Show MEETING I 1 T nr y jas at MK JU jais jt rala ral A 4 tin united states army Is being pre prepared paria to meet tile the gas attacks army pir pi of the enemy the means mean of protection having been devised medical by the gas ens defense service of the medical department department which comprises about JOO officers and approximately gwen COO en listed men devising the two principal factors in gas defense are effective five feet masks and thorough training of sold lera improved in n the use of masks and various methods of avold avoid ing ng contact with poisonous po lonous vapors protective experts who have been sent to this country by the e allied governments have pronounced the pres methods lent nt american masks the most efficient in existence the flie production of these masks Is progressing at a rate which insures that the requirements C of if the american troops abroad will be amply supplied I 1 at each cantonment in the united states it a gas him defense clefense school has been bean established and placed in hargo charge 0 of f a divisional gas officer who works in 0 A injunction conjunction with the chemical adviser both trained fab uy daa convy xv in n the theory and practice of meeting gas gag of caff ae enslaves through these schools every officer and nan receives instruction as to proper means of gag as defense the use of gas in warfare dates back to about 04 13 0 the spartans spartano Spar tans saturated wood with pitch and nd sulphur and burned it under the alio walls of cites les which they were attacking for several cen urles gat gas had not been used in warfare and tile the lague convention definitely ruled against it however lo wever on april 22 1915 the germans liberated great reat clouds of gas against canadian troops near cypres ypres pres terrible destruction and demoralization re gilted bulted from this first gas attack and within a week eek england made plans tor for gas warfare against the 10 germans gas Is now an everyday part of war ar gases may be employed in the form of ca clouds buds 3 or r in shells bombs and hand grenades the first gas as attacks in the present war were in clouds fumes nines were liberated from steel containers which that even if the fabric of the face piece should be contain hig tile lie mask Is hanging at ieSt in III the wr ere e distributed in of three four at groups or intervals of 50 pierced the soldier would still be breathing en 1 alert position dexterity of 0 motion must bede be de yards along the trenches r the line to be attacked tubes provided with a stopcock attachment were connected with the gas tanks and the end of the tube was ans passed over the parapet when the attack was intended a signal was given and the stopcocks were opened allowing g the gas to escape in the form of liquid which immediately vaporized vaporizer I 1 soon after the first german gas attack english and french women sent to the front hundreds of thousands of homemade home made gas masks for the most part they were merely bandages impregnated with chemicals to wrap around the mouth and nose tile the next step in gas masks was a cloth helmet or hood which had been dipped in neutralizing solution the bottom of which was tucked in the collar the next improvement was to put in an exhaust or outlet for the exhaled air this type of mask has been used extensively the small box respirator mask was next developed ve loped and it Is the model of the mask we are at present using it is the highest development affording good protection it has an impervious face piece with will glass or celluloid eyepieces held in place by rubber bands around the head A cani steels carried in a small knapsack and a flexible tube tuba connects the box in the face fac piece alece inside the face piece Is a small wire cl clamp amp with rubber pads which fits on the nose and forces the wearer to breathe through his mouth the end of the flexible tube has a rubber mouthpiece through which tile the man breathes the incoming breath comes through the canister which Is filled with several layers of special chemicals of an absorbent nature which neutralize or render harmless the gas laden air the outgoing breath passes outside the face piece through a small rubber valve the american gas defense service is divided into three separate parts 1 field supply s section 2 field training section 3 overseas r repair section the function of the field supply section Is to manufacture or br procure till all gas defense materials and equipment the big work of course Is to furnish our troops with effective masks the small email box respirator type of mask admittedly the best mask in existence was accepted as a model the manufacture of a gas mask of tills this type tipe presented a problem no manufacturing firms had experience with hn an article of tills this lind kind more than ordinary care must be used in making parts because the slightest sligh tek defect would render the mask useless the wide variety of materials going into the mask made it necessary to have the parts paris made in separate plants and assembled tit at a central plant at present about sixty manufacturing firma contribute con tribute directly to the making of the american mask with no n actual experience to ti depend de P said upon murli much experimental and research work was necessary an extensive ex experimental organization was built up with branches in several cities recently it was decided fo establish a government operated plant to tb handle the final assembling and the difficult sewing operations on the face piece this plant will soon be in full operation with about employees the american mask similar to the british Is ns as mechanically perfect its as the best experts in the country have been able to produce tile vital altal feature of any respirator mask is ali the chemicals contained in ili the canister these chemicals themi cals and absorbents sorbe sor bents ar are i e made from secret formulae the face piece consists of a 1 I base of cotton fabric rl c carefully rubbert rubberized zed tait chwe me face pieces are made to fit various types of faces A network of elastic bands ov over erthe the lend head holds the face piece in place tile cars are left uncovered the maik Is carried in a knapsack ot the left hip hili rup supported arted by a shoulder band when troops approach a danger zone the straps tire are eliol sli orten toned ed and the knapsack knap saik Is shifted to rest high on the chest ready for instant use this Is known as the alert position tho soldier hns has merely to open the knapsack pull out tho the flexible hose with v ath the fabe attached put the rubber mouthpiece in his mouth and iid adjust just the bands over his big head bead the nose clip c can nii i easily ily be adjusted from the outside face on this nose clip insures for every masl mask made there Is at least one extra canister these enni canisters are detachable from the tube when a canister has lost its efficiency it can be detached and a new canister put on about the first thing a n soldier wants to know about a gas mask Is how much protection it affords him the best answer to this question la Is that the present american mask affords more pro lection than any device delce in existence the chemicals in the canister will neutralize the heaviest concentrations of gases for a period at least ten times longer than the possible duration of tiny any gas attack in every knapsack la Is a n record card on which each soldier must enter the time th eliat at its his mask has been exposed to gas this record combined with subsequent examination makes it possible to judge accurately when there Is any danger of the chemical being worn out before that point la Is reached a new mask is issued while the main function of the field supply section Is to supply gas masks it is also responsible for the supply of all other gas defense equipment this includes masks for horses which consist of several layers of fabric which are impregnated with neutralizing chemicals trench or flapper tans fans must also be supplied in considerable number oxygen inhalers Inh alers and oxygen bottles for use in field and base hospitals are also also supplied in large numbers instruments for tile the detection of gas and the spreading of gas alarms are necessary these consist of horns rattles and special detecting devices there Is perli perhaps no feature of modern warfare in which the psychological ele element nent Is more important than in connection with pas gas gases are uncanny to the untrained man every soldier must be made to understand that there Is no protection protect lon except the gas mask anti and lie must believe believe in the value of ills equipment ile he must realize that hat the equipment itself will not do the work unless he Is skillful in adjusting it quickly and being accustomed to wear it without feeling hampered reports of gas attacks show that the casualties tire are caused not so much by defective masks as by lack of training here tire excerpts from official reports from the western front giving reasons for gas casualties Off officers leers and ran sleeping in dugouts without having their masks attached to them or being caught away from their flug dugouts outs without their masks men in support trenches not getting ali the e warning in time helmets s being worn vorn under overcoats od coats with consequent difficulty in getting them ou out and putting them on quickly men thinking that gas was vins gone and taking their masks off on since casualties like these occur every time a gas attack Is made it Is obvious that simply to fo provide troops with gns agns masks Is not enough they must bo drilled until they feel their respirators ara are a part of their dress more necessary than a pair of shoes for they must never depart from them they must learn to give the alarm instinctively and to have such confidence in their masks that under no circumstances will they take them off on this means stiff mill military tary discipline it nece states training that Is I 1 different jin Jiff erent that iras ns ever attempt uil since it deals deal ifill alth 11 weapon that Is noiseless and i les invisible it li the work of the lie field training section of tile gas defense defon 4 girvice service to io bring home to the amer amei lean soldiers s the importance of hh gas to drill him in its use and d to insl lre confidence in its ef efficacy fleacy I 1 the gas defebio de feniO schools ni at all camps provide pro vide training in ahe the theory a and I 1 alij practice lee of gas de fene felike fen e A af in all other elements of warfare the prin caples of defense defence can be comprehended only through n knowledge of offensive tactics in training troops conditions condition sare are created in ahw the field which resemble as hearly a as possible p ry conditions encountered d ot at th alie e front the stu dent learns td io get hi his 9 aronsk ou lna in a hurry X sec ands beang J the standard time wilt 1 i the knapsacks alc r J series of trenches with dugouts have been constructed ted at each cantoni cantonment nent A gas attack Is arranged the class Is placed in the trenches each knauls man Is g given iven a definite assignment sentries are posted the alarms are made ready and the dugouts occupied without warn narn ing clouds of smoke and chlorine are liberated by the instructors basim are aie hurriedly put pout on alarms alarm s sounded sIc sleeping menan men in dugouts aroused and the curtains lowered the attack ceases the trenches tire are cleared the air tested and permission ls to remove masks is glyen given suddenly a second and more concentrate ti cloud comes over and the performance Is is repeated sometimes the class Is taken on a hike preferably at night suddenly a report Is heard and a harmless looking smoker cloud arises 15 or 0 r 20 feet away and drifts towards the column woe to the man who does not doi get his mask on at once tile the instructor has thrown a paper gas bomb bomb that may midy emit a vile and alid nauseating gas or one that will sting the eyes more than the concentrated juice of a thousand onions gas warfare is new the methods of gas and shell and cloud attack are being changed almost almos t dally daily new conditions can only be met by thorough training and rigid discipline N the overseas section of the gas defense service e consists of about 15 and alid a number of enlisted luen men alit who alf will conduct a repair factory IR in france masks with worn out canisters will be sent to this country to be detach detached bd from the tube and new canisters canister put on this section will also be equipped with sewing machines and other oiher appliances ances to do general repair work on the markt |