Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-04
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wv ference for the limitation of arma-
ments, recently concluded here,
upon a treaty ending the use Of the gas in
warfare and upon chemical warfare general
ly. Until the senate ratifies this treaty it
will hot be binding upon the United States,
of course, and there is strong opposition to
ratification from those who contend that
troops and ships could be rendered ineffective
easily and with far fewer deaths and perma-
nent injuries through the use Of chemicals
than with older ycapons of war.
At this time, though, the chemical warfare
service is turning it's attention to peace time
uses Of the combinations Of CHI 3micals worked
out during the war.
Before the war Germany had practically a
world monopoly in many chemical lines. So
far as the United States is concerned, it's
new chemical industry, while growing ire
mepdously, is classed as an infant industry.
An industrial war between the German
chemical houses and American manufacturers
is in progress now. This fact has helped to
stimulate the army to finding peace uses for
war cases.
Prosgene gas, described as the most affec-
tive weapon Of this sort devised during the
war, is now being used in the manufacture
Of perfume 1t is being converted into deli
cate, penetrating and lasting violet perfume
which is expected to gain considerable popu-
larity.
In the work of converting chemicals to the
uses of peace and industry, the chemical war
fare service is cooperating with the treasury
department, the department of the interior,
the department of agriculture, and the depart
ment of commerce, as wei. as the bureau of
standards. One or more cooperative projects
with each of these governmental agencies
has been undertaken.
Ship Fumigation Experiments
With the treasury department there has
been taken up tn question of fumigating
ships, with the idea of making this fumiga-
ton more efficient and at the same time
safer. At present, hydrocyanic acid gas is
used for this purpose. The great trouble
with it is that after fumigatiCn it is difficult
to determine that this highly poisonous gas
has been removed from all parts of the ship.
It is not readily detected by odor or other
wise. Deaths now and then occur from some
one entering a compartment from which all
of the fumigating gas has not been removed.
Then occurred the idea of combining tear
gas with the poisonous hydrocyanic acid gas.
Cooperative experiments are being conducted
with this end in view. Difficulties have arisen,
as is usuaIlyGthe case in this experimental
work, but these difficulties are being ironed
out rapidly, and here is promise that the
public health service of the treasury depart
ment soon will have at it's command ship
fumigation method much safer to human
life than that which has beer used.
Phosgene gas to kill rats is being expert
mented with, too. In one experiment under
taken with the public health service this gas
was used against the rats in the seawau at
San Juan, Porto Rico. The experiment was
pronounced officially as "of value' as the
determination of ats in seaports is one of
the principal means of guarding the country
against the entry of plague.
In the experiments undertaken with the
department of the interior, the use of the gas
mask for industrial purposes is being devel-
Oped. Close cooperation exists between the
bureau of mines and the chemical warfare
service. Many ideas of great value in the
use of the gas mask in industry have been
developed, notably the discovery of chop
calite," which when put in the canister of a
gas mask, changes the deadly carbon mon
oxide gas encountered in mines and about
blast furnaces into harmless carbon dioxide..
Making Ice Plants Safe
The use of ammonia in hotels, restaurants.
ice plants, and the like for refrigerating pur-
poses has become extensive. Ammonia gas is
used in industry under high pressure, and
when leak occurred it was formerly impos-
sible for anyone to enter the room and shut
discovered that silica GEL used in the can
lister of a gas mask, adequate protection
against ammonia gas. This has proven a
great boon to industry, and made an am
monia leak an easily controlled and minor
event.
The research work Of this service has de-
veloped tremendously the knowledge about
the production and uses of high-grade char
coal Relatively little had been known about
it. One of the uses of this high-grade char
coal is in obtaining gasoline from natural
gas. Experiments are now under way with
the idea of producing charcoal direct from