The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-29
HUN Gas ATTACK
| QUICKLY BROKEN
! BY YANKEE GUNS
Terrific Blow Prepared by Ger
mans in Lorraine.
Americans Smashed the Enc
my's Projectors.
ARTILLERY BROKE PARTY UP
i'm Spite of Hard Fighting,
Yankees Stay Cheerful.
Have New Signal System That
Works Fine.
ARTILLERY BROKE PARTY UP
Have New Signal System That
Works Fine.
BY FRANK ]. TAYLOR.

! With the Americans in Lorraine,
May % (night).-The terrific German
gas attack which began at 1 O'Clock
yesterday morning, was broken up by
American artillery fire after two
patches of gas had been thrown into
our positions.
/ The guns began pounding the pro-
Sector layout as soon as the first flock
of tin cans" was sent over and soon
had pounded the outfit to pieces.
- During the attack the Germans dis
patched a patrol of sixty men against
American outpoSts in the gaSSed area,
result of the anticipated paralyzation
of the defenders.
The American outposts were very
much on the job, however. and met
the Germans with a stiff rifle and gre
made fire. In a two hour fight. the
can wires and finally retired. Their
losses were considerable
Boys Were Cheerful.
1 was the guest yesterday afternoon
and last night of the clean cut, cheer
full middle westerners against whom
this attack was directed. Yesterday
afternoon 1 returned to this position,
which had been the scene of the most
concentrated gas attacks yet attempt
ed by the Germans in this area. 1
found the boys still cheerful despite
their WEAKNESS and the strain of the
attack.
The Americans hold a difficult posi-
ton here, their strenches running thru
a wood and over several small hills.
Yesterday the wood was as bright as
spring sunshine could make it. To-
day the foliage was wilted, trees were
broken from the rain of tin can"
gas shells and the ground was torn
up.
Nature showed the results of the
attack, but the men were still the
same confident chaps. eager to get at
the boehes liberalization.
Some Took Off Masks Too Soon.
A few of my friends whom 1 had
seen yesterday were missing. found
them in a hospital under the motherly
care of American nurses. They were
mostly boys who had taken off their
masks during the German patrol at
tack, in order to see better how to
direct their rifle and grenade fire at
the boches F~,iffr|-
They had been brought to the hos
pital in American ambulances in re-
markedly quick time. Despite their
suffering they were enthusiastic at
the prospect of soon getting another
whack at the Germans.
"Oh, I'll be back with the boys in
couple of days" said one, then
watch me get them"
Yankees Have New Signals.
The gas used in the protector attack
was evidently phoSgene, mixed with
mustard gas. 1t affects the lungs
making breathing almost impossible.
1t was thrown over in two separate
patches,
The first crashed thru the trees of
thesittle wood and fell within a small
area less than 500 yards in diameter
The other fell on the front line
trenches. where the boys saw the
flash of the projectors in time to don
their masks.
The Germans also gassed the Ameri-
can artillery positions with their can
non. without getting single victim
1t is practically impossible for the
Germans to surprise the American
outposts as the result of an ingenious
signal system which the young Ed
sons" in the army have invented. The
nature of this device may not be
diyulged