Evening star., 1920-11-28
WAR OF THE FUTURE MAY BE WAGED
WITH GREAT CLOUDS OF POISON GAS
Egewood Arsenal Located Few Miles
Estimated Cost Of $72O000 Making Great Manu-
Warfare Work
United States Government

is said to be the largest chlorine plant
In the world, capable Of producing 100
tons of chlorine a day. and this 9S
per cent pure. The necessary current
for it's manufacture was brought from
outside points on high tension wires.
Until the summer of 1917 no use had
heen made of mustard gas but in July
the Germans began using this gas
more or less extensively. During pc
riod OF ten days $500 tons of this gas
were liberated by German she'll fire.
Indeed. its use by them was only linn
ited by the amount made.
AT nrst the allies attached but little
importance to its use. but experience
soon proved the opposite. so that to
compete with Germany the efforts of
all were concentrated on the develop
ment of processes for its manufacture
on a large scale. Various laboratory
methods of preparation were known.
but to use these on large scale
meant untold complicated problems 10
be solved. The most favorable process
having been found, enough informa-
ton was obtained to justify the erec-
ton of an experimental plant. This
was started in May and completed one
month later. At the same time addi-
tIonal plants were ordered built at
Buffalo and Hastings-on-the-H Hud son,
n. Y. So well was this process per-
fected that. though they had greater
disadvantages at first. the allies in
hfteen months were putting out more
mustard gas than Germany
Meanwhile, the construction work
continued unabated in the arsenal. II
was found inadvisable to employ civ
ilian labor in the operation of the
plants. so that increasing numbers of
enlisted men were detailed to the ar
senai Tor this purpose. Large tenn
porary two-story barracks were put
up to accommodate this influx of SOL
diers and similar ones to house the
ciVlilan laborerS. as the permanent
parracks were not sufficiently large.
The Y. N. c. A. and the K. of c. also
erected buildings, making ayailable to
| the men the long looked for movies"
Educational courses were started and
a library of some $500 volumes was
made available to the men.
At the time of the signing of the
armistice Edgewood arsenal had de-
veloped positive degree of efficiency,
not only in the production of toxic
gases, but also in filing the gases
into the shells. Additional filling
units had been installed and provisions
made for filling not only the various
| sized shells, but also Liyens drums,
| incendiary bombs and smoke gren-
ades. At no time, however, was a
sumcient quantity of shells and boost
ers available from the manufacturers
| 30 that point of greater efficiency
| was not made possible.
With the signing of the afmistice the
| work came to a halt. Soon the orders
came to demobilize the men-men who,
| though their lot was not to serve on
| the other side. had put every ounce of
i their energy into their work, that the
boys over there" might be able to
| make victory possible. They were
| exposed to dangers equal to those of
gas warfare on the battlefields. 1t
has been said that the knowledge of
| our. poison gas production shattered
the hopes of Germany and was a
| great factor in causing her to come to
| terms.
| shows that men who have ben gassed
| At the conclusion of the war there
was marked preference toward gas
warfare. though at one period it had
been a method of warfare feared by
all. This preference was based on the
casualty lists. which showed a lower
| death rate and comparatively little
| loss of limbs and eyes due to gas. The
best medical information at hand
DO not have tendency to contract
tuberculosis, as most people have sup
| posed.
Recently the chemical warfare sefv-
ice underwent acrucial period in it's
career. owing to attempts being made
to merge it with the Corps of Engi-
neers. These, however, have been
overcome for the time being and the
chemical warfare service plans to
keep up it's research for still more
powerful gases, as well as for better
masks and preventive measures
against gases. Under the leadership
of Brig. Gen. Amos A. Fries, who is
now the director. plans have been
made to train all the branches of the
Army in gas defense, to handle gas
troops that deal with the gas clouds
and bombs, and to experiment with
smoke. 1t is also contemplated to
handle the incendiary shells and air.
plane bombs as well as to Investigate
the flame-thrower. that awe-inspiring
though at present useless outfit of
most armies.
The war of the future may be a war
of chemicals, a war in which the
chemists of the contending armies
will pit their knowledge and experi-
ence against one another. Chemical
warfare covers a vast field and ii il
a method of warfare which will ac-
count for az many casualties on the
future fields of battle as all the other
known methods put together.