The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-05-17
DEVELOPMENT Of
GAS WARFARE Is
HURTING ENEMY
Allies Begin Use OF Gas
Where Huns Left Off; Ger
mans Now The Sufferers.

LONDON, May 1--(Correspondence
of The Associated Press)-Gas war
fare has developed to a very consider
able extent since its first, use as q
surprise weapon by the Germans. at
the second battle of Ypres. + At that
time the gas cloud or wave" was re-
leased from great cylinders of liquid
gas embedded in the trenches and dis.
charged by pipes leading through the
parapet.
This form of attack has now been
largely discarded, for 1t depended for
effectiveness on the prevailing wind
blowing from the right quarter. : 1t
soon became apparent that the gas
shell was q far more important weap.
on than any gas cloud or wave, for its
action is Independent of the wind and
a continuous barrage OF gas shells
can be kept up so that the. whole tar.
get area is continuously poisoned.
ALLIES "coME BACK"
Though entirely surprised by the
first German gas attack the British
and French quickly devised defensive
measures and every soldier was sup
piled with gas mask. The box res
pirator which every Allied soldier now
carries, is an absolute protection
against all forms of gas, provided that
1t is put on at the first alarm and is
not removed until the danger is past.
But 1t is very difficult to fight hour
after hour without removing the res
pirator. There can be little speech,
and man can neither eat, drink nor
smoke. During gas. attack, there
must be as little unnecessary moving
as possible, for violent movements of
the body are likely to displace the
mask and let little of the poisoned
air into the lungs. Gas shells are now
used largely by both sides, for the
bombardment of hack areas and lines
of communication for the silencing of
hostile batteries. and as barrase
previous to an infantry attack when
their effect Is often supplemented by
gas-wave discharges from trench cyl
inders. The effect of a gas attack
is much worse and lasts much longer
in closed spaces such as trenches and
dugOuts, and Is more effective In
towns and villages than in the open
There are many kinds of gas now in
common use. There is purely suf-
locating gas; a tear gas, which at
tacks the eyes; sneezing gas, intend.
ed to provoke an easier assimilation
of the poison gas which accompap MES
1t; and lastly the mustard gas. which
is an eye, lung and skin irritant. 3
CASUALTIES RECOVER
Gas shells in most cases contain q
mixture, designed to produce double
effect. The shells are fired by guns
OF all calibre and gas mines" and
"torpedoes" are discharged from
trench mortars. 49,.
The majority Of gas casualties recov.
er quickly. provided they have been
only slightly exposed to the fumes be.
fore they put their respirators on. The
effects of the irritant mustard gas are
not usually serious. most cases recov.
ering in two or three days. 1t is gen.
orally stated that the gas attacks OF
the French and British are more 20,
tent even than those of the, Germ ANS
while the Allies respirators are much
better than the German because the
Germans have not been able to get
rubber enough to use 1t plentifuily IN
these instruments. The German mask
Is OF leather or treated so badly that
German gas casualties have been in
ordinately heavy.