The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-06-09

warfare material, the report shows that the American troops had "the best and most protective gas masks the world had seen; and they brot these with them by the millions" A total of 5,25O,00O masks was produc- ed of which 4.000,0OO were sent over. seas, and the report states that these masks gave twenty times the pro. lection afforded by the best German gas masks"
 "No American soldier was ever gassed due to the failure of an Am erican gas mask" the report says. land such gas casualties as did occur were due to the fact that the masks were not quickly enough utilized when the gas was thrown over, or be. cause the soldier was unaware of the presence of gas."
 The original order from the depart. ment was for 25.0O0 masks to go with Pershing's first expedition. and the re. port tells in detail of the frantic eff. forts necessary to procure them, eff. forts which actually counted for little since the masks were not used for many months. At the time the expe- dition sailed, however. t he British and French were not thoroly ac. quainted with the gas warfare that was developing nor had com plete ef- fective protection been worked out. In speaking of the first German gas attack upon Canadian troops at Ypres. the report says chlorine was used and while protection of the troops from 1t later became an easy matter, "it was only lack of faith In their new weapons that prevented ths Germans from winning the war with it then and there.
 Had they brot into the fighting a sufficient supply of this chlorine" tha report continues, they might have gassed their way to Paris in short order. As it was. they brot to the line an almost negligible supply ard they themselves were insufficiently protected to go thru their own gas and follow up the attack. By the time they were able to renew gas warfare the French and British had equipped themselves with masks which were sufficient to protect men against chlorine.
 The re port tells of the development of gas masks from the original gauge pads soaked in chemicals to the "box rcspirator." which came into general use The Americans and British em- ployed double protection mask. the face piece being gas tight but, to in. sure against leaks. a mouth piece and nose clip being supplied also. insuring protection even in torn mask. The first order was for 100000 of these masks for the American forces.
 Subsequently,, to provide greater comfort for the men, 1t was decided that a single protection mask would be sufficient, the risk of leaky masks being regarded as preferable to the discomfort of the double pro- lection type. When this decision was received, however, on this side, 1t was decided to carry forward expert ments with new types of masks which would give both comfort and security This was carried forward to a point where a squad of 150 men in the field testing section almost lived in their gas masks. working. playing base ball. digging trenches. fighting sham battles day and night in which actual gas grenades were employed and ex posing themselves to the heaviest concentrations of the deadly gases under all conditions.
 "The work of this section" the re port says. "even went SO far in the case of the later designs as to include a test where six men worked. played and slept in the masks for an entire week, only taking them off for thirty minutes at each meal time. and each day entering high concentration of the most deadly gases without injury tc the wearers."
 The chief ingredient of the protec tion against gases is carbon, which absorbs the gas instantaneously Cocoanut shells formed the best sup ply of carbon that could be found and the known world was raked by Am erican representatives to secure what was needed. In addition an enor nous quantity of fruit pits and other nut shells were secured and the na tional campaign to increase the sup ply of these ingredients met witf great success. The slogan Eat more cocoanut," the report states. increas ed the consumption in the countr, more than 100 percent in a very briei period. and in October. 1918. tn. government was obtaining from al sources about 150 tons day in apri cot, peach and cherry pits and walnut shells, and the campaign led by thu American Red Cross to induce tn, public to contribute fruit pits and nu ~I-