Evening star., 1926-12-15
ENGLISH SOLDIERS
GAUGE AIR EFFECT
Seek Data on Ventilation in
Underground Refugees in
War Raids.
BY Cable 10 The Star and New York World

By Cable 10 The Star and New York World
LONDON. December 15.-Picked
men of King Georges Guards regi-
ments are being used for an important
series of tests organized by the war
office experts to ascertain the mini
mum amount of air required by .ne
civilian population seeking under
ground shelter during air raids in
the next war.
Although il has not been possible
to undertake the construction OF spe-
cial anti-gas "dugouts,' the war ONCE
experts have been quietly and method
ically listing underground cellars,
tunnels and tubes in London and all
over the country which could be used
as afraid shelters and made even
gasproof, but the deeper these tenn
porary shelters the greater the PROB
lem of ventilation.
Volunteers Are Used.
A hundred or so of the strongest
and fittest Of the Guards have ac-
cordingly been sent down many of
these underground refugees in squads
and their symptoms carefully noted
ind timed as the atmosphere grew
heavy and vitiated. Only volunteers
are being used for the tests, but the
authorities have no difficulty in OBJ
tanning sufficient men, as most or
them are glad enough to escape the
dull routine of drill ground and bar
racks for a few hours.
The most important tests have
taken place In the post office tune
railway" used for transporting mails
from st. Martin 's-le-Grand to the
railroad depots, and although con-
Quoted in greater secrecy there, 1t was
the arrival of the guardsmen at the
chief London post Office that caused
the secret of the tests to leak out.
Starts Rumor Harvest.
When lorry loads of guardsmen
began to arrive at ST. Martin's-le-
Grand, all sorts Of rumors began to
fly around the city, and there were
stories of 'massing of troops armed
to the teeth" etc, so that the war
office had to confess that there was
nothing to be alarmed about and that
it was merely a series of experiments
regarding the holding capacity of un-
derground refugees.
Similar experiments had been made
frequently by scientists on a much
smaller scale, but it was thought more
desirable to try the effect of air pres
sure on a mass of men in one of the
possible wartime refugees.
The guardsmen were taken far be-
low the ground and deposited in
special chamber" of the post office
tube, and they were kept there for
over five hours at a time.
Scientists Keep Tab.
The men sat about talking and
reading, while scientists noted their
condition. Whenever one Of the Sub
jects' showed signs of faintness in
the stuffy compartment, switch was
pressed and a shaft of cool air was
directed into the room, and particu-
larly toward the victim" Some of
the men were able to stand the close
atmosphere better than others; some
became drowsy and lethargic; sorae
became faint. and all these points
were noted, as well as frequent state
ments as to the actual feelings of the
soldiers during the test.
No official details are available as
TO the tests, but the war office experts
are satisfied that much valuable in
formation has been and is being OBJ
tained. The guardsmen volunteering
for the tests get extra leave, but no
additional pay. Further tests are to
be taken with gas masks.