Norwich bulletin., 1919-05-17

in bulk. the report states, "3,s62 tons of gas or it's equivalent. It was largely loaded into shells and used by the United States troops or those of the Allies. This quantity was sufficient to load 100000 shells. two ; third of them being of the Io-mm caEuor and the other onethird l5b- nm calioer the total numbering
 throughout to be at least equal to
 the total number of gas shells fired
 by American troops in action.
 Thus, while American gas was not
 actually fired in American shells
 against the Germans American gas
 was used against the enemy ana America furnished at least as much
 gas as she fired.
 In addition to this we shipped 1s,S00 Livens drums loaded with phosgene. These contained 21s tons of gas, and some of them were fired at the enemy" A table of casualties at the Edgewood Arsenal shows that while only four men lost their lives from gas. at this plant, S25 were in jured the bulk of them, 674, in mus" tard gas accidents.
 Taking up the defnesive side of gas warfare material, the report shows | that the American trops had the best and most protective gas mask l the world had seen; and they brought l these with them by the millions 4 total of 5,250,000 masks was pro-
 duced, of which 100000 were. sent
 overseas. and the report states that l these masks gave twentytimes the l protection afforded by the best Ger | man gas masks
 1 NO American soldier was ever I gassed due to the failure of an Amer 1 ican gas mask the report says, and such gas casualties a did occur were 1 due to the fact that the masks were !, not quickly enough utilized when the gas was thrown over, ~or because the soldier was unaware of the presence of gas.''
 The original order from the de- partment was for 25,000 masks to SC with Pershing's first expedition, and the report tells indetail of the frantic efforts necessary to procure them, ef- forts which actually counted for lit tie, since the masks were not used for many months At the time the expe- dition sailed, however, the British and French were not thoroughly ac-
 iquainted with the gas warfare that was developing nor had completed effective protection been worked ou
 In speaking of the first German ga.
 attack upon Canadian troops at Ypres
 the report says chlorine was used ana
 while protection of the troops iron
 it later became an easy matter, 'i
 was only lack of faith in their new weapons that prevented the Germans from winning the war with it thei
 and there
 The chief ingredient of the protec ton against bases is carbon, whicl ! absorbs the gas instantaneousls
 Cocoanut shells formed the best sup ply of carbon that could be foun' and the known world was raked b.
 American representatives to secur what was needed. Tn addition eror nous quantities of fruit pits and nu shells were secured and the na tiona . campaign to increase the supply. 0 these ingredients met with grea success. The slogan Eat More Co coanut,' the report states, increase = the consumption in the country nor
 than 100 per cent. in very brief pc 5 iriod and in Oct"her 1918, the gov } crnnlent was obtaining from a I sources aboul 15v tons per day of co l coanut Ehelis. The fruit caunerie I of the Pacific coast supplied 10 l tons a day in apricot, peach and cher l ny pits and walnut shells and tn Q campaign led by tho American Re l, Cross to induce the public to con tribute 1fult pits and nut shells wa $ in full swing when the armistice wa = igned. It is etimated that 4GG0 tor ? of matera1 were collected by thi Q 1 means.
 l. Among the masks designed an - produced were 377,8Sl horse mask = which were easier of manufa ctur }, ae a horse always breailes throug
 his nose and is not as liable to ga 0 poisoning as man.