The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1921-05-06
WAR GAS SWEEPS
JERSEY TOWN
Three Heroes Prevent Tragedy
as Deadly Phosgene Imper-
lis Bound Brook.
VALVE ON TANK BREAKS.
Masked Workmen Battle With Death.
Check Flow Just as Phone Girls
Are About to Tell Whole
Region to Flee.
Bound Brook.-An 1,SOO-gallon tank

Bound Brook.-An 1,S00-gallon tank
of phosgene, one of the most potent
and insidious of the poison gases used
in the war, sprang a leak at 1 80
a. m. at the Hemingway Chemical
Plant at AIiddlebrook, a quarter of
mile west of this town.
One man died from the effects of
the gas, four are in a serious condi-
tiOn and scores are suffering from
inflammation of the throat. Earl Pull
man, an employee at the plant, is
the dead man.
Four others are suffering the suffo-
cation the gas produces, but are ex-
pected to recover.
These four are Harold Saunders,
formerly chief chemist at the plant;
Michael PASCAL, his assistant; Peter
Wlrdel, an employee, and DIR. Ben
jamin Borrow, who was bowled over
by the heavy, sWeetish fumes when he
went to the rescue of Saunders, Pas
call and Wirdel. To the courage and
fOrtitude Of the latter trio is due the
fact that the casualties were no great
er, despite the fact that the wave was
considerably denser and more con-
centrated than that normally used in
warfare. Besides, there was nothing
but suggestion of breeze blowing
toward the town. Consequently the
wave was sluggish and folks had time
to escape. Pullman died of congestion
of the lungs.
The containing tank was not full
when the leak occurred. However,
it contained about 1,S0O pounds of
the deadly fumes, sufficient to over
come most of Bound Brooks 5000
persons under favorable conditions.
The gas, formerly used solely for pur-
poses of warfare, is now marketed
commercially. The valve went wrong
while squad of workers were filling
a portable container for shipment.
Saunders, Wirdel and PASCAL arrived
on the scene after other men had
failed repeatedly to Stanch the flow.
Chief of Police Nash had mobiliZed
his entire force and the volunteer fire
fighters. He proposed going through
the town awakening the populace, and
had directed the two young women op-
Grating the central telephone exchange
tchboards-ViOlet Schantz and Vic
toria Jakubic-to warn every subscrib-
er to vacate the town and take all
neighbors with them.
Saunders asked Chief Nash to defer
the general alarm until he did what
he could to plug up the hole. The
tank is located within a quarter of a
mile Of the town itself. In the imme-
date neighbOrhood are houses occu-
pied by employees of the various
plants and factories.
Nash threw a Gordon of policemen
around the gradually enlarging area
flooded by the gas. Slowly they re-
treated before the wave. Some of
them collapsed as the gas closed In
upon them, but gamely struggled to
their feet again. Three more squads
of men, wearing the ordinary gas
masks. tried to reach the open valve.
And these men failed like their prede-
cessoros. J. c. Bolt, formerly an en-
ployee at the plant, enlisted another
squad. Bolt is an experienced man at
the tanks. But he failed.
Saunders, PASCAL and Wirdel didn't
wait to find the heavy masks that are
as near proof against highly cOncen-
trated phoSgene as mask may be.
They slipped on the ordinary canister
masks-the sort having rubber face
pieces, wire nose clips and the flexible
outlet gill-and took a chance. Their
method was to dash to the open valve,
struggle with it Wor a moment and
then when so dizzy that they could
no longer see stagger out for sufficient
air to revive themselves with. They
did this Il dozen times. Bolt agreed
to telephone Chief Nash at headquar-
ters if Saunders, Wirdel and PASCAL
surrendered. And then the chief was
to start out arOuSng the town.