The Ordway new era., 1918-07-05
CHAPTER xxIIl-continued.


A gas helmet is made of cloth. treat
ed with chemicals. There nre two win
dows. or glass eyes. in 1t. through which
you can 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,
IL neutrnlized by the action Of the
chemicals. The foul air is exhaled
through the tube In the mouth. this
tube being so constructed that 1t pre-
vents the inhnling of the outside air or
gus. one helmet is good for five hours
of the strongest gas. Each Tommy
carries two of them slung around his
shoulder In waterproof canvas bag
He must wear this bag at al times
even while sleeping. To change de-
fectlve helmet. you take out the new
one. hold your breath, pull the old one
or. placing the new one over your
head, tucking in the loose ends under
the collar of your tunlc.
For minute, pandemonium reigned
In our treneh-Tommles adjusting
their helmets. bombers running here
and there, and men turning out of the
dugouts with fixed bayonets, to man
the fire step.
Re-enforcements were pouring out of
the communication trenches.
Our guns crew were busy mounting
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 dugouts,
hao To urIr 70
two or three days. until the air Is puri-
fed by means of large chemical spray
ers.
We had to work quickly, as Fritz
generally follows the gas with an In
funtry attack.
A company man on our right was
too slow In getting on his helmet; he
sank to the ground. cutchlng mt his
throat and after few spasmodic
twistings went West (died). II was
horrible to see him die, but we were
p0werless to help him. In the corner
of a traverse. little, muddy cur dog,
one of the cOmpany's pets, was lying
dead. with his paws over his nose.
It's the animals that suffer the most
the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats
and rats--they having no helmets to
save them. Tommy does not sympa-
thize with rats In a gas attack.
AT times gas has been known. to
travel. with dire results, fifteen miles
behind the lines.
gas. or smoke helmet. us It Is
called, af the best Ia vIle-smellinr
thing. aid 1t is not long before one gets
violent headache from wearing 1t.
Our eighteen-pounders were burst
Ing in No Mans Land, In nn effort. b,
the artillery. to dispense the gas
clouds.
The fire step was lined with crouch
ing men. bDyonets fixed. and bomb.
nenr at hand to repel the expected ut
tack.
Our rftillery had put barrage o
curtuin fire on the German lines, to tr,
md brenk up their attack and keel
brck re-enforcements
trained my machine gun on thci
trench and Its bullets were raking tn,
pal1,pet.
Then over they came, bnyOnets glis
t.ning. In their respirators. whicl
have large snout in front. they look
I'D like some horrible nightmare.
All nlong our trench. rifles and ma
chine guns spoke. our shrnpnel wa
tursting over their heads. They wen
down In henps. bur new ones took tn
places of the fallen. Nothing coul,
sion that nnd rush. The German
reached our bnrbed wire. which ha
previously baen demolished by thei
shells, then II was bomb against bOmt
and the devil for all.
Suddenly my head seemed to burs
eron loud "crnck" In my ear. The
my head began to swim. throat go
dry. and heavy pressure on the lung
warned me that my helmet was leak
ing. Turning by gun over to No. 2,
changed helmets.
The trench started to wind like
snake. and snndbags appeared to b
fIontiDg In the air. The noise was hoi
ribIe; sank onto the fire step. needle
seemed 10 be pricking my flesh. the
blackness.
was awakened by one Of my mate
removing my smoke helmet. How d.
iicious that cool. fresh air felt In m
lungs