The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-11-29
Seattle Girl Reporter Tells
OF Dreaded Debut Of Gas

ut OF Gas
What difference win II make
now The Japanese have used II
many times before but never
like this never ~ much ~
this."
He stood IN front of me. and
suddenly his anger was gone.
IF the Americans don't believe
our enemy Use gas" he said with
resignation, they'll find out soon
enough II ever they fight japan
too. They'll see their soldiers fall
and die like this"
CHINESE WITHDRAW
no HOLDING POSITIONS
That afternoon Chinese troops
began withdrawing from the
Ichang front. Their attack had
depended on swift surprise action,
but that attack had been broken
by an unanticipated weapon.
And now, two days later. at my
fcet sprawl 4 few of those struck
down by that weapon-only q few
because most have died on the
battlefield. Here in a tunnel of
railway never completed, IN q
black cavern schoing with
screams. means. retching. hysteri-
cal sobbing. signs Of hopelessness,
here lie 800 broken bodies SYM
bolixing China's broken hopes.
In ught-pscked rows they lie
upon the straw-cArpeted floor.
Their thin cotton uniforms are
stiff with blood. Eyes bandaged
with red stained cloth. Muscles
twitching to move limbs no longer
there. A soldier with bandaged
feet feeding another with two
tapped hands. A third. his face
turned to the wall. crying softly.
And in q corner. the victims Of
Lswisits CASHIER skins black
sned ~ II by powder burns. Flam-
ing scarlet patches glisten where
blisters have broken rs II some
hideous disease has torn the skin
away. These blisters-soms puff
out like ping-pong balls, others,
spread over half a back and hang
heavily with the weight of water
inside.
A Polish doctor working for the
Chinese Red Cross had told me
that some gas remains inside these
watery blisters eating away at the
flesh until the blister IL opened.
He said that after treating gsssed
victims, his own hands and arms
began to itch from contact with
this released chemical.
Two gas victims are carried
outside for me to take their
pictures. One il q young machine
gunner. the other his assistant
platoon commander. Both were
wounded during the first gas at
tack on 1chang's outskirts. The
commander, Wei Tso-kan, IL able
to sit up and describe his feelings
during the barrsgs.
ION October 7th We drove the
japanese 18th division headquar-
ters back from Tungshanshih, the
district just south Of lchang's air
field" Wei explains. II had rs men
in my unit with orders to defend
Tungshanshih to the death The
enemy counter-attacked furiously
but throughout the night and the
next day we held our position.
"a STRANGE FEELING :.
SOMETHING WAS WRONG"
More OF our troops kept com
ing up and by the night Of th'
eighth the battle was very hot
Shells came at us from all direc'
tions-we had slipped through the
enemy's circle Of mountain strong
holds guarding lchane and SONS
Of their strongest gun emplsee'
ments were at our rear. IL wal
dark and we could not tell how
things were going in other sectors
/ Everything was chaos and noise
Then -. / had q strange feel
ing that something WAS wrong -.
not exactly fear. Suddenly ] re
allied what II WAS The shells
were exploding about US with q
queer soft noise. There Was
curious fragrance in the air. In
the light Of flares ] saw q mist
swirling close to the ground
My eyes started watering. Ny
soldiers were crying. too. What
was happening, Ny nostrils BE-
gan TO burn and started coughing
violently We were all choking
and gasping. but we didn't feel II
was very serious. But two hour,
later my skin began TO itch AND
burn all over. especially under my
clothes.
Within Is minutes huge blister'
full Of fluid formed on my hscl
~ a