Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-25
READ tbs
So EVERY DAY IN
~ THE JOURNAL
IIch to adjust yonr gls helmet.

which to adjust your as helmet
A gas helmet is MAIDS of cloth, treat
| ed with chemicals. There are two win
dows, or glass eyes, in it, through which
you can see. Inside there is rubber
covered tube, which goes In the mouth.
| You breathe through your nose; the
gas, passing through the cloth helmet.
Is neutralized by the action of the
! chemicals. The foul air is exhaled
| through the tube in the mouth, this
! tube being so constructed that ii pre-
/ vents the inhaling of the outside air or
| gas. One helmet is good for FIVE hours
Of the strongest gas. Each Tommy
| carries two of them slung around his
shoulder In waterproof canvas bag.
He must wear this bag Mt all times,
even while sleeping. To change de-
| fective helmet, you take out the new
one, hold your breath. pull the old one
| off, placing the new one over your
head, tucking in the loose ends under
the collar of your tunic.
For minute. pandemonium reigned
in our trench-Tommies adjusting
their helmets, bombers running here
and there. and men turning out of the
| dugouts with fixed bayonets, to man
the fire step.
/ Re-enforcenents were pouring out Of
| the communication trenches.
| Our guns crew were busy mounting
the machine gun on the parapet and
bringing up extra ammunition from
| the dugout.
1
German gas Is heavier than air and
soon fills the trenches and dugouts,
| where it has been known to Turk for
| two or three days, until the air is puri-
fed by means Of large chemical spray
| ers.
We had to work quickly, as Fritz
generally follows the gas with an In
fantry attack.
company man on our right was
too slow In getting on his helmet; he
sank to the ground, clutching at his
] throat, and after a few spasmodic
| twistings went West (died). 1t was
horrible to see him die, but we were
| powerless to help him. In the corner
of traverse, little, muddy cur dog,
| one of the company's pets, was lying
dead, with his paws over his nose.
| It's the animals that suffer the most
| the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats
and rats-they having no helmets to
save them. Tommy does not sympa-
| thlze with rats In a gas attack.
At times gas has been known to
| travel, with dire results, fifteen miles
| behind the lines.
| A gas, or smoke helmet, as it Is
| called, at the best Is vile-smelling
thing, and 1t is not long before one gets
a violent headache from wearing 1t.
Our eighteen-pounders were BURST
| ing in No Mans Land, in an effort, by
the artillery, to dispense the gas
| clouds.
The fire step was lined with crouch
ing men, bayonets fixed, and bombs
near at hand to repel the expected att
tack.
Our artillery had put barrage Of
curtain fire on the German lines, to try
and break up their attack and keep
back re-enforcements.
l trained my machine gun on their
| trench and its bullets were raking the
parapet.
Then over they came, bayonets giis-
| tening. In their respirators, which
have large snout in front, they look
ed like some horrible nightmare.
All along our trench, rifles and ma
chine guns spoke, our shrapnel was
bursting over their heads. They went
| down in heaps, but new ones took the
places of the fallen. Nothing could
stop that mad rush. The Germans
| reached our barbed wire, which had,
| previously been demolished by their
shells. then 1t was bomb against bomb,l
| and the devil for all.
Suddenly my head seemed to burst
from loud "crack" in my ear. Then
my head began to swim, throat got
dry, and heavy pressure on the lnngs
warned me that my helmet was Leak
ing. Turning by gun over to No. 2, I
changed helmets. /
The trench started to wind like
snake, and sandbags appeared to be
floating in the air. The noise was hor-,
| tibiC ouuh Outo Lie hic StCpb hOtuaSSt
seemed to be pricking my flesh, then
blackness.
i was awakened by one of my mates
removing my smoke helmet. How De-
licious that cool, fresh air felt in my.
lungs.
A strong wind had arisen and dis
| persed the gas. -
They told me that had been "out'
for three hours; they thought I was
| dead.
The attack had been repulsed after
a hard fight. Twice the Germans had
gained a foothold in our trench. but
had been driven out by counter-at-
tacks. The trench was filed with their
dead and ours. Through a periscope
counted eighteen dead Germans In
our wire; they were CHASTITY sight in
their notwithstanding respirators.
l examined my first smoke helmet.