Evening star., 1941-10-23
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

developed by United States Army Chem
lists at the Chemical Warfare Station
at Edgewood, Md.
More than 100000 gas masks con-
tanning this charcoal have been pro-
duced in the past six months to be
issued. should need arise, to American
soldiers. ~
At least half of them are training
masks. Thousands more are being turned
out. each day, the Chemical Warfare
Service announces, at factories scattered,
for strategic reasons, throughout the
country. AS soon as a selectee begins
his period of training he is furnished a
training mask as part of his individual
equipment.
For centuries, it is explained by Chem
ical Warfare Service officers. it has been
known that CHARCOAL has the remark
able property of being able to absorb
various gasses on its surface. This
principle was taken advantage of when
the first gas attack was launched by
| the Germans against Canadian troops
| in 1915 and soon all armies we're sup
piled with masks which afforded con-
siderable protection.
At the best, however, these early
masks were clumsy, uncomfortable and
not very reliable The air has to be
breathed through a heavy charcoal
| filter. The new charcoal Is so efficient
| that a few ounces of 1t are sufficient
to protect a soldier for an extended
| period.
Tho caniSter contaipip0 the charcoal
fastened to the lower part of the face
! piece, is described in the official publica-
ton of the Chemical Warfare Service as
"a splendid example of American in
ventive genius and technical skill"
The training mask" the description
continues, rs a fully serviceable piece
of equipment that fills a need in the
training program Of the Army, making
it possible to provide every soldier with
his own mask at moderate cost to the
Government Gas masks, like other
equipment, wear out with use. con-
siderable saving is made by issuing the
less expensive training mask to troops
at various Army posts.
The service mask is of heavier con-
struction and is intended for field serv-
ice in time of war. The larger canister
OF the service mask Is carried In
canvas carrier under the left arm and
is connected with the face piece by
corrugated hose. The more rugged
construction insures that it will stand
the rougher usage which might be met
in the combat zone
THE canister of larger size also will
protect the soldier for a longer time.
Hundreds of thousands are being man.
ufactured each month. They are not
being issued but are being stored after
careful inspections throughout each
stage OF their manufacture"
Poison gas, well-dressed Americans,
grain for hungry Europe and a late
autumn are all messed UP n one of
the queerest tangles which has arisen
from the present emergency.
1t threatened for time to cost the
Government $1,000 900 a day but on
cials of the Commodity Credit Corp.
Of the Department Of Agriculture say
the major danger is over with the
approach of cool weather and the pack
ing away of light suits which require
constant cleaning.
The difficulty arose from the scarcity
of the gas chlorine which forms half OF
common salt and is extracted from 1t
by an electrolosis process. 1t is a con-
stituent of several war gases of which
supplies are being accumulated and is
in demand for Great Britain About
a third of the available supply is used
by paper manufacturers to bleach their
paper and one result Of the shortage
may be dirtier looking newspapers before
the year is over.
The other two common uses are in
cleaning clothes and in fumigating
stored grain to protect it from weevilS,
and various bacteria. For the past
month, with the record 1941 wheat and
corn crops being placed in elevators and
with the unreasonable hot weather which
has demanded constant suit cleanings,
grain operators and dry cleaners have
been in a nip and tuck race for the
available supply.
1t would not have been so bad in
all OTUuldIy veal IlllS yCdl GllC NdIlUll
has harvested approximately a $780,
900 900 bushels wheat crop. The har-
vesting season was wet. The abundant
wheat is of rather poor quality, filled
with bugs and fermenting bacteria.
When it is stored it must be sprayed
with a chlorine containing sterilizer-
carbon tetrachloride, di-chloro- -ethylene
or teTa a-chloro-ethylene 1t is customary
to spray the grain~as soon as it is stored
and at frequent intervals through the
winter when weevils or signs of fer
mentation appear, Almost no chlorine
has been available with which to make
these sprays. +-~
The Commodity Credit Corp of the
Federal Government is by far the
worlds largest wheat storer 1t lends
money on wheat which is delivered at
it's warehouses. If the price rises above
the loan the farmer sells his wheat and
repays the Government. If the price
falls he forfeitS his wheat collateral.
The corporation had 185,000,000 bushels
in storage held over from other years
and has added another 100000 900 BUSH
els this summer. Private, elevator own
ers are estimated to have stored another
10000, 900 bushels. The rest of the
$50 900 900 bushel crop is: being kept in
small storage bins on farms where the
danger of insect destruction Is. not 80
great - = ~ =. =