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The Brussels Post, 1918-6-20, Page 3THE ORIGIN OF POISON GAS USED The Original. Gas Cloud. Here, one perceives, was the orig- inal idea of the "gas cloud," which, though so completely formulated, was destined not to be parried out until a century later. The English Govern - FOUR HUNDRED REARS ment took it seriously under advise- ment, but decided that, while the plan BEFORE CHRIST. British in Crimean War Refused to Employ a Military Measure so horrible and Inhuman. was perfectly feasible and would doubtless accomplish the objeot con- templated, no honorable combatant could undertake a military measure so horrible and ,inhumane, Nevertheless, the possible useful- ness of poisonous or suffocating gases War being mostly a matter of mar- ea a meting of wholesale murder has dor, there is no good raison for sup- been so obvious, that for many Years their employment in warfare has been posing that in future international conflicts the newest and most effec- a subject of much discussion. Evan ' instrument of wholesale Komi the most humane theorists have had tive sms rume n the Idea in mind, though limiting side --namely, poison gas—will bd their recommendations to schemes abandoned on the ground that its for putting the enemy to sleep in a • use is inhuman. To protest against peaceful and harmless way, thus ren- the employment of gunpowder when daring him hors de combat until ga- first introduced in warfare was not thered up and disarmed, less vehement than that which re - In the records of Patent Offices Gently has been made in regard to will be found many _suggestions in gas; but. gunpowder to -day is more this line. One of the oddest of these fashionable than ever for fighting inventions is a bomb loaded to its purposes and it is supplemented by full capacity with snuff, which, when the much more terrific high explo- sives,the projectile explodes, as expected to be so widely and thoroughly distri-f It appears that they found employ- buted as to convulse the ranks of the ment as far back as the struggle be - fee with sneezing. While thea con- twoen the Athenians and the Spar vulsed, be would be virtually helpless, Spar- tans aril their respective allies (431 and to rush upon him and capture to 404 B.C.) when the cities of Pla- him should be easy. taea and Delium were besieged. Heaps of wood saturated with pitch and sul- phur were set on fire and burned un- GROWING OF CLOVER FOR SEED. der the walls, in order to generate — choking and poiso ous fumes that Experience of One Ontario Farmer is were expected to stupefy the defend- ers and render the task of the attack- ing forces less difficult. In the Olden Days. Another form of the same method of attack,, used at about the same date, was to fill a cauldron with mol- ten pitch, sulphur and burning char- coal, and, with the aid of a primitive form of bellows and air -blast, to blow the fumes over the defenders' lines. We are accustomed to look upon the Middle Ages as an epoch of.ig noranee; but already in those clays One farmer in Dundas eounty,where war chemistry had made important the Commission of Conservation" is beginnings and explosive mixtures conducting illustration work, was in - liberating poison gases were utilized duced to keep a small field of second for military purposes. They were crop red clover for seed. 'When ripe projected by squirts or put up in -bot- it was cut with the binder and left a Valuable Lesson, The high price paid by farmers for clover seed this year should be an in- centive towards its production on the home farm. In many parts of Can- ada where ;t has been thought for many years that clover seed could not be grown, it has been repeatedly pro- ven of late that seed of the finest and hardiest strains could be successfully' and profitably produced. Seed of ex- cellent quality is now grown in the Kenora district of Northern Ontario. ties that were thrown like hand gren- ades. As for back as the eleventh century, Prester John, who seems to have combined regal with sacerdotal powers somewhere in Tartary, devel- opers a remarkable skill in blowing up his enemies; one method he adopt- ed being, says the legend, to stuff cop- per figures with combustible mater- ials which, when emitted through the mouths and noses of the effigies, made great havoc. "Greek Fire." „ unbound in the swath. After it had been rained on sj:veral times and blown about by an exceptional wind- storm, the farmer decided that he cer- tainly would not grow a clover seed crop again. However, when thresh- ing yielded 16 bushels of first-class saleable seed which he sold at over $20 per bushel, he afterwards found that it was the best paying crop grown on his farm, because he had already stored away a good crop of hay from the same field. This experi- The famous "Greek fire," used by ence could and should be repeated on the Saracens against the Crusaders, thousands of farms where clover seed not only burned with flames that wa- is not now grown and whore the farm - ter Gould not quench, but incidentally er is taking a risk of introducing gave off clouds of blinding smoke and noxious weeds every time he buys gas of an;asphyxiating character. It clover seed. is understood to have been a mixture In order to get best results in of petroleum, pitch, sulphur, resin seed production, the first crop, for and quicklime. When water was hay, must be cut early. This gives added the consequent slacking of the the second crop, from which the 'seed quicklime generated enough heat to is secured, an opportunity to start ignite the stuff, which was discharged early and to blossom and ripen the by huge syringes and in rockets. ,seed before the killing frosts of au - Here, indeed, we have the original , tumn, flame -projector, of which the up -to -1 It is well to cut or pull noxious date instrument called by that name weeds in the second crop clover in is only a modified copy. Gas and order that the seed may be clean. flame warfare, far from being new, is, 1 Clean seed is better to sow on the like the cattapault, trench knife and ,home farm and will command ahigh- slang, an inheritance from early times, er price when put upon the market, improved and made more destructive by the aid of modern science, To Reduce Sebastapol. The great Admiral Dundonald— for the same amount of elect= en - perhaps the ablest sea captain of all orgy consumed. They should, there - history, not even excepting Nelson— was no mean chemist. While in Med-fere, fro used wherever possible. The reason why carbon lamps have not hterranean waters he had been much disappeared altogether is that they impressed by observation of the dead- are more rugged than those with ly effects of volcanic sulphur fumes I tungsten filaments and are, cense- ti„ Sicily, and during the progress of the Crimean War he communicated quently, more. suitable as portable to the English Government a remark -1 lights. They are also used to ad - able plan for the reduction of the fortress of Sebastopol. He said: "Experiments have shown that five parts of coke will vaporize one part of sulphur'. Of the latter 400 or 500 tons would suffice, and of coke 2,000 tons. Besides these mater- ials, it -would be necessary to have x1,000 tons of bituminous coal and a couple of thousand barrels of petro- leum. A quantity of dry firewood, chips, shavings, straw, hay or other such combustible stuff would be re- quisite to kindle quickly the fires, which ought to be kept in readiness for the first favorable told steady breeze," How to Save Electricity. Tungsten lamps give about three times as much light as carbon lamps vantage m cellars, storerooms and other places where little light is re- quired and at infrequent intervals. The following table shows the effi: eiency of the tungsten over the car•- bon lamps: Tung- Cas - sten bon Watts (power required .. 50 50 Candle Power (horizontal) 16.8 18,1 Lumens (light in all di- rections . ..174 476 When the -.ram lamb is about two or three weeks old is the best time to castrate it. At the same time the tails of all lambs sheuld be curt. MORE HEROES RECEIVE THE V.C. FOR GALLANT DEEDS IN THE RECENT OFFENSIVE. Typical Accounts of "Conspicuous Bravery and Devotion to Duty" Taken From Gazette. ear that got through during this par- ticular time: Helped Defeat Counter-attaelc. No. 280199 Private Harold Whit- field, King's Shropshire Light In- fantry (Oswest'ry, Salop), I''or most consplet uue bravery, in- itiative, and absolute disregard of personal safety. During the first and heaviest b of throe counter-attacks position How To Prevent Automobile Fires engine is cold, but will leak when the made by the enemy on the position 1 which had just been captured by his The average automobile owner who! engine warms up, due to lengthening battalion, Pte. Whitfield, single- has the misfortune of having it Batch! of valve stem, and, of course, peP- handed, charged and captured a on fire doesn't know exactly bow et! ping in the carburetor occurs immedi- Lewis gun which was harassing his happened, and after the automobile ie atcly, Set the clearance at about two company at short range. He Wean- destroyed h is too late to find out, thicknesses of newspaper. Occasion - To the bravest of the brave goes oted or shot the whole gun team,and,i Fire has destroyed many automn dally this valva may become stuck, so the Victoria Cross, The official Ga- turning the gun on the enemy, drove biles in the past and will continue to; that it cannot close.. This may be tette publishes the names of the them back with heavy casualties, do so as long as drivers do not exer-! seen from the outside, as there will heroes and a simple, brief story of thereby completely restoring the else the proper care in preventing be an unusually large space between their deeds; and from these stories whole situation in his part of the linebackfiring in the carburetor, says ani the valve stern and lifter. one may get perhaps a clearer insight Later, he organized and�led a bomb- expert. Electrical troubles come next. With into the r latnon of the indivfdua t a single coil and distributer system ung attack on the enemy, who had The most frequent cause for this is the battle than is possible from the established themselves in an ad- a lean mixture. This means more air general accounts of the correspond- vaned position close to our line, and in the mixture than usual. The car- ents, The latest award of Victoria from which they were infilading his buretor gets out of adjustment in Crosses to six officers and men is of company. He drove the enemy back some way and the mischief is done. more than usual interest because they with great loss, and by establishing A lean mixture is clow burning. It wires are properly insulated, and wipe are given for deeds of bravery in the his party in their position; saved burns all during the power stroke, all all dust from distributer head. If battles of the recent German omen- 1 many lives and materially assisted in during the exhaust stroke and it is You know how to open the distributer sive. Bravery, valor; skill and sacra -,the defeat of the counter-attack. 1still burning when the inlet valve You should wipe out the inside occas - From the Gazette we select four tyRi I opens, admitting the fresh mixture, line. This will remove all aceumula- W TO SOLVE FUEL PROBLEM. This takes •fire and the flame runs cal stories. Itions of dust, which cause short Or - back to the carbeet'or. If there is any Acting Lieut. -Col. Oliver Cyril What U. S. is Doing. 1 a heavy vapor is formed, extending cult if allowed to remain. Saved the Situation. Labor. Situation Must be Considered— gasoline dripping from the carburetor Short Circuit Causes Spencer Watson, D.S.O. (Reserve of The severe labor shortage renders under the engine, where it is held by On a Ford we find the trouble caus- Offieers), late King's , Own York- it inadvisable to undertake a vigorous the mud pan. The flame spreads ed by short circuits on the timer wires. shire Light Infantry. campaign for the increased production under the engine and soon reaches the These chafe against each other and For most conspicuous bravery, self- of wood fuel at this particular time, tank, melting the connections and re- sometimes against the sides of the sacrificing devotion to duty; and ex- in view of the inmerative need for in- leasing a flood of gasoline. ceptionally gallant leading during a creased agricultural production. At Lean mixture may be due to de - critical period of operations. His the same time, sight should not be rangement of the carburetor or a command was at a point where con- lost of the fact that the output of leaky inlet manifold, Spray nozzle 'tinual attacks were made by the en- coal in the United States has fallen too far closed auxiliary air valve such as is used on the majority of automobiles there would be some dis- tributer trouble or a short circuit of the distributer wires. See that all engine, wearing away the insulation and so causing trouble. Close switch using a battery, or run engine on mag- neto, and advance and retard the spark, watcbing the commutator and emy in order to pierce the line, and seriously behind expectations, and spring too weak or valve stuck open wires. If sparks are seen a short an intricate system of old trenches in that the bulk of the coal supplies for or clogged fuel line are a few car- circuit is indicated whieh may easily front, coupled with the fact that his eastern Canada must come from that buretor causes. A leaky inlet mani- be stopped with tire tape. position was under constant fire and country. !fold may be detected by running the Fortunately automobiles do not machine gun fire, rendered the situs- A vigorous campaign has been con -'engine and injecting oil around the burn frequently now as they used to, tion still more dangerous. A counter- sistently carried on by the United joints, Oil will be sucked in at the probably because the flame is led attack had been made against the States. Fuel administrators, both leak, where the bolts must be tighten» away from the carburetor by the hot enemy position, which at first achiev- through the head office at Washington ed or a new gasjet installed in place air pipe leading from the hot air ed its object, but ae they were hold- and the Fuel Administrators for the of the leaky one. ing out in two Improvised strong iespective states, urging that all pos. ! The Inlet Valve points Lieut: Col. Watson saw that Bible measures of fuel conservation be immediate action was necessary, and adopted, and that full use be made of ' We now come to troubles of the in - he led his remaining small reserve to all possible, substitutes for coal, in- let valve, which indeed are very rare. the attack, organizing bombing eluding wood. The movement for the The valve lifter may be out of adjust - parties and leading attacks under in- tense rifle and machine gun fire. Out- numbered, he finally ordered his men to retire, remaining himself in a communication trench to cover the re- tirement, though he faced almost cer- tain death by so doing. The assault he led was at a critical moment, and without doubt saved the line, both in the assault and in covering his men's retirement he held his life as nothing, and his splendid bravery inspired all troops in the vicinity to rise to the occasion and save a breach ,being made in a hardly -tried and attenuat- ed line. Lieutenant-Colonel Watson was killed while covering the with- drawal. Succession of Brave Acts. No. 18474, Sergeant Harold Jack- son, East Yorkshire Regiment (Kir- ton, near Boston, Lincolnshire), For most conspicuous bravery and charged specially with the duty of devotion to duty, Sergeant Jackson' developing the demand for and sup - volunteered and went out through ply of wood and other coal substi- the hostile barrage and brought tutes to the greatest possible ex - back valuable information regard- tent, as well as the collection and ing the enemy's movements. Later, compilation of statistics dealing with when the enemy had established the production and consumption of themselves in our line, this N.C.O. fuel of all kinds within the province. rushed at them and, single-handed, The full execution of (this programme bombed them out into the open. will unquestionably go very far to - Shortly afterwards, again single-, ward relieving possible distress and handed, he stalked an enemy ma-' economic dislocation nesse winter. chine -gun, threw Mills bombs at the I So far as wood fuel is concerned, that investigation has arrived and detachment, and put the gun out of I experience has shown that, in many that electric smelting is now in full action. On a subsequent oceasion, cases, the establishment of municipal operation do Canada. Nothing could I when all his officers had become cos- wood yards offers the most practie- better demonstrate the usefulness of unities, this very gallant N.C.O. led, able solution of the problem to sup- such scientific „investigations when his company in the attack„ and, when plement the efforts of the regular properly carried out. increased production of wood fuel in the United States has been thorough- ly organized, through the assignment of a large number of men to this par- ticular activity. Warnings have been officially issued that the situation pro- mises to be even more serious next winter than last. In Canada, provision has now been made for a comprehensive organiza- tion to handle the whole fuel situa- ment, leaving no clearance, or actual- ly pushing the valve off its Beat. If there is little or no clearance the valve will hold compression when the stove on the exhaust manifold. But don't think your automobile is safe on that account. There are leaks in these pipes and there is a summer ad- justment with large holes to let in air when necessary. So watch out for pupping in the carburetor and deter- mine its cause immediately. Here, as elsewhere, eternal vigilance is the price of safety. ELECTRIC SMELTING.. An Example of the Benefits of Scientific Investigation. Shortly after Dr. Eugene Haanel, tion. The regulations of the Fuel the present Director of the Mines Controller, approved by Order In Branch, became connected with the Council under elate of March 21, pro- public service at Ottawa, he was vide for the appointment by each pro- authorized to make an investigation since of a Provincial Fuel Adnums- into the question of electric smelting. trator, with Local Fuel Commission- The investigation was conducted in a ers to be selected by the respective most thorough and scientific manner, municipalities, In addition to super- and its results were published in a vising the distribution of coal and report which has become a standard other fuel imported into or made work in all technical libraries which available within the respective pro- ,aim to keep on their shelves up -to- vines, the Fuel Administrators are date works upon modern industrial processes. At the time when this in- vestigation was made, the general opinion prevailed that, while the in- vestigation was interesting, the time experience the same shortage next was very distant when electric smelt- winter. Already large shipments of bridge road, railroad, group of trees ing would be carried into practical coal are being installed. in American is marked as well as every turn and operation in Canada. It was regard- railway yards. This, in turn, is mak- twist of an enemy drench or system ed as more or less of a fad; by some ing itself felt at the mines. Most coal of bathe wire entanglement, every newspapers as somewhat of a joke. Italines have no shortage yards, and, if stream,: ditch, bridge, ford, every is, therefore, worthy of special men- cars are not available to remove the path used by supply parties, every tion that the fruition of the efforts output, the mines close. As a result, Point of resistance, organized shell which were made in connection with labor conditions at the mines are be- I crater, lookout post is .shown on the ing seriously upset. The scale of map. Maps on a very large scale are wages is based on the tonnage mined, given when an attack ie abonit to be and any falling off n production re- carried out, so that each officer and man participating may know exactly what is in front of him and what he may expect to encounter during his advance. THE COAL SITUATION. Every Consumer Should Make Provi- sion for Fuel During Summer. A sense of false security is one of the most subtle and dangerous con- ditions that afflict society... During the winter of 1917-18, Canada and the United States narrowly escaped a fuel famine. -Owing to the entrance of the United States into the war, matters were decidedly worse in 1918 than in the year previous, in spite of the efforts to remedy the situation, The coal was not available because transportation in the United States was held up for weeks at a time, in order to facilitate the shipment of troops and war materials. There are indications that we may MAKING PHOTO. GRAPHS INTO MAPS FOR THE GUIDANCE OIC' THE AIITILLERY, '— How the French Gunners Are Able to Do Such Execution ---Large Staff Of Map-Malcers. Accuracy and eflieiency have neon made possible for the French artillery by the invention of an instrument that enables french map -makers to locate almost exactly an object within the enemy lines which has been photo- graphed from an airplane. In trans- (erring to a map the photographed object, such, say, as an enemy bat- tery or munition dump, the margin or error is limited to less than five yards. This permits the French artillery to pour its shells with almost certain aim on to German gun emplacements, trench positions, cross-roads, canton- ments, railroad lines, aviation camps and other enemy organizations. It is unnecessary for the gunner to have even a distant view of the object he is firing at. Transfer Photos. To take a photograph of the enemy trines from a French airplane is an easy matter, but to transfer the ob- jects photographed to their exact lo- cation on a map was for a time ex- tremely difficult. This was due to the varying heighte and angles from which the airplane observers made their photographs. By the invention. of one of the officers attached to the geographical section this difficulty has been almost eliminated. Not only the aerial observation sere vice but other methods of spotting German positions—more especially cannon and machine gun emplace- ments—are utilized as aids to the work of the military map -maker. The flashes of guns as they are fired from the German side form one valuable adjunct to his work, but the most im- portant of all is the calculation of the speed of the sound of the firing charge of the German shells. This has been brought to a basis of such. perfection that the guns can now be located with almost absolute accu- racy. In fact in recent operations it has proved that the system of observ- ation by sound has given duccessful results in over 80 pee cent. of in- stances. In every army there is a branch of the Geographical Section and each is furnished with a complete lithogra- phic and zinographic printing plant and skilled workers, photographers and mathematicians. In a very fele hours after the receipt of the day's observations from all over the vari- ous sources, dozens of copies of the corrected maps are ready for issue to all the staffs of corps, divisions and brigades comprised within the army concerned. Nothing Escapes Camera. Nothing is omitted from the maps —church, house, chimney, mill, ordered to retire, he withdrew the dealers. This has already been done company successfully under heavy i by a number of the municipalities of fire. He then went out repeatedly eastern Canada, but the situation jus - under heavy fire and carried in tifies the further extension of this wounded. movement. Rescued the Wounded. No. M2-048544 Private Richard British Forests in War -Time. George Masters, A.S.C. (Southport). A wholesale destruction of woods dery icing loss was sustained by fire For most conspicuous bravery and was going on in the country, said Ma insurance companies doing business in devotion to duty. Owing to an enemy jor Couthope, M.P., at the annual Canada were 1900 and 1904, the years attack, communications• were cut off meeting of the Royal Society for the of the Ottawa and Toronto conflagra- and wounded could not be evacuated. Protection of Birds. "Tens of thou- tions, respectively. Contrary to the The road was reported impassable, sands of acres of woods have been de- general belief, such fires are not an but Pte. Masters volunteered to try to etroyed, but in many cases the de- ways unprofitable to the insurance get through, and after the greatest struction is hidden by means of leav-business as a whale, however disas- difiiculty succeeded, although he had ing narrow belts of trees, By this I trews they may be to inddvidual corn - to clear the road of all 'sorts of de- time next year there will be compare -1 panes. The total profit balance in brie. He made journey after journey tively little soft -wood timber left in 11905 following the Toronto fire was throughout the afternoon, over a road the country, and hardwood timber 1 greater than in 1590 before the consistently shelled and swept by ma- will have very much decreased. The Ottawa and Toronto fires occurred. chine gun fire and was on one °ew . stumps of the recently fcllad tree provide breeding sign bombed by an airplane. The P' Igrounds for insects." g greater part of the wounded cleared— from this area were evacuated by Private Masters, as his was the only INSURANCE PROFITS. Big Fires Are Not Always Unprofit- able to Insurance Companies. The only years in which actual un - Nevertheless, the average premium rate for Canada, which increased from $1.23 in 1899 to $1,60 in 1904-5, did Keep planting corn and beets for not decline to the level of 1809 till succession, twelve years later. sults in a serious hardship to the min- ers. It has been stated that miners who formerly earned $50 to $60 a week are now earning only $10 to $12. During the past winter, many of them would have been almost desti- tute if the mining companies' stores had not advanced them credit for goods. The continued lack of work is driving great numbers of minons Evidence of the great value of the into other industries, and, even if Bangalore torpedo in blowing gaps in transportation improves, it will be the enemy wire entanglements is difficult to get them to return to the contained in the Imperial "Gazette" mines, announcement of the award of the These conditions should be faced D.C.M. to n.ao.'s and men. fairly. A false feeling of soy, Sergi, A. B. Martin, of the Cana - with its inevitable corollary off lazy diens, one of the recdpieetts of thee, Cana - indifference now, will moan hardship medal, when in charge of a Banga- and suffering next Montreal to the west tor, Central late torpedo party approached the Canada, from Montreal enemy wire with great skill and cour- ern boundary of Ontario, is entirely ago and blew a gap in the wire. dependent on the United States for its during the ursummer put in the maxi- pOn the explosion of the secend tor- dedo he took charge of the right durhe , Every consumer should mum permitted by the Fuel Control- blocking party, dashed into the en - ler, namely, 70 per cent. of his normal emY trench, and with the assistance consumption. In addition, Wood and of another man captured east prison - es other fuel to replaee the 30 per cent, ere• deficiency should be procured, Another Canadian, Sergt. H. R. Rebbitt, who reeeives the medal formed one of a covering party dur- ing a raid, and in order to avoid giv- ing the Alarm while- our party was h VALUABLE LAND TORPEDO. Several Canadians Honored for Dar- ing Work With Wire Destroyers. 91a. ® ID ca x, igs °I f 3113 '11 mei . HELEN, Tp Is Is AN AWFULLY SMALL PIECE OF MCAT Wet HAVE: tiYNls i:VENING WE.LLYOU K 'c NO o W M 1 To COT UT Q.UI N ra '� C F FOR THE A PIE E OF �. KITTEN) r r SORRY TOM,BOT YOU WILL NAVE TO DRINK YOUR �OFFSE BL,AcK To il6NT, I GAve r THE CREAM To THE. KITTEN. IT VeAs so HUNGRY' , COME KITTY -KITTY To BE USED AS A 12 INcH SHELL �w (WHAT ARE You 1 DOING WITH 'THE TELEPHONE . Boot<"MNr 1 5T LOOKI JUST G N uP A NUMsgp- Wei j Ill IIL� rut,; at") `. 4% akteve:esees efle approaphing the wire he allowed himeelf to be completely surrounded by en enemy patrol, On the torpedo exploding ho (1410 at the enemy; killing same and dispersing the re- mainder into our barrage. A third Caeadie n winner of ,the medal is Ac(3ng-Generg3 M. Welsh. When iu charge of the second torpedo party during a raid he rushed to the furthest stretch of the Germain wire and exploded his torpedo. He then assumed command of the left block- hese party in the front line trench, and there performed moat valuable work, A Clean, waren, dry, sunny Ill ee +should be ready ferthe Riffse IMPS, 401vea and other yapalfr enuntos t nen . they arrive, A. v6q4 (start in life bends to awake healthy, tepid greWhiff animals, I