The Nenana daily news., 1918-06-06


 cloth filtered the incoming air, but there was no provision for exhala- ton and within short time the man was unable to get a proper amount of good air.
 The next improvement was to put in an exhaust or outlet for the ex- haled air. This type of mask has been used extensively. Its disad- vantages are that a man cannot hear well, the chemicals in the cloth cause him trouble, and the mask cannot long remain impermeable to gases.
 The small box respirator mask was next developed and it is the model of the mask we are at present using. It is the highest development, afford ing good protection. It has an inn previous face piece, with glass or celluloid eye pieces, held in place by rubber bands around the head. A canister is carried in a small knapsack and a flexible tube con- meets the box in the face piece.
 Inhale Through A Canister
 Inside the face piece is a small wire clamp with rubber pads which fits on the nose and forces the wearer to breathe through his mouth The end of a 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 harmless the gas-laden air. The outgoing breath passes outside the face piece through a small rubber valve.
 In the German mask the container for the neutralizing chemicals IS screwed onto a ring in the bottom of the mask. With the German mask there is no outlet valve for the eXhaled air, both incoming and out going air passing through the con- tainer.
 The first work toward the estab- lishment of an American gas defense service was done under the super vision of the Bureau of Mines, which had the personnel and equipment to carry on experimental work. In July, 1917, special department to carry on gas defense work was es- tablished. Following the example of the British, this department was incorporated into the Medical de- partment of the army. The Bureau of Mines turned over much valuable material and still continues to give active cooperation.
 The Gas Defense Service is di- vided into three separate parts-U field supply section, @ field train ing section, (3) overseas repair sec ton. "
 The function of the field supply section is to manufacture or procure all gas defense materials and equip ment. 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 a model.
 The manufacture of a gas mask of this type presented a problem. No manufacturing firms had .xperi- ence with an 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 going into the mask made | it necessary to have the parts made in separate plants and assembled | at central plant. At present about | sixty manufacturing firms contribute 1 directly to the making of the Ameri- ,an mask.
 With no actual experience to de- pend upon, much experimental and i research work was necessary An extensive experimental organization was built up, with branches in sev- eral cities. Recently it was decided | to establish a government operated plant to handle the final assembling | and the difficult sewing operatiops