Evening journal., 1920-11-30
CLOUD POISON
GAS IS READY.
Preparation Concentrated in
Units to be Carried by 4.
Soldiers
SQUAD COULD SPREAD
1T IN FEW HOURS

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3O.-Absos 4
lutely fOolproof and mobile cloud poi
son gas-concenlrated in units small
enough for one to be carried by evers
soldier-has been perfected by the
Chemical Welfare Service since the
armishce.
That forward step is one Of the
many which that branch of the SER
vice has made. or is making, with the
assistance Of the American Chemical
Society, with a membership OF 5000
and college professors and research
societies all over the country.
An explanation Of the work beiIss
done was obtained from Brigadier
General A. A. Fries, head OF the
Ghemical Warfare Service, following
VI announcement from abroad made
by Premier Lloyd George that Eng
land was continuing poison gas re-
| search with The aid Of scientists.
! The broad policy being followed by
the United States in the development
/ OF poison gas is that the next war, II
there Is one will be characterized by
the use OF gas and that in order TO be
| prepared, even in a defensive way,
the offensive steps that may be made
by scientists in other countries.
That the two studies-defensiV and
offensive gas research go hand m
hand, already has been demonstrated,
for in addition 10 the development of
new forms of gas, army experts have
had TO improve the gas masks in Or
der to make it effective against some
of the new gases that have been
ihunrrultN inf vfaf af D..
wood Arsenal.
As a result this country, has today
not only gases which surpass anyy
hing used during the world war, but
, a mask which in recent tests was
lwOrn 2i hours a day for a week, eX-
cept at meal times, without any dis-
comfort whatever. Br athing was nor
NAL, speaking was simple and it
turned away absolutely all Of the
gases so far known.
The biggest achievements that Gen.
eral Fries felt at liberty 10 make pub-
lie at this time are the development
of the mobile cloud pOisOn-gas and a
new form Of sneezing gas which COM
PEELED the United States experts to
strengthen their own masks in order
TO keep out the gas.
u The innovation brought about in
the use Of cloud gas is that now tho
i units required for generating a flood
OF destructive VapOrs are confined in
a sOlidincd state in small callsters
that can be carried by each soldier
without adding more than a pound
or two TO his load During the war
the only method Of setting loose a
gas cloud was TO connect up a series
of tanks, each weighing in the neigh
borhOod of POO pounds
The operation now is for each man
10 take from his pack at the prOpi-
tiOus meteorological moment his
package Of gas. apply heat and the
poisonous vapOrs roll away on the
wings Of the wind into the heart OF
~ enemy territory. No other agent ex-
cept intense heat can release the
% gases and instead Of a host Of experts
and days Of planning to make a gas
attack a success a mi re handful o.
officers trained for the work can picl
the time for miles OF frOnt-lin,
trenches to belch forth destruction.
Former doughboys would hard!
recognize as an old friend the mas
that is now the regulation for th'
service Instead of being carried OF
the chest it fits under the right arm
pit and one motion enables the wear
er to get it out and get it on hi
head. IL has no mouth or nose clil
across the inside Of the glasses il
order to keep them clean. Speech
= sleeping and all ordinary tasks ar
simple with IL. A canister which a
~ one time was filled with peach pi
S charcoal is now full Of cocoanut She
nj charcoal and has an additional filte
a. that wards Off sneezng gas.
All advances that have been mad
- at EdgewoOd, General Fries said to
r day, have been carried in such a wa
I'D that quantity construction could h
T.; begun within ten days in the even
Of another war. Experiments wit
,g- white mice, white rats, monkeys an
ds, dogs successfully have shown th
Of practicabiity OF new invention.
ei- unit for its manufacture is construct
',s,, y, ed and it forms the groundwork fc
ant indefinite expansion the moment Ia
my emergency arises.