New-York tribune., 1918-02-11
Pershing S
First Gas
Masks Bad
Col. Church Volunteered to
Test Them and Came Out
of 1t in Distress
By Haywood Broun
(Just bock, from, Frunce)

THE first contingent of the Ameri-
can army which landed in
France was saved from probable
disaster by an American medical Off
Ger Colonel James r. Church. who won
the Congressional Medal of Honor in
the Spanish American War, risked his
LIE IN France to rectify a mistake
made at some point along the winding
trail which leads from Washington
to the American expedtionary army.
Colonel Church served upon a board
which examined various types Of gas
masks. The board recommended that
the American army should order type
OF mask modelled on that used by the
English, with few slight variations
Some little time later a large shipment
OF the masks arrived in France. There
were more than enough to equip the
first unit, and the masks were needed
as the troops were soon to go into the
trenches IN order TO complete their
training in actual contact with the
Germans. There seemed 70 be no
reason to believe that the masks had
not been carefully tested in America
before being shipped in such quanti-
ties, but Colonel Church, with inspired
caution. requested General Pershing's
chief of staff not to issue the mas'.s
mmediately. That officer replied that
orders had already been drawn up for
the distribution of the masks, but that
he would withhold the order at the re-
quest of Church.
With the help OF British experts
Colonel Church examined the contents
of the box which filters the + for the
wearer Of the mask and found that the
chemicals used were not exactly those
which had been required when the
mask was adopted. One or two other
features seemed to him imperfect, but
he decided that no test would answer
so we'll as to put the mask in use. He
took this job upon himself and, after
adjusting one of the suspected masks.
he experimental with tear gas, one Of
the lesser vapors of the front, which
causes temporary blindness. In few
minutes his eyes were smarting and
inflamed. This was only one indct-
ment against the mask. 1t still re-
manned to learn whether the box Of
chemicals was adequate to filter the
air and protect the mouth and lungs
For this test potent gas was
chosen, and this vapor more slow in
its effects than tear gas, made the
Colonel very i'll before he realized that
the box respirator was just as inef-
fective as the front Of the mask. AL
though i'll, he was not willing to neg
lect the good effect of an immediate
report to the commander in chief.
Red-eyed. coughing, and with swollen
lips, he went to Pershing and reported,
"The mask shipped for issue to the
American troops is faulty"
"Colonel," said Gen raj Pershing, OBJ
serving all the visible effects Of gas
upon the investigator. you don't need
to prove that to me now"
The masks were shipped back to
America, and when our troops went to
the trenches they had the British mask,
which served them we'll during Ger
man gas attacks. 1t was we'll that there
were no faulty masks then, for in ad-
dltion to the consequent casualties, the
morale of the Americans would have
been shaken by the discovery of so
gross fault in equipment.
Colonel Church is now in America
He returned recently after a long STAY
in Europe, during which he studied
various problems in sanitation and
hospital work among the Allied armies.
He has recovered completely from the
III effects of his voluntary ordeal with
gas,