Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-07-27
GAS INTENDED FOR HUNS
IS DUMPED INTO SEA
Most Deadly Fumes Ever Discovered
Made in Factory Near
Cleveland
Power of Poison Scvcnty-Two Times
Greater Than That Of Mustard
Gas-Entcrs the Blood Agonizing
Death.

'fcatcf IMAM mat OF Mustard
Gas-Entcrs the Blood Agonizing
Death.
CLEVELAND. OHIO; July 2s,-The
ventured on the rails crept out of
/ Cleveland and felt it's way toward the
-, - iantic seahoara not long ago.
traffic before the mystery train ven
turcd on it,
The train was conveyed all the way
to The docks Of an eastern seaport by
sisting Of hundreds of big steel casks.
was gingerly transferred 20 waiting
bargcs.
/ The barges were then lowed out to
sea Just as carefully as the train had
come overland. and far out in the At
iantc; away from the ship lanes. the
! big black casks were dumped into the
/ ocean: Then the solders-mcmbers Of
n" chemical warfare service from the
1 big poison gas plant At Wilioughby-
I breathcd a sigh Of relief and relaxed
[ Tor the first time since leaving Cleve-
/ The casks. now somewhere out on
/ the floor Of the Atlantic. contain the
entire world output Of "Methyl," the
Z super poison gas developed by Ameri-
Z can chemists for use against the Ger
| mans Literally. that is true There
/ remains not a single drop Of tho deadly
! substance left within the reach OF
man.
Machinery stored Away.
Even the machinery which produced
~ mas been carefully stored away.
+ processes and drawings for its manu-
/ facturc are carefully hid from prying
I eyes IN the war department records at
4 Washington.
And thus ends one of the most drama
! tic stories Of Americas participation
: in the world war. the story Of our
most remarkable achievement: story
OF heroism and patriotism that has
/ few equals.
It's betraying no military secret now
70 tell that methyl was intended TO be
I the chief element Of surprise in the
allied push into Germany this spring
mad ~" war continued. only the sign
ing Of the armistiCc prevented the loss
/ TO the Germans Of many thousands OF
ives through its use, for as one author
army would have been wiped out in
I'll: first hombardmcnt with methyl."
II vas Intended that this first bonn
bardmen, should reach from the Alps
/ TO tn. English channel and literally
/ thousands Of tons Of the stuff would
have been hurled At the enemy within
q few hours. It's deadly qualities may
hc Scnscd in a degree from "A compar-
tson with mustard gas
More Effective Than Mustard.
Mustard was BY far the most effec-
hy actual test mcthyl is seventy-two
nmcs as poisonous. SO deadly is it,
back az ones hand produces death
as surely as one minute follows an
other
The poison enters the blood i'm
mcd!ately and an agonizinE death re-
suits within Il few hours. The gas
nask is no protection from it because
s 81 Reas'F''es the clothing and the
Like mustard it was not gas
but a LIQUID; an oily substance, about
as volatile as henzol. and highly ex-
/ rlosivc bursting into fame with water.
! II had the fragrance of geranium bios
sons
rnc process Of manufactures ic en-,
f. closely guarded secret. Even the story
I OF how the poison was found and the
Is known. however. that an American
/ chemist \discov-rad the gas accident
/ any many years ago while studying
abroad and that he turned over MS
| service when America entered the war
r i,nin laboratory tests were
+. inSton, by Major j. +. Conant
Made in Motor Plant
The process was then turned over
. 10 the development division. hcaed by
Colonel + NJ Dorsey. with headquart-
/ doncd plant of the Zen Hur motor
! factory At Wnloushhy was selected for
/ manufacture of the gas. Almost a, the
/ started work in the buildings. Major
/ conant arrived and set up his laoora-
sory. One Of the first things built was
and this was kept under guard day and
! night.
7 The process OF MANUFACTURES was d.
/ N!ded into fine steps ana each worker
knew only one. The thousand men al
/ the plant were not allowed 10 mention
/ Niiioushhy in their letters or to send
/ or receive mail or kilograms there.
Their mail came through lock box in
( cleveland Al first the mon We're not
/ allowed To leave the grounds. except
under guard, hut this provision was
/ later modified. Cleveland however
I was always forbidden territory 10
I them.
Men attached to the headquarters Of
/ the development division were forbid
/ den TO make any Inquiries about VIII
cousnny or to visit the place. When.
| men lnnocentlN asked some questions
! OF one Of the WilIoughby guards. he
wa; immediately placed under arrest
! and subsequently transferred to Will
I ioGghhy. The place became known
/ among men in the service as the
( mouse trap" from the incident.
! Made Ten Tons II Day.
The men AT Willoughby worked to
J dangerous ana trying circumstances.
aud when the armisticc was signed the
WORK WORK was Two months ahead of sche-
! du!e and the plant was making ten
tons of inethyl a day
single ton. shot into Cleveland.
would depopnlate the city. ii is esti-
! mappcd out by Major General William
l.. Sibert. in command of the chemical
| warfare service. called for 5000 tons
| OF methyl on the battle line by May.
The danger Of the work may be
| gagged from the fact that a siXty-bcd
hospital was provided for the thousand
! men, and at times its capacity was
| taxed. Yet there was not a single
! death at Willoughby from gas This
| was due to the work of Captain George
| y. Hummer, a physician from the Mayo
| institute. and TO elaborate precautions
taken against the poison.
workers were provided with spc-
cially impreSnajcd suits and gas
| masks were worn in the alert" posi-
| ton constantly.
| Patriotic Firms Pay.
| Practically all of the machinery in
! the plant, entirely new in its conccp-
tioh, was built in Cleveland. To facil-
! itate matters all the expense was met
by the National Lamp Works and the
National Carbon Company. under an
| agreement with the War Department
20 he reimbursed later. Colonel w. g.
! Wilcox WAS in charge Of the completed
| plant ms superintendent.
Lack OF space does not permit here
| detailing all the obstacles that were
! overcome. of all the barriers that we're
| hurdlcd TO make this record achieve
mcnt. but special credA is due Lieu