Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-29
MOST PERFECT GAS MASK
PEACH STONES ARE REAL LIFE SAVERS

Much for the British and French;
But American Chemists Quickly
Prove Equal to the Task Of cireum-
venting Any 0eviItry the Enemy
Chemists Can Hatch Up.
The reason why the pits OF stone
fruits and the shells OF nuts are good
material for gas-masks is simply be-
cause when converted into charcoal.
they are found TO absorb Il larger per-
ccntage of the poisonous gases than the
charcoal made from woody matter OF
other kinds. 1t Is easy TO provide "a
chemical that will neutraliZe one par
ticular gas, but when the familiar fif-
ty-seven varieties are outnumbcred by
the products OF the German gas fac
tories, il becomes necessary to carry Il
special mask for each or To discard the
idea OF chemical naturalization and
adopt another that will take care OF all
gases alike, which is what has been
done I'm the selection of porous varie-
ties Of charcoal. Says a writer in The
Scientific American (Ncw York, OctO-
ber 81:
Early in the use of gas. before the
full possibilities OF the attack were rec
ogniZed. the attempt WAS made to SUP
ply the wcarer OF the mask with sep
arate reagcnt for each separate gas
employed by the foe. But as the num-
ber OF gases available for the attack
Increased, il became evident that this
procedure had decided limits.
So the defense was directed into an
other channel. and Il single universal
rcugent was Sought-a substance
which, placed In the mask. would re-
act with any poison gas that might be
encountered, but would pass pure air
without any alteration.
Now this Is pretty large order
and complete attainment Is doubtless
out of the question. But the chemist
has resource which we have not yet
touched. In order TO secure protection
against the hostile gases, the substance
in the mask need not necessarily react
chemically with these, in the ordinary
sense Of that word. 1t will be quite
sufficient II they absorb them.
There are various substances which
posscss I'm greater or less degree TINS
power OF absorbing gases-the plati-
mum sponge employed In the manufac-
ture of sulphuric acid il an example
raised 10 the nth power. But not all
of them can be induced to omit from
their sphere OF influence air. the COM
monest of all gaseous media, and the
one which must receive free passage
through the gas mask. Carbon, how
ever. and in particular carbon In the
form-of charcoal, meets the situation
nicely. II does not absorb air. and
II does absorb other gases freely.
But charcoal occurs In various
forms. according to the particular veg
ctable source from which 1t Is manu-
factured: and the various forms pos
seas varying degrees OF gas absorptiv-
ity. After exhaustive tests the chem
lists find that first rank must he given
TO charcoal produced from peach
stones, the pits of apricots. pruneS,
plums, olives. and cherries, date seeds,
and the shells Of BraZil-nuts. hickory
nuts. walnuts, and butternuts. what
tomorrow may bring forth in gas mask
manufacture no man can say. for the
last thing that a chemist would thinK
OF doing would he sitting down with
his hands crossed, in confidence that
the final word had been written in any
Of his chapters: but today we make
our gas masks with charcoal from the
sources mentioned.
For every soldier in the fight there
has to he Il gas mask. Four million
soldiers does not mean four million
gas masks. because all the four million
are not destined for actual fighting,
and because those who are so destined
are not all lighting at once. hut every
mask takes seven pounds OF seeds and
shells and million masks--a reasona-
BILE minimum-means seven mililon
pounds Of the raw materials. Thirty
five hundred tons Of fruit pits and nut
shells is n great quantity; 1t is a guam
tity that can not be obtained except by
the cooperation Of every consumer OF
nuts and fruits. 1t Is for this reason
that the government has appealed to
all Of US to save these items out OF the
garbage pail and turn them over to the
Red Cross agent who will collect them.
Others shells and pits would constitute
adulteration and so must not be min
sled with the ones enumerated. Espe-
cial emphasis might well be placed
upon this clause. as II applies to CO.
coanut shells: for these are being con-
served, too. for gus mask manufacture.
The charcoal from them is available;
but IL Is different from that from the
other sources, and requires different
treatment: so the cocoanut shells must
be kept separate.
The process OF manufacturing the
gas masks would make most inter-
esting story; but during the continu-
ance Of the war II is Of course a story
which cannot be told. II is clear
enough that the pits and shells must
be collected and burned into charcoal
In furnaces Of q standard type: and the
enemy will hardly get much aid or
comfort from the knowledge that be-
fore the unit containing the charcoal
is allowed to go into mask II Is sub
jected to a severe preliminary test, to
determine whether its charcoal screen
is OF sufficient density. But beyond
this picture and story can not go far.
I'VE may. however, still say a word
about the inspection Of the finished
masks. This is done by specially Sc
lected force: and since a mask once
passed by this force will not be tested
again until some American soldier puts
il on in the face OF gas attack, ev-
cry effort Is made to keep the inspect
ors keyed up to concert pitch. Some
times this may even be carried to ex-