Of 1914 the
Germans first used that terrible
agency of modern warfare-gas. The
men on the fighting front at the time
were surprised to see what they
thought were dense clouds of smoke
coming in their direction from the
German trenches. They realized too
late what the smoke really was, how
ever, and whole regiments were kill
ed at once. Some Of the wiser ones
wrapped sweaters and murders
around their mouths and made their
way back to the rest billets. Stll
others ran back as fast as they
could to the bIIlets and spread the
news.
Here II was not believed, and
many OF the men stationed behind
the lines, thinking that a successful
drive had Just been launched by the
Germans and wishing to strengthen
their lines, got their equipment to-
gether as quickly as possible and
started for the front-line trenches.
These also were caught in the fumes
and suffered the same fate as the
others.
even after the Germans~had been
usinE gas for some time" he con-
tibued. "the British generals found
II hard to convince their soldiers
and themselves that they should use
gas In retaliation, for they thought
this was even too barbarous to use
on the Germans. They finally made
up their minds that they must use
II, and now the allies have become
more proficient in its use than the
Germans
German supply Runs Low.
SAnd we are better equipped to
make the gas than Germany. The
Germans are hnding it more diffi-
cult to keep up the manufacture OF
gas on a. large a scale as they use
Il, while we can make more than
We need We are more than giving
the Germans q taste OF their own
medicine now.
II don't want you men. who are
making this poison gas to think that
you are not serving your country
TO the fullest OF your ability and
to think that you would do much
better II you were over in France in
the trenches" he warned, because
you are doing the best thing possible
right now. The Germans started to
use gas and we propose to finish the
hlthy work"
The audience was composed almost
entirely OF men engaged in the man
ufacture Of EaA