The Abilene Daily Reporter (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, March 10, 1922 Page: 8 of 10
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VIPER WARFARE THAT WOULD ANNIHILATE NATIONS
Terrors of -Poison Gas Planes and Submarines Stagger Imagination
Science Has Develope'd Engines of Destruction So That Cities Would Be Obliterated in a
. Few Moments With Tens of Thousands of Tortured Victims Amid Their Ruins
'. Fleets Face Sinking Without Warning by Perfected Torpedoes and Bombs
From Above Would JKill Struggling Crews With Gas
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Special Correspondence.
By DONALD M'GREGpR
Formorly Captain U. S. Army.
"Washington D. C. K.iturday.
THE next "war will claim Us toll ol
dcatfl In tons of thousands. TVhero
-thousands havo fallen in tho past.
It will 6o brief a war in which nil tho
terrible developments of sclchco will bo
employed quickly surely and with srlm
prcdBion. -
Tho next war will see wholo cities oblit-
erated within an hour Tho end will como
swiftly to the civil populations. Kdti-coni'
batants such as women children' and in-
valids will ga$p and fall dead in their
Hacks. PolBon gas is no. respecter of
persons.
Thp bodies of tho victims the agony still
allowing in their faces will bo burned.
Phosphorous bombs dropped from airplanes
i will' set the cities aflame so that only Bmoky
(itone and concreto framework o .mon-
strous buildings will be standing amid the
ashes as monuments to the dead.
The next war will find engines of death
stealing through the night to envelop a
vnagnificcntbattle ileot. The torpedo' un-
ahncd but Vlth a mechanical device that
ajecrs it on its course to the steel armor of
n -worship; .will send a crew pf 1500 officers
and men to death in tho spas. Thoso who
struggle gamely for life amid' tho floating
wrcckogC'Will bo smothered with gaq.
1 Arniics selected from the superior man-
' ''hood of tho nation will bo destroyed by
the newest overpowering weapons that sci-endo-has
devised. The next war will tako
away tho last vestige of individual bravery
sportsmanlike warfare if you please-
that has In o sense marked war in the past.
Tho stirring days of 1S61 are well within
tho memory of many. Out of tho North
and tho South thero marched young men
in blue and gray to shoot at ono another
with rlflo and cannon. Individual bravery
counted for much in thoso times leader-
ship marksmanship with the riflo closo
contact with tho bayonet and the sabre.
This was true during tho Revolution the.
War of 1812 and the. war with Mexico. Tho
Spanish-American war had many of the
amo elements and tho nation looked qn
tho soldier as ono who wont forth to do
his part against tho enomy not as the
Unit in a great scientific machino for
wholesale Killing.
Machino warfare to ft certain extent
characterized tho world war but science
did not get fully Into Us stride until tho
closing days. Tho appalling methods of
dealing out death were fairly well devel-
oped but not to the highest point when
tho armlstlco came. It has been since that
eventful date in 1918 that tho greatest ad-
vancement if advancement it may bo
called has como about in tho scientific
ways of killing men.
These tcrriblo new instruments are the
airplane and tho bomb but whllo-the means
of using them haB developed there have
been some very important although less
upectacular improvements Jn tbe use of sub-
marines. Altogether thoy constitute .wltat
now aro being called the "weapons of tho
viper.f
They are so deadly so complete in their
destruction that tho Conference on tho
Limitation of Armnmeht now gathered in
Washington will be asked to call a ;halt.
The delegates of tho civilized nations of
tho world will bo appealed to to forbid
their use tt stop tUl further develop-
ment so that it war over comes again all
maukind will not bo annihilated.
Tho airplane and the bomb go hand In
hand. One Js ineffective without tho other.
FurtTjor In' Ijpmb Is tho only successful
method ofjiandllng poison gas. .. '
It iB'.obvioiis of course tliht if poison gas
is to be reloaswl it must be sufficiently far
from UtoFc who release it so that thero
be no back action. Anything so ilcadly
easily might result In the death of thoiie
who arc attempting to adojinlsfor It. Tho
result therefore. Is that ft can bo put out
in onp of two ways. who dropped In con-
tainers from nirplaucs or when hurled
through tho nlr in canlsf ra as a shell from
artillery
ThiB list never has hotfn successful
'lhorc are n)any elements to be considered
in regard to a shell; oho being its bursting
ability vhon it hits. Another feaUiro ty
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How science has developed viper warfare vividly portrayed with the test tube mightier than the cannon
any army . Above at left is Brig.-Gcn. A..A.. Fries Chief of the Chemical .Warfare Service who recently told
horrible than any used in the war. At right is a "buddy" on "kitchen police in gas strewn area.
and its product more deadly than
of new poison gas. infinitely more
the Inability except In the largest shells to
carry any poison gas in quantities worth"
While. These features aro overcome in tho
airplane which' may drop a thin wall bomb
full or poison gag with the.assuranco that
en hitting tho ground tho container will
break thoreby releasing tho gag.
The poison gases that have been devel-
oped .by tho United States 'Army aro tho
most deadly in tho world. It has. been esti-
mated that asinglo drop will kill immedi-
ately on contact." Tho gases aro Qf Various
k.'nds however fttid their results different.
They havo been worked out by tho fore-
most chemiBta of tho nationi scientists in
the' fore rank who havo gone at tho matter
coldbloodedly. to develop tho most deadly
vapor in tho world
. America never went into tho question
of poison gas until tho start of tho world
war. Then in tho rush to be prepared for
tho conflict a group of chemists was called
to Washington to glvo tho benefit of their
knowledge. Thero developed then as a
unit independent ot tho Ordnance Depart-
mont what is known now as tho Chemical
Warfare Service which has been retained
as a separate staff corps.
It may as well bo said frankly that tho
name "Chemical Warfare" was solected to
avoid the word "gas." Tho army itself
felt it would bo unbecoming to retain tho
name originally intended tho "gas and
flame" service.
Of course the Chemical Warfare Service
has gases other than poison gases. Tho
variety includes Bomo which aro not so'
deadly tear gas and gases which merely
burn without leaving permanent injury
Tho names of tho various chemicals used In
modern warfare It Is too Inexact and looso
to say poison gas war chemical warfaro
bfing much more accurate and descriptive;
are too familiar to warrant repetition.
CJiicf among these now familiar weapons .
ufohcol ' ur imi$tariT gas which -caused far
wore casualties in tho last war on both -sides
than 'any other chemical employed.
Without question our milttqry men agreo
-developments ot mustard gas will bo a
prime weapon In the jvar. df the future if
there is to bo another war.
Mustard gas has this frightful character-'
istlc: Sprayed aver an area of ground into
dugouts or underground retreats cast auy-v.-here
in any manner it absolutely makes
lh.it' territory uninhabitable by living
.creatures for at least a week and often ten
days.
Brig.-Oen Amos A. Fries now Chief ot
the' Chomical Warfare Service and acting
as chemical war adviser to tho conference.
1? inhibited by his present duties from
chomical warfare discussion but it is un-
likely that ho has changed hia views re-
cently giVon. At that time Gep Fries most
vividly portrayed the ruin and desolation
that could bo brought on any land by even
a few airplanes freighted with even a few
tons of mustard gas alone.
Tho vision of this competent authority
embracos a picture of a great city say Now
York at night. Five million persons aro
sleeping peacefully. Twenty thousand feet
above a million homes a squadron ot fast
(lying planes is circling. Long before tho
pilots and tho gas bombers perfectly
equipped with maps and directions havo
plotted tho vulnerable points of the metrop-
olis knowing to a hair whero to place their
devastating fluid to do tho most damage.
At a word from tho squadron com-
iTnnder lovers are tilted which rcleaso over
central Manhattan over Harlem over the
lewor East Side over the upper West Side
thousands of pounds ot poison gas. With-
in thrco minutes the city is Bcrcanilng
with terror and pain. Those not-blinded
aro burned. There is a rush for tho. in-
fected areas. The deserts themselves are
not less. habitable. Fires start and there
is no means of quenching. them. Great dis-
tricts fall into blackened ruins. It is 'im-
possible for tho military the police or. vol-
unteers to come withiu effective distanco
of this ictlvo functioning poison . '
That is one picture.
There is anothor still partly imagina-
tive it is true but which is being trans-
lated into fact in more than one labora-
tory of tho great Powers. For many years
chemists' have dreamed of some radioactivo
fiiibstancp which would.continue almost in-
definitely to throw off burning ' deadly
force. Before iho last war closed J.hero
was more than a hint that some sUch sub-
stance was In process of development. H.
G. Wells in ono of his novels used tho idea
with dramatic force If that substance is
ever found warfaro will become as impos-
sible as cannibalism. Any country no mat
ver how small or weak will have tho re-
sources sufficient .to equip itself with that
savagely destructive weapon.
Without going Into the future however
anothor glance or two Into tho recent past
:s revealing. Of the 2751000 pasunlties of
tho United States Army in tho last war
more than 31 per cent were caused by tho
various gases used with mustard gas tlio
M'.ost hurtful.
Advocates ot chemical warfare insist that
the use. of gases is tho most 'hutnano
method of attacking an enomy. They baso
their contention on tho fact that as a rulo
the great majority pf gassed men recover
inder' skillful treatment with little evil
pffocts. They argue that it is infinitely
more humane to Jt&phyxiate a fdw thousand
men. temporarily thereby putting them out
of action and accomplishing a desired tac-
tical stroke than jt is to shatter their
bodips with shrapnel or machine gun
bullets.
Without speculating too much on the
probability it is worth while-crying that
many thoughtful persons in our military
service and in the scientific departments
of the Government; would like to see un-
limited experiment and development in
rhcmical warfare methods because they be-
lieve that vory rapidly chemical warfare
weapons would bo perfected to such a
dreadful menace as to make war utterly
unthinkable.
They say too that with this chemical
weapon Veady at need in our great dye fac-
tories tho United States need have no fear
of foreign armies or foreigu navies.
But it is not only poison gas that is
dropped from airplanes. There are many
other types of bombs which wreak damage
making this new scientific warfaro more
terrible.
There are bombs that set fire to cities
cantonments "and fields bombs filled with
phosphorus in tho flames of which nobody
would' bo able to exist. These woro dent
onstrated not long ago in tho army tests
with tho obsoleto battleship Alabama in
Chesapcako Bay. The flames enveloped tho
ship and it was demonstrated that such an
attack on a vessel of a fleet would kill tho
crew of course putting the vessel out of
action-
Thero are o.ther typos ot incendiary
bombs1 largo canisters that contain flares
which bursting on tho way down from
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This photograph shows a phosphorous bomb weighing only iou pounds hitting the maintop of the old battleship Alabama. It was dropped
from the airplane. Naval experts said this hit would have eliminated the ship from action by destroying the fire control crew.
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the sky aro scattered -.long for a consider-
able distance igniting everything with
whiolr they como in contact. Aji.d the ofll
ccrs who deviatjil thl3 deadly bomb declare
confidently that not a ilro department ex-
ists which could cope with such'aii attack.
The. case with which armies could bo de-
stroyed with aircraft has been demon-
strated time and ngain at 'the army -proving
grounds at Aberdeen Nil. with a
typo of bomb which cxi-odea on hittiug
the ground.. and' sends great quantities of
:.!iot; ins all directions mowing down lino
after lino of soldiers. '
.In their development of this bomb those.'
responsible for military aviation haVo de-
vised ah armored airplane which thqy be-
lieve would be virtually immune from'anti
aircraft fire from the ground. In such
an attack great numbers of airplanes would-
fly ovqr an army sending down a rain of
bombs of- this character If for some rea-
sdn the .poison gas bombs .were- not to bo
used.. - -
The spectacular tests conducted off tho'
Virginia capes last summoi monstrated-
the' effectiveness of doinoK' m bombs-
dropped from airplanes.- In these testa:"
nine one tima German warships one u
dreadnought built shortly before the world
war started wero sent to the bottom of -tho
sea within a few minutes after the at
tacks began. Had these ships been in ac-'.
tion. with their magazines filled with pow-
der it is unquestioned that their destruc-
tion would have boon completed sooner.
The relative valuo of the airplane and
tho battleship is still being argued. ' It i3
one that will continue" to bo argued for
some time to come Without attempting
to go Into details; it is sufficient to say
that the tests demonstrated beyond doubt
the'deadly character of aircraft attack on "
a fleet. .
Aircraft is also being' usSd for thff
launching of torpedoes against vessels of
tho fleets. The navy has D?en conducting
experiments for a long time with torpedoes
firing them much' as th'ey wore fired from
surface craft. An airplane swoops down
close to the water and lets go the torpedo. .
It automatically continues in line in the '
direction fired. The advantage is that tho
airplane does not havo to get near tho
ship that is the target. The tv pedo la
let go and the airplane is off again in the
air. ' - - -'
; Lack of funds and the infancy of the de-
velopment however have prevented tht
.United States from building up any. great
stock ou suc nm'erlals. Most of tha chem-
ical warfare worti is going on at tho Edge-wo-jti
Arsenal Maryland on a largo tract
next to the Aberdeen proving grounds.
Tho chemicals are tested there tho demoli-
tion' bombs tho incendiary bombs and thq
fragmentation or troop bombs. They arr
made :(. various stations.
There always has been much question
cbout the submarine not only of Its valuo '
as a weapon' but tho fairness in its use. .
The ruthless campaign of tho Germann
when they sent to tho bottom of tho sea
passenger vessels carrying women and
children as in tho case of tho LusitaJla
tot tho world aghast.
Evorywhero tho people condemned this
weapon as ono that strikes from under
cover as opo that fears to como into tho
open to' fight. It Is an invitation at all
iime3 as Jn tho caso of Germany to sink
passenger and other morchant vessels
without tho customary and well established
right of visit and search.
The very character of tho submarine fur-
ther makes it impossible to tako off tha
passengers and crow of a'uch a ship beforo
it is sunk. Often thego persona If tho
commander of tho submarine is cyon that
fair arc set adrift on tho high seas in open
boats to bo picked up by tho next.passing
ship or to die. Tho. horrors of this charac-
tor ot -vnirfaru- TOS fresh Tii BjopuEHcralndr
Four years ago tho nawspapors woro full
of stories ot submarines; thoso who closely
follow public opinion cannot feel now that
thin feeling has abated.
Naval exports arq at work now on a tor-
pedo Avhich will direct itself. Torpedoes
already nro pelt stabilizing and Belt pro-
pelled. But thoy travel In tho dlreciioa jo
which they aro aimed.. AVhat tho expert
nro working or now la a tirpedo which'
when fired will bq attracted by tho Iron and
stool work on a ship pp that tho torpodo '
will be drawn to it na It it wero a magnnt.
If this development is perfected It wfll
mnk.o submarines nil tho moro deadly.
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The Abilene Daily Reporter (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, March 10, 1922, newspaper, March 10, 1922; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth317151/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Public Library.