Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-01
PRIVATE TELLS OF
GAS. ATTACK MADE
. ON OUR FORCES
Declares That One Man
Crazed by Effects Ban Mile
Before Falling Unconscious.
Dies Later

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, FEB. 27.-CDelayed. 1.-The
first detailed story of the German gas
attack. which killed five Americans and
sent 81 to the hospital was told today
by Private +. /. Hado, who was slightly
gassed, while trying to save a compan-
ion
The stun has funny effect. even if
it doesn't get you, so if | ramble you'll
set me right, won't YOU" he began.
Il feel horribly dopey and want TO
sleep all the time. but anyhow here
what happened:
The Boche showed US all day he had
our range down fine. He dropped shells
first in the front, then in the rear
trenches. We felt that something was
coming off.
1t was raining and the trenches
were mighty wet. Then il stopped and
the moon came out. In the early part
of the night il was quiet. Between l
and o'clock a listening post heard
suspicious activity in the German
trenches and passed along the alarm
Everybody at the post sgnalled for
barrage but the wires were cut.
Then there was a terrific blast and
a fash across No Mans Land. L was
in the post commanders dugout A
shell landed within ten feet and ex-
ploded, splintering the door.
Cry of Gas
Gas and high explosives poured
into the trench. The cry of gas arose
as everybody grabbed their masks
One man in our dugout couldn't
nna e. IN / anHf l. f-
name now. He fell to the floor in a
sort of At.
Il got my mask on quickly. Then
wrestled with him trying to put his
mask or. In the tussel my mask Slip
ped and 1 got little.
The other man was cIea1 crazy with
pain. l was. unable TO hold him and
he dashed out of the dugout. The last
I saw of him he was running down the
trench.
Then he stopped coughed violently
and passed his hand before his face.
Then he asked:
Where was 1 when l left on?"
You were telling about the man
running down the trench"
"Oh, yes, but that's all l know about
him. Before ! had chance to do any
thing the Boche cut loose with another
batch of gas. 1t got some who es-
capped the first.
Then Came Barrage
"Then came the German barrage 1t
was plain he'll. II lasted nearly two
hours. They poured everything on us
from the front to the rear.
Everybody stuck in the dugou!s.
Later. l came out of the dugouts and
guess I took off my mask too quick.
The gas hadn't cleared and--here am
.s0ur boys behaved fine though. There
wasn't a sign of flinching. The next
time it will be. our turn to get the
Boche."
1t was late- learned the finish of the
private's story regarding the man run
ming down the trench delirious with
pain and Suffocation.
lie ran barefooted through the COM
municating trenches across the fields
and roads TO a village more than a mile
away. There he dropped unconscious.
He is believed to be among the dead.
The official casualties announced are
the same as the figures of Wednesday.
One additional gas victim was brought
i'm late Wednesday.
But two OF those in the hospital win
probably die. They have only a fight
ing chance. The others are expected
to recover.
An Idaho private was the only ore
able to talk. His case was slight, but
his story was interrupted repeatedly
by heavy coughing which passed as he
said: "Dopey land"