Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-17
Our Army's Gas
It's Deep Secret

OF all the secret activities Of the war
Department. none ~ quite 80 secret NJ
that which deals with poisonous gh"8'
Question nm official Of the War nc
partnent on any other important SUD
lcct about the difficulty OF keeping one
uniform clean. or on the disadvantage al
pu,teea in summer, or on the proposed
| elimination of pie from the army ration
| and he will talk voubly and eloq'tenfly
| as long M you will listen. But at the
mention of the word "pna his voice
| Immediately goes INTO a eataleptic state.
| He becomes discreet. incredibly ignorant,
even suspicious. lie knows you will bc
F., told significantly, absolutely nothing
| about the use Of pms as n weapon OF war
| Nevertheless, you may be quito sure
| that he does; for no branch ot military
/ science in studied more closely than
poisonous pas For every new pas That
! tho Germans invent he Allies have been
| able TO prepare an effective protection
| and vice versa But the side which ~
| the first 10 invent poisonous gas that
will penetrate the enernys resmfator Will
have nm overwhelming advantage
| Curiously enough, the United States
| Bureau of Mines was the first american
Institution to realize this, and IT - tn us
endeavors that we owe oar present pre-
/
WE GET busy
When The war first broke out, the
| Bureau Of Mines quietly made ITS prepa-
rations, out Of its own appropriations, Tor
tho development Of m American gas
| division. Dr Manning Director of the
| bureau got IN touch with chemists all
OVER tho country and secured the pledge
Of their support The American M
vcrstty. situated IN The suburbs Of Wash
ington. came forward with the offer Of rs
buildings and equipment gratis 70 inc
government, with the provision that any
improvements installed Try the bureau
Of Mines should b. retained by the uni
vereitv when the war was over ms
offer was promptly accepted, ana the
American gas division heRan
Now 100 American chemists are NJ
work IN this government laboratory 81
the American University, guarded BY .
| poIicp force of twenty-five men hey
represent the greatest chemical ability q
the nation men like W - bancroft
professor Of chemistry NJ the University
Of Cornell. A. u Lyon, director Of
tho Hayemeyer Laboratory. New ork
ln,verelty. w X Lewis. chemical en-
gineer ~ the Massachusetts Institute
j of Technology G A Hulett, professor @
physical chemistry a. Princeton andel
Henderson professor ~ PHYSIOLOGY y
the medical school at Vale, and Dr ira
Rernaon. president emeritus Of john
Hopkins | nlversity These are only 2
few of the many notable names on ~
/, list az thus government laboratory, whicf
- now tho greatest Of Its kind IN the world
SERVICE ~ GREAT DANGER
All Of them have left positions o
responsibility 10 serve the government
of their work little may be sand with 10
exception Of the fact that they work y
constant danger each man with his On
| yuask on his desk Even the giFi Wh
opcratcs the telephone switchboard q
the front, hall has her gas mask within
reach Of her right hand Tho laborator
: also has lts own special FIRE brigade. IN
: AZ a further prccautiOn there are man
: fire drills when every employee must seiz
. and adjust ms gas mask and march wit
orderly speed outside the building
So quietly did tho Bureau ri Nine
), carry on It's preparations that iew peopi
knew anything about them with IN
exception Of several mayors 81 large
, cities These later were honorcd with
> the knowledge because the Bureau 9
4 Mines required a service Of them.
II wanted the dogs collected N -
: municipal pounds These dogs were
: die anyway. and it was decided that
!. was much better for them 20 die A heroi
nartyred death for their country han
die ANONYMOUSLY and obscurely IN u
. city pound 30 the dogs we're sent
= the American University, consumed
great deal OF expensive food, and mail
died like patriots IN order that expeF
ments in various forms OF chemical z
: might be carried on.
For some time the War DepartmeI
was too occupied with hundred dltterel
tr disturbing problems, such as nobiiizato
q ships, aeropianes, training camps
- take UP the matter Of poisonous "A
When It finally got around 70 It, It -
agreeablv surprised TO find gas dlyIsll
: already modified and waiting for
- I few months later the Bureau 81 MIN
transferred its laboratory 10 the "
Department.
GUARDED LIKE a ClrA DEL
~ This laboratory Is now perhaps q
q most heavily guarded stronghold OF q
" army. 1t is lined with system
electric and mechanical alarms as int
+. cate as those that line the vaults o, u
% United States Treasury. Only perso
u with the most unimpeachabfe reterenc
NAV enter it. The reason for all h