The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1918-02-27
CHAPTER XIII.
Gas Attacks and Spies

Gas Attacks and Spies.
Three days after We had silenced
Fritz iho Germans sent over gas. Il
did not catch us unawares. because thc
Wind had been made to order. that H.
u was blowing from the German
trenches toward ours Mt the rate Of
about five milos per hour.
Warnings had been passed down tho
trench 70 keep a sharp lookout for gas,
We had q new man at the periscope
ON this afternoon in question; | was
sitting on the fire stcp, cleaning my
riilc, when he called out TO me:
"Ihcrc'S sort of grccnish yellow
cloud rolling along the ground cut in
front, it's coming
But waited for no more. grabbing
my haHoHet which was detached from
the rifle, ! gave tho alarm by banging
ana empty she'll case, which was hang.
ing near the pcriscopc. AT the same
Instant gongs started ringing down the
trench, the signal for Tommy to don
hls rosprator or smoke helmet as we
call it,
Gas travels quickly SO YOU must not
lose amy time; You generally hsAe
about eighteen or twenty seconds in
which TO adjust your gas helmet.
a gas helmet is made of cloth front.
cd with chemicals. There are two win.
doWs, or glass eyes, in il, through which
}"u cam see Inside there is a rubber,
covered tube, which goes in the mouth.
You breathe through your nose; the
gas passing through the cloth helmet
rs neutralized by the action of the
chemicals. The foul air is exhaled
through the tube in the mouth, this
lube being so constructed that il pre.
vents the inhaIng of the outside air or
SuS. one helmet is good for five hours
OF the strongest gas. Each Tommy
carries two Of them s'uug around his
ia waterproof canvas boe.
Tie must wear this bag mt all times.
even While sleeping. 10 change a de.
1ective helmet you take out the new
pne, hold yoW breath, pun the old one
oil, placing the neW one over vour
mead, tucking in the loose ends under
iAe collar 1T your tmc.
For minute, pandemonium relgned
IN our trench Tommies adjusting
their helmets, bombcrs running here
and there, and men turning out of the
'lugouts with fixed bayonets, to man
The fire step.
l1e-enlorcementS we're pouring out of
the communication trenches.
our guns crew were busy mouptlnc
the machine gun on the parapet and,
bringing up extra ammunition from
the dugout.
German gas is heavier than air and
soon fills the trenches and dueouts
Where it has been known to lurl for
two or three days, until the air is purI.
led by means of large chemical spray.
crs.
We had to work quickly, as Fritz
generally follows the gus with an in
fantry attack.
= company man on our right was
loo slow in getting on his helmet he
sank 60 the ground, clutching at his
throat, and after a few spasmodic
JWlNtings went West (died). Ii was
horrible to see him die, but we were
poWerless to hcli' him. In the corner
OF a traverse, a little, muddy cur dog,
one of the companys pets, was lying
dead, with his paws over his nose.
It's tho animals that suffer the most
--the horses, mules cattle, dogs cats
0nd ratS-they having no helmets to |
save them. Tommy does not sympa-
iliHe with rats in a gas attack.
AT times gas has been known to
.ravel with dire results, fifteen miles
behind the lines.
A gas or smoke helmet. MS if Is |
called, at the best is a vile-smellng
hing, ana il is not long before one GETS
violent headache from wearing il.
Our cighteen-pouudors were burst .
ug in No Mans LaAl, in an effort. by
he artillery to dispcrsc the gas
'louds
Ihe fire step was lined with crouch
ng men, bayonets fixed, and bombs
lear at hand TO repel the expected at
ack.
cur artillery had put barrage Of
fire on the German lines, TO try
md break up their attack and keep
'aek re-enforcements.
! trained my machine gun on their
rcnch and its bullets were raking the
)arapet.
Then over thew came, bayonets glls-
oning. In their respirators, Which
laYc large snout in front, the, look
ID like some horrible nightmare.
All along our trench, rifles and ma.
'hine guns spoke our shrapnel was
over their heads. They went
loWn in heaps, but new ones took the
'laees of the fallen. Nothing could
top that mad rush. The Germans
cached our barbed wire, which had
previously been demolished by their
hells, then 1t was bomb against bomb,
nd the devil for all.
Suddenly my head seemed TO hurs,
rom a 'oud "crack" In my ear, Then
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