Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1919-09-04
MOST DEADLY OF
ALL WAR CASES
Ten Tons a Day Being Made
When the Ermistice Was
Signed.
DISCOVERED BY PROF. LEWIS
Ten Airpane Loads of This Super
Poison Sufficient to Have De
stroyed All Life in Berlin
Known as "Methyl-"

Washfngton.-At the educational ex-
position, illustrating the wartime and
reconstruction activities of the depart
ment of the interior now being held
there is being shown under guard a
sample of the most terrible super
poison gas known, the discovery of
Prof, w. Lee Lewis while in the en-
ploy of the bureau Of mines at it's
American university laboratories
This gas, formerly called 'Lewisite,"
later known as 'methyl," because the
latter name meant nothing to curious
persons, was being manufactured by
the war department at the rate of ten
tons a day when the armistice came.
The gas is being variously described
as "the climax of the country's
achievements In the lethal arts" and
as "the most terrible instrument of
manslaughter ever conceived" The
department itself declares that it is
the most deadly of all war gases,
much more deadly than mustard gas,
which heretofore was known by chem
lists as "the king of poison gases"
Most Deadly of All
1t is said that ten airplane loads of
"methyl" would have been sufficient to
destroy all life in Berlin, if such ex-
IRENE measures had been necessary,
and that a single days output would
have been sufficient to snuff out the
100000 human lives on the island of
Manhattan.
This gas was not only discovered by
Professor Lewis, but was also devel-
oped by him to point where it was
ready for production at the American
university while those laboratories
were still under the control of the bu-
reau of mines, one of the organizations
of the department of the interior.
When this work was first taken up by
the bureau in behalf of the military
authorities Professor Lewis was called
from his civilian duties as professor Of
chemistry at Northwestern university,
Evanston, H., and at the request Of
the bureau was commissioned as cap
tain in the ordnance department and
assigned to the gas warfare service of
the bureau of mines. While acting In
this capacity Professor Lewis dlscov-
cred and developed this gas, and 10
days after the gas work of the bureau
of mines was transferred TO the iuris-
diction of the war department an IL
acre plant for its manufacture was
started near Cleveland, o.. where the
work was conducted under the strict
est military secrecy.
Mouse Trap" Plant.
This plant, which was dubbed by the
workmen the mouse trap" because,
In order to prevent the leakage Of In
formation, it was understood that the
men who entered would not leave un-
til the war was over, was in operation
within miraculously short time. and
plans were made by the war depart
ment to have 5000 tons of this most
diabolcal gas at the American front
by March l, 1919. When the armistice
came the plant was we'll ahead Of it's
production schedule, but the opportu-
nifty had not come for the use of the
gas at the battle front. Thus the Ger
mans did not have chance to obtain
first-hand experience with this most
frightful of all poison gases, of which
1t is said that single drop on the
hand will penetrate to the blood and
soon reach the heart, when it kills the
victim in great agony. 1t is declared
that among the 800 men at the plant
there was not one fatality, this lmmu-
nifty being largely due to the providing
of all employees with gas masks, pro-
tectiye clothing and extreme precau-
tons in operation.