Evening star., 1936-03-08
THIS WEEK


tube, which sees light waves that are
too long for the human eye, will have
numerous uses in the next war. An
observer III a plane high above the
clouds will be able to see everything
below that gives off infra-red rays.
Numerous applications are evident.
Another new method makes poison
gases deadly for several days. A spe-
cial absorbent clay is impregnated
with gases, then dried and sprayed
from an airplane exhaust in the form
of a fine powder. The ground sprayed
by the powder forms a barrier that
cannot be safely crossed by either
troops or civilians. The population of
a town or city could not move out
quickly.
Other new war gases, some too
terrible to talk about, are ready. One
variety, when laid in a blanket over
trenches, causes paroxysms of cough
ing. Pure air intensifes the coughing.
When laid in sufficient concentration,
this gas can be exploded with dire,
results.
Ifthe newest invention in gas bombs
gains acceptance, it will do all its dam
age in the ranks of the enemy, and
cannot be tossed back. For on lighting,
it engages in acrobatics, all the while
discharging its poison, and comes to
rest only when its work is done.
OF course, science, which is ever
impartial, is working as hard to de-
feat gas as to make it effective. The
newest defensive agent is pulverized
chemical that, when sprayed into a
room from hand pump, will not only
counteract noxious vapors, but will aid
in reviving persons already affected.
During the World War no aexibility
was possible in the location of plants
producing vital acids and gases. Steel
shells had to be transported to the
mustard gas plant, and the acid fac
tory had to be built alongside the spot
where we wanted the guncotton made.
This not only overloaded the rail-
roads, but caused essential war plants
to be situated at dangerous points.
Then we had only sixteen cars in
the United States able to carry chic
rine; today we have 1900, and many
more for other corroding acids and
gases. The result is that our big new
plants are in the mountains, far away
from the sea coast, and closely acces-
sible to cheap coal and adequate labor.
This conforms to the assumption of
military experts that enemy bombing
planes have to start from a mother
ship 200 or more miles at sea, and
they cannot 60 more than 800 miles
inland because their heavy load limits
them to a cruising range of about
1000 miles. All of which explains why
our big coast chemical plants, pos
sibly accessible to raiding parties
from air and sea. are largely left out
of national defense plans.
New mechanical devices applicable
to war operations are coming in end
less succession. Current experiments
point to the creation of an apparatus
for revealing enemy war maneuvers.
Secret horoscopes (television cam
eras) can be hidden behind the lines
of an opposing army to convey actual
pictures of what is going on. An OBJ
servation plane flying at great height
for safety could trail iconoscopes far
below, and the views registered of the
ground might be transmitted by radio
to tactical headquarters.
Naval weapons are facing equally
drastic changes. One interesting in
vention is a torpedo which may be
operated from either a fort or ship,
runs submerged and is able to see its
target in the dark. A photo-electric
cell, under a transparent covering in
the shell of the torpedo, responds in
stantly to the shadow of the ship
above it and causes the explosion. At
night the control station operating