Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1919-01-30
Ten Thousand Soldiers Toll at
Turning Out Shells to Rout
Germans.
MANY ARE INJURED AT WORK
Edeewood Arsenal in Maryland Won
Place of Leadership over Allies in
Scientific Progress and Dead
illness Of output-Gas Fac
tory City in Itself.

Baltimore, Md.-While the men who
have been working in shipyards and
munitiOn plants have received just
praise for their fulfillment of patriotic
duty, there is an army of men 10000
strong who have worked faithfully,
carefully screened from public notice,
! performing some of the most impor-
tant work of the war, work which was
! largely responsible for the early sign
ing of the armistice, who have re-
ceived no recognition at all.
Day after day they have secretly
worked in the manufacture of the poi
sOnous gases which routed the Huns
and impressed upon the Germans the
ingenuity and resourcefuness of the
American brain.
These men of the Edgewood arsenal
stayed on American soil, never had the
excitement of an ocean voyage or ad-
venture in a foreign country or the
herowOrShip of those who have been
overseas, and yet while staying right
in this country they ran greater risks
than many of the men on the firing
line.
800 at One Time in Hospital.
The hospital at Edgewood is now
gasSed or burned while about their
countrys work. There have been as
great heroes at Edgewood as on the
battlefield. There is in the hospital
blue-eyed boy in early manhood,
smiling bravely through scars which
months ago, when they brought him,
writhing bit of humanity, to the
hospital. Nor is he the only one. There
are others, some of whom have been
gassed twice and thrice and are today
invalided in Colorado, having devel
oped tuberculosis.
Hundreds of others are MANNED ara
will always bear the marks of their
sacrifice for Uncle Sam, which they
gave so gladly without any of the
glory, stripes, promotion or encourage |
ment given to the men in the camps |
and trenches.
The signing of the armiStice has
made it possible for thu. pub to have
the first insight into the vast work
which has been accomplished at the
arsenal, where has been
and shipped safely
"over there" more gas than has been
made by England and France COM
bined. Far removed from prying eyes,
these thousands of men have produced
gases which will go down in history !
IS among the greatest achievements of
he war.
Gas Factory City in Itself.
Where on October "a, 1917, stood a
)are waste of forest, now stands what
s small manufacturing town and 1
'ity in it's activities. Great chemical
plants have risen with lightning rapid
ty. There are the chlorine, phosgene I
hloralin and mustard gas plants, and I
hen down near the water the large
illing plant where the big shells were {
lied with deadly poisons and sent on
heir errand Of freeing humanity.
EdgewOod arsenal covers tract Of
90 acres, adjoining its companion 7
nit, the great Aberdeen proving
rounds, where the biggest of the big e
uns were tried out that were de- /
igned to smash the strongest of Ger b
ian Notifications. At the arsenal S
hese results, it was confidently pre-
icted, would be more effectively Sc f
ured, and certainly at smaller hui a
ian cost, by the gas products which 4