The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1918-04-18

tacks of the enemy, the means
of protection having been de-
vised by the gas defense serV-
fce of the medical department,
4N4MSSTNES9y which comprises about 100 OIL
Hl34HY{3gStS1I1 GERS and approximately 600 en-
SS11Sasss@ listed men.
The two principal factors in gas defense are e1-
tfective masks and thorough training OF soiuleis
All the use of masks and various methods OF a'olo'
ing contact with poisonous vapors.
Experts who have been sent to this country ny
the allied governments have pronounced the pres
emf American masks the most efficient In existence
The production Of these masks is progressing at
rate which insures that the requirements OF the
American troops abroad will be amply supplied.
At each cantOnment In the United states gus
defense school has been established ana placed III
charge Of a divisional gas officer. who works IN
conjunction with the chemical adviser Dotn tra1heu
in the theory and practice OF meetne gus oA
fensives Through these schools every omcer anu
man receives instruction as to proper means u
gas defense.
The use of gas IN warfare dates back to about
4O4 b. G. The Spartans saturated wood with pitch
and sulphur and burned it under the walls or CIT
les which they were attacking. For seVeral cen
turtles gas had rot been used in warfare and The
Hague convention definitely ruled against It..
However on April %, 1915, the Germans liberated
great clouds of gas against Canadian troops near
Ypres. Terrible destruction and decentralization re-
suited from this first gas attack and within a
week England made plans for gas warfare against
the Germans. Gas is now an everyday part Oh
war.
Gases NAV be employed in the form of clouds,
or in Shells bombs and hand grenades. The hrst
gas attacks in the present war were IN clouos'
Fumes were liberated from steel containers which
were distributed in groups of three or four at
intervals of SO yards along the trenches opposite
the line to be attacked. Tubes, provided with
stopcock attachment, were connected with the gas
tanks and the end Of the tube was passed over
the parapet. When the attack was intended,
signal was given and the stopcocks were opened
allowing the gas to escape In the form OF hqulo
which Immediately vapOrized.
Soon after the first German gas attack Eng
fish and French women sent to the front hundreds
of thousands Of homemade gas masks For the
most part they were merely bandages impregnated
with chemicals to wrap around the mouth anu
nose. = ~:
The next step in gas masks was cloth helmet
or hood which had been dipped in neutrallzng So
luton, the bottom of which was tucked IN the
collar. The next Improvement was to put IN an
exhaust or outlet for the exhaled air. This type
of mask has been used extensively.
The small box respirator mask was next de-
veloped and it is the model of the mask we are
at present using It is the highest development.
affording good protection. 1t has an 1mperv-
GUS \facepiece, with glass or celluloid eyepeces'
held in place by rubber bands around the head
canister is carried in small knapsack and hex-
ible tube connects the box in the face-piece. In
side the facepiece is small wire clamp with rub
Der pads which fits on the nose and forces the
wearer to breathe through his mouth. Inc emu
of the flexible tube has rubber mouthpiece
through which the man breathes. The incoming
breath comes through the canister which is filled
with several layers of special chemicals OF an
absorbent nature which neutralize or render harm-
less the gasladen air. The outgoing breath
passes outside the face-piece through small ruD-
Der valve.
The American gas defense service is divided
into three separate parts: ~ Field supply Sec
ton; (2) field training section; CD overseas re-
pair section.
The function of the field supply section is to
manufacture or procure all gasdefense materials
and equipment. The big work OF course Is to
furnish our troops with effective masks. The
small box respirator type of mask, admittedly the
best mask in existence was accepted as model.
The manufacture Of a gas mask of this type
presented problem. No manufacturing firms nad
experience with IN article Of this kind. More
than ordinary care must be used In making parts
because the slightest defect would render the
mask useless. The wide variety of materials going
into the mask made it necessary to have the parts
made In separate plants and assembled at q CEN
tral plant At present about sixty manufacturing
firms contribute directly to the making OF the
American mask.
With no actual experience to depend upon. much
Governmental and research work wac necessary
An extensive experimental organization was Quit
up. with branches In several cities. Recently II
was decided to establish q government-operated
plant to handle the final assembling and the dii-
acult sewing operations the facepiece. This
plant will soon be In full operation, with about
1000 employees
Tho American mask, similar to the British. is as
mechanically perfect as the best experts In the
country have been able to produce. The vital Tea
ture Of any respirator mask IS the chemicals con-
taine,i In the canister These chemicals and ao-
sorbents are made from secret formulae.
The face-piece consists OF q base OF cotton i.o.
made to 1T various types Of faces. network OF
elastic bands over the head holds the facepiece IN
MACE The ears are left uncovered.
The mask is carried In q knapsack at the ieft MP
supported by a shoulder band. When troops ap
proaclr q danger zone the straps are shortened ana
tbe knansack Is shifted to rest high on the CHEST
ready for instant use. This is known as the alert