The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
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THE VERSATILE GAS MASK.
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Washington. d. C., Aug. 25.-The
army gas mask is proving an extreme
ment. A vaudeville comedian face
ment. A vaudeville codedian face
tiously uses a gas mask 70 protect him
self against the hot air of his fellow
comedian; while in a more serious
way. the worker in a match factory
renders himself invulnerable to deadly
chlorine fumes by wearing an army
mask. Fire departments all over the
country are making tests to see If the
chemicals contained in the canisters OF
the army masks absorb the fumes
against which firemen must fight.
Not long ago an engineer wrote TO
the chemical war service of the war
department asking that a gas mask be
sent him at once. He was in danger OF
losing his position, he said. because he
was growing old and could not stand
the smoke which flooded the engine
cab whenever the train passed thru a
tunnel. The mask was sent. and the
engineer wrote the war department
that it saved him his position. Other
engineers have since bought masks for
the same purpose.
A novel use of an army gas mask
was made recently by New York So
ciety woman. The sable-clad matron
stepped from her Limousine into the
New York office Of the chemical serv-
Ice and demanded a gas mask. When
planned that she had just returned
from Palm Beach and opened her New
York house. and that moths were posi-
lively eating up her clothes and house
furnishings. Her butler, ordered to
fumigate, had purchased a large guam
tity of formaldehyde and three dozen
sulphur candles. He sprayed for
maldehyde all over tn house, and
! lighted the three dozen candles. The
fumes soon became so strong that It
I ~
and the woman had hurried after
| gas mask in order to have some one
open the windows.
Her footman. who had been in the
army, fitted on the mask provided,
and entered the house without being
at all affected by the fumes. The
overpowering strength of the gases
was shown by the fact that the wo-
mans pets. a monkey. cat and parrot
were all found dead in the house.
The war department had over s.
100000 gas masks manufactured, and
| shipped 100000 overseas. A great
many of these were used and worn
out. Every soldier who was sent
| abroad Is entitled to keep his mask, or,
| If he turned it in before leaving the
service, he can obtain another by writ
ing to the office of the director of
| storage, war department. Washington,
d. c. AS over 100000 of our SOL
7
poses of the greater part of the sur
plus mask supply.
| Some of the unused masks and can
| listers will be kept for the army. tho
| strength for much more than a year,
even If kept in dry atmosphere. The
war department is now disposing of
the surplus to the public at the rate of
| SIS for a new mask. 81 for a used one,
and 81 each for extra canisters.
| clr frt nA ev1
condition to afford protection against
gases. are sold as souvenirs. To pre-
vent any one from attempting to use
them in poisonous atmosphere the
war department Sits the face pieces
before putting the used masks on sale.
| About 1900 new masks have SO far
been sold, largely to firms and manu-
facturers. The war departments rec
ord of sales Shows that a wide range
of industries have purchased new
poses or to be put into immediate use.
/ Among the purchasers are factories
making ink, paper, explosives, chem
icals, fertilizer, wooden goods, rubber,
| and also oil refineries, bleacheries.
copper mines, fire departments and
Laboratories
The war department demands that
prospective purchasers of new masks
state the use to which the mask is TO
be put. 1t can then inform the buyer
|
satisfactory.
To understand the prospects of the
gas mask in industry 1t is necessary 20
recall the composition of the army
mask. The idea seems to be preva-
lent that the army gas mask is a pro-
lection against any kind OF smoke OF
gas. AS a matter of fact, the army
mask was constructed with the one
idea of combating the poison gases OF
the Germans.
The mask. as you may have noted
consists OF a face piece Of rubber and
cloth. containing eye pieces, and con-
nected by flexible rubber tube TO g
canister supported in a knapsack huns
from the neck. The canister contains
charcoal and soda lime which filters
out the poisonous gas breathed into
the tube.
The content of the canister protect:
against the following gases If tht
gases do not exceed one or two pei
cent of the air: Sulphur dioxide, ny
drogen suiphide. chlorine. carbon bi
sulphide, nitrogen peroxide. anilin'
vapor, benzyl bromide. benzyl chloride
chloracetone. chlorpicrin, hydrogen
chloride. phosgene. sulphur chlorides
xylyl bromide, stannic chloride. ii
tanium tetrachloride, silicon tetra
chloride, hydrogen cyanide, benZol
gasoline vapor, and carbon tetrachlo
ride.
The army masks were designed ex
} pressly to protect against gases scat
tered in the open air. Therefore the!
cannot be relied upon to furnish pro
lection for any length of time agains
fumes stronger than the two per cen
mentioned. other canisters could. o
> course. be made to protect agains
heavier and different fumes for in
dustries and fire departments. TIL
( war department made some canister
= for combating a single. concentrated
gas, but in the main the army pre-
ferred to use a single mask that woul,
protect against any gas that the Ger
E mans might send over.
\ Until the armistice was signed, tn
chemical warfare service worke'
steadily testing new combinations o
chemicals in the canisters. and jus
= before the war ended II had evolved
| 10