1000 TONS CHLORINE GAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16032, 25 September 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

1000 TONS CHLORINE GAS.

POURED OVER FRENCH V QNT

FRENCH READY FOR REPRISALS.

The letter of Captain von Papen, the military attache of the German. Embassy at Washington, on the steps taken to prevent the exportation of liquid chlorine to the allies draws attention to one of the most interesting features of the German preparations for the present war.

There are three concerns in America, making liquid chlorine. One, being half German in ownership. The others are American, and one of them already is delivering the chlorine to the allies, while .the third, as its business manager is a German, has been standing off the buyer for the allies, but will not he able to resist long unless the Germans step in and contract for tho product. France has only one factory making chlorine in a small way, and Britain's production of it is negligible. The Germans in three days poured out 1000 tons of chlorine on the French front. That was on April 22 and 26 and on May 6. The figures are not Captain von Papen'a, but from a different and an authentic source. I Shows Germans' Blindness, And here appears the fallacy, the futility and the vanity of the whole German method of attempting to foil their keen-witted adversaries. The allies already have their provisions of asphyxiating gases. There is the highest authority for the statement. When they are ready to use them they will probably surprise not merely the Germans, but the whole civilised world. The allies, it is asserted, have decided to make reprisals. The use of asphyxiating gas is a violation of the rules of" war. But reprinals to a violation are not a violation of the rules of war. No better concrete example than this document of tho German attache could ho furnished of the methods by which Germany thought to circumvent the whole world in her vast preparations for war, and of the gaping loopholes which her vanity and contempt for others left open for astute competitors. Tho reason for the phenomenal development of applied chemistry in Germany came to he believed by the Germans themselves as simply a result of their greater scientific acquirements and business! ability. That development was remark-' ablo and even admirable. -

Now, what was it that Germany again failed to reckon with' The world has seen how Franco stood the stress of a whole year of the German onslaught, and with her own resources of munitions and chemicals, he it remembered.

Now from Franco there comes on this subject a highly authoritative statement. Senator Cazeneuve, chairman of the Sonate War Committee, discusses this very question of chemical supply. He says :— Prepared lor Enemies. "Let us pass in review our condition from the- point of view of chemicals. "First of all, powder. The Germans can teach us nothing with regard to smokeless powder. Our production of it is growing daily more formidable, under the direction of a certain great engineer, an expert in powders and saltpetres, who has searched their chemical nature and their ballistic properties and also under the direction of a War Department which deserves praise. " Can our enemies teach us anv lessons with regard to explosives' No. .Tho terrible effects of our 75-millimetres and certain other guns, to mention only these, show clearly the quality and power of our explosives. Tho raids by our aeroplanes on tho German factories and strategic military points show results equally convincing. "You mav ask," writes the senator In the Petit Parisian, "how about quantity! There is no lack. ..Our. resources are constantly increasing-. I have the detailed information on the subject, but the interest of national defence imposes a reserve which will bo readily understood. "There remains then only the question of asphyxiating chemical products, of which tho Germans of late are making copious use. ° " It has been, proved that this chlorinei waR mixed, at certain parts of the front, with bromine, with peroxide, with chloroxycarbonic j;as— whole gamut of irritating materials. When the first hour of surprise was over the soldiers were provided with means of resisting the illeffects, and these means have been steadily improved on. Foe Has New Gases. "And these gases, given to the cam-ice of tho wind on the edge of a trench, Droved to be 'a two-edged weapon. The least adverse gust of air throws them back. We have proof of this. And we know that orders have been eivon bv the German staff that the handling of this new arm be entrusted only to men- specially trained. It is the sixth arm of the German army, aviation having been the fifth. "The enemy is also using asphyxiating hand grenades and projectiles fired from cannon. Shells which did not explode were found to contain benzyl bromide, ooremtic ether and bromine itself, all liquids which give off irritating and lachrymosal vopours. V It is possible that to-morrow the Germans will send us other products, more or less analogous, possibly mixed with explosives in shells, In fact, in the Argonne and Artois regions we already haw proof that this is projected. " And now, on our side are we making reply? Are we wing to take reprisals? I can say that the challenge of German chemical industry will not be left unanswered. To Make Reprisals.

" However indolent we mav have seemed to be with regard to applied chemistry beforo the war. it would surely be surprising if we now crossed our arms and made no renly. The country of Laviosirr, Ohcvrenl. Dumas, and Berthelot, the country which established the basis of analytical chemistry, and of synthetical chemistry, and which has seen the great chemical industry come into being on its soil, could not reasonably remain powerless and inactive before this new means of aggression.

"I shall betray no secret in announcing that our chemical industry, although it had been somewhat dis"arran?ed by the temporary invasion of th* north, is "awake with a marvellous activity. Savants and manufacturers are hard at work. Our chemical materials have been selected after satisfactory laboratory experiments from the vast storehouse of modern chemistry. We are fillinr grenades; we are. filline shells, and with'feverish activity are preparing our weapons. The great hour of reprisals will soon strike. It will he simultaneous with the new birth of our cjjpmical product? manufacturing, which will be of vast advantage later on in the works of peace."