The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-06-18
MOST DEADLY OF
ALL WAR CASES
Ten Tons a Day Being Made
When the Armistice Was
Signed.
DISCOVERED BY PROF. LEWIS
Ten AirpIane Loads of This Super
Poison Sufficient to Have De-
stroyed All Life in Berlin
Known as "Methyl."

| WashingtOn.-At the educational ex
position, illustrating the wartime anG
reconstruction activities of the depart
ment Of the interior now being hello
| there is being shown under guard q
| 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 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 1t 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 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 a 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
Professor Lewis was called
chemistry at Northwestern university,
Evanston, ILL.,, 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
cred and developed this gas, and Is I
lays after the gas work of the bureau
If mines was transferred to the juris-
LECTION of the war department an IL
lcre plant for it's manufacture was
started near Cleveland, o. where the
+I,o ,+,,.o
,st military secrecy.
"Mouse Trap" Plant.
This plant, which was dubbed by the
vorkmen the "mouse trap" because
n order to prevent the leakage of in
it was understood that the
nen who entered would not leave IN
il the war was over, was in operation
within a miraculOusly short time, and
lans were made by the war DEPART
lent to have 5000 tons of this most
iabolical gas at the American front
y March /, 1919. When the armistice
anne the plant was well ahead of it's
reduction schedule, but the Opportu-
1ty had not come for the use of the
as at the battle front. Thus the Ger
lans did not have chance to obtain
first-hand experience with this most
'ightful of all poison gases, of which
is said that single drop on the
and will penetrate to the blood and
BON reach the heart, when it kills the
lctim in great agony. 1t is declared I
lat among the 800 men at the plant t
lere was not one fatality, this immu- t
Ity being largely due to the providing I
all employees with gas masks, pro- I
'ctive clothing and extreme precau- 9
ons in operation. {