Evening star., 1932-10-30

unworthy the cause he died in. But the nom
Iethal gases do not make martyrs.
Their three most common effects. tears
sneezng. and vomiting. have been joke material
for ages. No man looks heroic with tears drip
ping down his nose, sitting miserably on the
curbstone holding his stomach.
OF course, if police force is to make use Of
this weapon it must have its men trained and
instructed just they are in the use of other
means of enforcing order. They must know
the properties of the stuff they dealing
with, its effects and its limitations They must
have a sufficient supply Of munitions, and ef-
f1cient masks for their own protection-for gas
can be boomerang if its users are not masked.
Three types of gas are contemplated for police
use: Tear gases. toxic smokes and screening
smokes. The first IS already in use to some
extent, though on number of occasions it has
been evident that various police departments
have been too economical in supplying their
men with gas weapons. Better not use gas at
all than use too little.
THE commonest tear gas in use. the one that
is standard in the Army. is chloracetophe-
none for convenience designated as "CN." The
Army has developed a hand missile, built hike
q grenade but called . universal candle" for
producing q cloud of "CN' very quickly.
This candle" is small sheet metal can
1t is kept safe until ready for use by pdn,
which is pulled out just before throwing it.
This was the type Of gas weapon used by the
troops in clearing the bonus camp in Wash
ington last Summer: and Army advocates of the
non-lethal gases strongly maintain that gas
made possible the evacuation in such snort
time and with so few casualties.
Had the troops had to rely on the conven-
tional weapons they believe, there might have
been shooting.
There are many other forms of tear gas
weapons, ranging in power from things like big
fiat matches made by German firm, to guns
of about one FOUNDER caliber that can lob their
projectiles about $50 yards. Pistol cartridges
have been loaded with tear gas also
Tear gas will be the weapon most used by
the police in dealing with ordinary mObS. But
when the police are dealing with prison riots,
criminals at bay and ether determinedly anti
social groups. tear gas will not always work.
Something more disabling is needed.
For this necessity toxic smokes considered
most effective There are two weapons of this
type, of which one. adamisite DIM can
be used in civil disorders of the most serious
kinds
This is not gas. but cloud of finely di-
vided solid PARTICLES real smoke. Nothing
but Army gas mask will stop it.
It's effects can be described as severe
but temporary attack of sickness, together with
pains in face, teeth and chest. man who
gets lungful of "DM' at weak concentration
VIII propaDly De out OF actlon 1Or some Time.
OF course, chemical weapon with effects as
severe as this would be used only against
groups with approximately the same fighting
power the police themselves, and then only
when other means have f. ~ or seem in ad-
vance likely to fail.
A S means for disabling professional crim-
inals and making possible their capture.
"DM' has distinct promise. If properly used
by trained officers, it will enable the police to
bring their back alive more often than
they can now