Evening star., 1941-03-17
By HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE,
associated Press Staff Writer.

oy INV AMI w. DLHhLSLLLy
ASSOCIATED Press staff Writer.
NEW YORK, March 17.-In
Europe's preparations for poison gas
American gas warfare officers are
watching for two special things.
One is clothing to shield the body.
The other is a surprise form of some
well-known gas.
The special clothing is needed to
protect against mustard and other
similar gases which burn wherever
they touch the skin.
Mustard is really yelloWish liquid,
which soakS into the ground and
even into the surface of stone and
concrete. Its vapors may be deadly
for hours or even days.
But more difficult still to guard
against is receiving burns from
touching, sitting on or otherwise
coming in contact, even through the
clothing, with any spot where this
gas has been splaShed. Depending
on weather, this burning risk may
last long time.
Gas Is Invisible.
1t is invisible. Furthermore, the
mustard is difficult to wash of. On
concrete the stuff cannot be washed
off Immediately, and the only way
to guard against burns from
splashed concrete is by coating the
spots with water glass.
Moreover, according to gas experts,
this splashing of mustard all about
Is one of the presumably most effec-
tive means of causing evacuation OF
q great city. For that purpose it
could be dropped in countless num-
bers of small cans, of ordinary
grocery store sizes. No explosive
would be needed. The impact of the
fall would explode them most effec-
lively.
Clothing designed as proof against
mustard gas is needed, and is es-
sential for troops assigned to clean
UP mustard areas. In the World War
the only protective garments we're
rubberized or parafflned, both so
alright that even strong men could
stand wearing them and working in
them for only short periods.
Since then all great nations have
been working on chemicals to pro-
tect lightweight, ordinary clothing
against mustard penetration. Ci-
william chemists have announced
chemicals which they declared would
do just that.
Discoveries Kept Secret.
But the military discoveries have
been kept secret. Possibly less has
been said about this clothing, if it
exists, than of any other phase of
expected gas warfare. The civilian
announcements did not pass beyond
the stage of first reports.
After conferences with military
men, these civilians did not talk
further. But the reasons why are
not entirely clear. Guesses that
the military took over the chemicals
for defense purposes are comph-
Gated by reports that governments
already had on hand better chemi-
Gals for the same purpose.
The possibility of surprise gas,
military experts say, is one of the
main reasons why the European
powers and Japan signed an agree
ment not to use poison gas-an
agreement which the United States
did not enter.
The signatory powers, these ex-
perts declare, were willing to ban
gas because each one hoped to per-
feet a gas which, used as surprise,
might be decisive factor in war.
Such surprise gas would not be
expected to be something new in
poison gas, but only modification.
Joke Started New Tests.
AS an example of development,
gas experts tell this story:
In British dugout at Arras, late
In the World War, a soldier as a
joke dropped small tube of gas on
hot stove. The tube contained
what is now known as seasick gas.
This gas caused no deaths, but be-
cause 1t created extreme nausea, it
was used to induce men to tear off
their masks, an act which would
expose them to becoming casualties
from dangerous gases.
Many poison gases are powders or
liquids. The seasick gas was very
fine powder, like smoke, and the
British masks were fitted with filters
which stopped the nauseating stuff.
The soldiers joke was intended
only to make his companions in the
dngout put on their masks.
This they did, and then to every
ones amazement, the masks were no
good. The gas got through.
Investigation disclosed that when
this stuff was exploded while very
hot, it divided into much finer par
ticles, which penetrated all existing
mask filters.
Spent Months Perfecting Shell.
With this secret, the story goes,
the British spent months perfecting
a shell to fire this gas and at the
moment Of explosion to heat it to
the finer particle sizes. At the same
time protective filter was devel-
oped. The plan was to use the hot
gas in a surprise, but the war ended
before preparations were complete.
Now there is a report, not officially
verified, but published in Rumanian
military journals and republished
in the United States, that credits the
Germans with developing a pow
dered form of mustard gas. The
powder is said to be in particles
heavy enough to settle to the ground
like dust from an airplane. The
mustard grains are credited with
being less intense in their burning
effects, but in persisting longer than
the liquid forms.
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