Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-21
so CALLED GAS ATTACK"
EXPLAINED TO LAY MIND
Course for Teaching Officers How to
Use Deatli-Dcaling Cases
rs in Warfare.
TExTBooK FOUND ON PRISONER
Poisonous Substances Csed-Topog-
raphy OF Country-Precaution for
Men Engagcd-Fumcs Sometimes
y Turn on Those Releasing Them.
ny SELFRIDGE HENNEGAN.
international News Bureau.1

sS2ssr.u'. international Hcws Bureau.J
PARIS, July 20.-DurinE one of the
a present battles the French have cap
turcd a very important document in
3 possession OF one Of the Hun prisoners.
a This document is Il course for teach
ing officers how to use and when to
use gas in an attack. The Germans
81 have established factory in the out
SrfskirtS OF l.everkusScn where they are
3 making 10000 gas shells per day How
20 use gas shells and how 10 use bot
1. tied gases is the purpose OF this text
y BOOK found on the person of recently
captured Hun prisoner Below | give n
portion OF this valuable document:
"At the beginning of the war gases
\ which stupefy or rritatc the organs OF
4 smell or the respiratory organs were
= not yet employed IT was only during
the war OF position that we proved it
necessary to find means for driving
/ the enemy from his trenches without
our suffering enormous losses. The
8 experiments made with prussic acid and
s cyanide OF potassium were not OF a
nature to give decisive results The
attempts made with asphyXiatinE gases
were equally successful.
I'VE therefore turned TO irritating
substances. which produce tears. at
& tack the mucous membranes and conse-
quently cause violent coughs. and tinal-
4 ~. by their action on the lungs. may
I bring death.
Two sorts OF gas attacks are distin-
Euished: discharge from hose and
homha rdment by gas shells
MAKE USE OF CHLORINE AND
NITROGENOUS COMPOUND.
In the first instance we use volatile
substances which are two or three times
( heavier than air. namely chlorine and
\ heterogeneous compound. called APP
point
The metallic bottles which we use
contain twenty Kilograms of chlorine
under $50 atmospheres OF pressure. They
4. are about one meter long by twenty
4 nine centimeters wide and arc capable
y OF resisting pressure OF go ai,nus-
4 rhcrcs
4 The metallic bottles are buried in
I the trenches one meter apart. and are
N discharged within five minutes. a gas
s attack cannot be made at all times
but must take place when the wind
blows from our lines toward the
senemy's trenches without exceeding a
speed "f four meters a second, because
otherwise tho cloud would not he dense
enough. The minimum velocity nee
eSsary is two meters a second other
wise the stream would be too short
and too thick. Moreover, there should
be no sun. because when the lower
! layer Of air is too rareiied the earth
3 gives off heat which causes the chlor-
me cloud to rise. On the other han
rainy times completely suppress the
g clouds. since the gas combines with
the rain drops
DOCUMENT EXPLAINS
ADVANTAGES OF GAS ATTACKS
The gas attacks are. therefore, most
adVantaseously made during Eooo
weather, between II o'clock at night
and sunrise. With q wind OF four
meters second we obtain sheet
IF gas OF 1900 meters deep; with a
wind Of two meters a second a depth
of 500 meters. The latter is perhaps
the extreme limit which we can adj
nit. In effect, if the cloud were mar
rover. the enemy would easily make
his way through the stream When
an attack through "A forest is TO be
made, a wind of two meters second
is most favorable. because the foliage
Of the trees partly .dssolves the upper
part OF the cloud. Tie density, al
though diminished by about onc-half.
is still sufficiently great. Even when
all conditions most favorable for a gas
attack are found in combination it is
not possible to make it al all dis
tances. but at most over a distance OF
four kilome;ers because the cloud
s finally combines with the air is dit-
~ fused and evaporates.
The configuration Of the territory
has no essential effect upon the efficacy
of the chlorine yrh ,,ill IL
as easily over hills as in the valleys
and along little Waterways but not
over territory that presents steep de.
clivfties. When a gas attack was made
over Vistula, good results were OBJ
4 tanned even over a surface Of six -
900 meters of water However. when
there is wide expansc Of water. one
condition should be fulfilled. that is
the water must be the same tampcra-
+ ture as the air or colder. one peculiar
ity is to he noted leaves and pine
needles after the chlorine has passed
take on a sombcr autumn brown color.
The cloud VIII hang for very long
:, while over wheat fields.
!. tt"When the bottles Of chlorine are
transported across branches OF the
branches. the direction Of the wind
must irst be carefully determined, so
that In case bottle should be broken
either through the explosion of n bomb
! pierced by a rifle ball. the men ca n
& still save themselves by getting out
&Sgof the wind" that l., by going in the
& subtraction opposite to the wind
4 PK.GCAUTION FOR MEN
4 ENGAGED IN GAS ATTACK
Moreover men carrying blankets
~ soaked with absorbent substances must
{. be posted all along the line. so tina
they may Immediately throw them ovec
Y The broken bottle in case OF such al
n accident one must never run int
the midst of the cloud. because IL COR.
pels very rapid respiration.
y &"When an attack is TO he prepared