6 C
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: DECEMBER 15, 1$18.
TELLS OF PLANS
FOR PRODUCING
MANY GAS MASKS
Details for Overwhefming
German Trenches With
Poison Gas Made Public;
War Stops Plans.
N'ew York, Dec. 14. Details of
the enormous preparations which
had been made in this country to
overwhelm the German armies witli
poison gas were made public yes
terday by the New York section of
the American Chemical society
under the auspices of vvh'yh a con
ference of chemical organizations
was recently held at the Chemists'
) club, New York City. It is the be
lief of military authorities, and en
gineering chemists as well, that the
"1 knowledge that there existed such
facilities for the manufacture of
deadly vapors and protective de
vices against them was an impor
tant factor in the petition of Ger
many for an armistice.
Col. Bradley Dewey, commanding
officer of the gas defense, stated
, that in May 191 the production of
gas masks was started by a group
of five volunteers. In eight weeks
they had shipped 20,000 masks far
inferior to the present type. There
had been produced up to the time
the Huns laid down their arms five
..million masks, three million extra
canisters, one half million horse
masks and a large quantity of mus
tard gas suits, gloves, ointment
and antidotes. The production of
gas masks when hostilities ceased
had reached. 40,000 a day. The 1919
model.-which the colonel exhibited
represents a revolution in dosi
and overcomes all the discomforts
of the earlier patterns, while ef
nciency is ten-fold increased. The
officer expressed regret that all
the men at the front could not have
11.1. 4 . 1 ! .
naa me latest type oetore the sign
ing of the armistice.
Arrangements to Make Mustard Gas
,. Col. Williom II. Walker, com
manding othcer of the Edgewood
-'arsenal, and a prominent member
of the society, summarized the
achievements of the gas offensive
program -of the government. "We
had," he stated, "on November 11 of
this year all the facilities for pro
ducing mustard gas t the rate of
i 100 tons a day, to-say nothing of
Our resource for deluging our en
emies with chlorine ohoseene.
New Faces For Mutilated Soldiers One of
Miracles of the World War
chlorpicin, and noxi-vapors pre
viousiy unknown to them.
Colonel Walker showed that the
errors of extended investigations,
seeking new and improved processes
w hich caused so much delay in quan
tity output in some other lines of
war activities could not be charged
against the chemists. From the out
set, he declared, well-known and effi--ient
toxic gases were selected for
manufacture in effective quantities,
while simultaneously a corps of ex
pert research workers soucht for
t improved methods and products. As
j a result, there was never a day
s when the Production of materials
fj did not exceed the ability to utilize
it. , in tact, large quantities were
1 shipped overseas in bulk, because
other departments were failing in
Y their delivery of containers. Fol-
lowing the discovery of improved
prcoesses of manufacture, more fac-
i tory units were built, but meanwhile
j production by the old methods con-
tinued until the new plants were
i ready for operation.
I ' Praises Chemists,
j In appreciative words, Colonel
i Walker paid tribute to the patri
I otic spirit in which the chemists of
I the country, for the most part en
f" listed men, had braved the dangers
of the poisonous gas plants, far from
; the-glamor of the real battlefields,
': -jmcLin some cases had made the su
i jpreme sacrifice.
j He also told of the co-operation
j which he had received from the pri
1 vate chemical companies throughout
the country, and as a part return for
their helpfulness, offered to supply
their research laboratories with any
quantities of his poisonous materials
for experimental purposes.
If gas warfare is to hold a per
manent 'place in war programs, the
American chemist is prepared.
mnen Spending
j More Than Men,
jf j Store Managers Say
Chicago. Who have been more
j economical, men or women, during
! the conservation period of the war?
; Men that is the answer of trade
: statistics.
t A State street department store
, manager said: "Women have bought
twice as much in our store as men
i durinsr the -war." A jeweler said:
f- "Women have bought two-thirds of
( , all the jewelry sold. This includes
' diamonds and pearls, which have
r, doubled in price since the war began
L but are safe investments because
' they will go higher for several years
? after the war." A garment manufac-
i lurer said: Sales of women s dress
; goods this year have been a third
I greater than last."
; The merchants point in explana
tion to the fact that more women
are working than, ever before and
making good wages. Thousands of
f men, on the other hand, have gone
away to war. Purchases oi. clothes
! , seem to prove, however, that men
' are naturally more economkal than
' women. Women are buying more
' clothes than ever. Men are buying
Jess. This is ptpved by the showing
; of the tailoring trade. While the
! -army drafts have seriously affected
i this trade, tailors say their older cus
tomers, who are not within the draft
"age, have decreased their patronage
, and are ordering fewer suits in a
S season.
zpv ,
pigments colors th mask to match
the complexion of the unmutilated
part of the face. Then the work
and labor of love is done.
Leaves Studio New Man.
Then the mutile walks out of
Mrs. Ladd's studio a new man. He
is no longer a mutile an object of
horror mingled with pity. He is a
human being again, self confident,
happy. He no longer dreads to be
seen in public. People no loiiRcr
gaze on him in pity, scarcely able
to disguise their aversion. The
transformation is complete at a
cost of $20 supplied by the Ameri
can people and the devotion of an
American woman.
The accompanying pictures were
taken especially lor the American
Red Cross that the people of the
United States might know of her
splendid work in saving human be
ings for society. Mrs. Ladd may
be seen in one painting the mask
worn by M, Caudron, who was mu
tilated early in the war. The man
wearing the glasses was a fine,
healthy man, whose lower face was
completely shot away. Without the
mask he would have been an object
of intense horror despite his pa
triotic sacrifice.
Try a Bee Want Ad for a business
booster. They are winners and al
ways bring results.
Christmas Trees Also
Are Dearer in East
This Year Over Last
New York's first Christmas trees
are in, and what looks like a small
forest has suddenly sprung up be
fore the docks at the foot of Park
riace. They are gfing to be just
as straight as last year, just as tall,
and just as brilliant green, if they
all follow the fashion of that part
of the vanguard which has appeared
says a writer in the New York
Post. The only noticeable differ
ence will be in price, which prom-
ises to be wout double what they
brought in 1V7.
Two oftthe hut balsams which
came in with thv ftrst shipments
set sail with presideuJfs party Wed
nesday as the George Washington's
Christmas trees. Their fellows ar
now settling at $5 a piece.
Wholesale the trees will cost
from $2 to $1.50 a bundle. The rise
in price of the trees was due, it was
said to the difficulty attached to
their transportation at present. Most
of the trees come from Canada and
Maine, and on account of their na
ture and bulk -require special care
in moving. Freight charges alone
on the Christmas tree in City Hall
Park last year amounted to $88.
ADJUSTING
'THE.JMASK
Men Who Had Nose, Ears or Jaw Shot Away in Battle
Will Return Home With No Change in Appear
ance. And They Have an American
k Woman to Thank.
Babbit Raising Pays.
Salt Lake City. In Utah
many boy and girl club members
are going into the rabbit-raising
business, finding it most profitable,
according to word received by the
States Relations service, United
States Department of Agriculture.
They have found that it costs about
25 cents to raise a rabbit to the age
of three months, and that at that
time it may be marketed at 35 to
40 cents a pound. The pelts bring
from 15 to 75 cents, depending on
the &nd of rabbit and size.
When Aladdin gave new lamps for
old he did nothing very wonderful.
But when humanity, sympathizing
with the misfortunes of others, re
places war-torn, seared faces with
new when it hides honorable dis
figurations gained in the defense of
liberty then there is a story worth
while the telling.
This, then, is the story of Old
Faces For New." It is a recital pa
thetic and pitiable; it is a tale of
mens glory and woman s devotion;
it is a song of sympathy and hu
manity of practical Christianity
of materialized altruism.
Since time began wounds received
in battle were considered badges of
honor. Men gloried in them; wom
en admired. But that was before the
coming of modern armament of
shell and shrapnel of mines and
poison gas. In those other, more
humane davs, scars of battle wounds
were considered sacred. As the late
William Shakespeare or was it
Bacon? said: "He laughs at scars
who never felt a wound.
Things Have Changed.
But things have changed since
then. Not that scars are not marks
of respect, but some mutilations are
so repulsive as to evoke horror
mixed with pity. Wounds in the
face and head leave the ugliest
marks. In the nresent war hundreds
and thousands of fine men have
been torn and mutilated until they
scarce resemble human beings.
Photographs received in this country
show men with their lower taws
shot away, with their lips torn off,
with half their face gone.
It is these men who were a prob
lem for their fellow men. Thev
the mutiles, as the French call them
most aptly had the sympathy of
their friends of the 'grateful public.
cut something more tangible than
sympathy was needed something
which would hide their awful scars
and disfigurations. To replace a
missing arm or leg or hand or foot it
is easy enough. But to replace-a
face or the part of one that was a
real problem.
And a woman solved that prob
lem! It is true that a mere man,
Capt. Derwent Wood, an English
sculptor, conceived the idea of mak
ing masks for the mutiles, but it re
mained for Mrs. Maynard Ladd, an:
American sculptor, living in Paris,
to perfect the work and to material
ize masks which would replace torn
and missing tissue so naturally that
the wearer would be able to live out
his life in comparative happiness.
Mrs. Ladd is an artist of interna
tional repute. Born in Philadel
phia, she was educated in private
schools, going to Paris and Rome,
where for more than 20 years she
worked with Profs. Ferrari and Gal
lon. She exhibited in tne Paris
salon, in this country and in Lon
don. In 1913 she exhibited 40
bronzes at Gorham's gallery in
Washington. She received an honor
able mention for her work at the
Panama exposition. Incidentally
she is an author, having published
several novels.
Woman Solves Problem.
( Captain Wood's original concep
tion was to make a mask to fit those
portions of the face missing. If
the chin was missing then the mask
would extend only over the chin. If
the cheek was missing then the
scarred portion would be covered.
The question to be solved by Mrs.
Ladd was in the manufacture of the
masks. They had to be light, yet
strong, of some composition which
would not tarnish and would retain
the cojor placed upon its exterior
surface.
After considerable experimenta
tion. Mrs. Ladd hit upon thin cop
per as' having sufficient strength.
Then she decided to have the base
plated "with silver to give it a better
finish. Next came the method to be
employed in fitting the masks. Con
sultations with surgeons brought to
light the fact that nothing could be
done with mutiles untfl' several
months after their wounds had
healed completely, as the tissues
contracted even after complete cica
trization had taken place.
Eventually a perfected method
was evolved. When the mutile has
been nursed back to health and the
tissue and muscles have done con
tracting Mrs. Ladd takes a plaster
cast of the torn face. If possible
she obtains a photograph of the
mutile taken before he received the
wounds.
How Work is Done.
From the photograph and the
plaster cast Mrs. Ladd, guided by
her sculptor's art, reconstructs an
other plaster cast of only those
parts which are mutilated. Then a
copper mask is made one-sixteenth
of an inch thick. Then comes the
first fitting.
If the mask so far as finished fits
properly then it is silver plated
Next comes the question of making
the mask appear natural. If eye
brows are needed they are inserted
hair by hair; if eyelids are missing,
artificial eyelids adorn the mask,
with a hole through them that the
wearer may see; if eyes are missing
altogether then artificial eyes are
placed in the mask.
When the mask is complete the
mutile goes for a final fitting. Mrs
Ladd adjusts the mask or has one
of her expert assistants attend to
the task. The mask is held in
place by "fake" eyeglasses and
strings or by a wig, the attaching
mechanism being so camouflaged as
to be practically invisible. ,
But the work is not yet done
One of the most important opera
tions in its manufacture is in the
coloring. Mrs. Ladd takes her pal
ette and with specially prepared
ri l'!l!lniiir'i':i:i!!iiii ii'!iiiiiiiiMiiii'!inMiiii';i:ii!:: j;iiiiii;iiiini:ii;iiiiii;iuiniiiiii'iiiiiiiiniiii!iini!iliiliil
The Baker Ice Machine
Co.
OMAHA
The only manfacturers
of Refrigerating Machines in
Nebraska. A strictly home
concern with an international
reputation.
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FLAGS
r
P
ROM just a practical standpoint the
Athletic Club is an excellent
building of stone, steel, brick,
concrete, eft., well planned
and masterfully executed. We
venture to think that the Fine
Furniture, Hangings, Floor
Coverings and Wall Decora
tions play no small part in its
satisfactory completionbut
in a far greater sense and of
much larger significance is
the idea behind the whole en
terprise, the real originating
genius that gives Omaha a
Club worthy of this great
metropolis and of a manhood
that would be physically fine,
mentally alert and morally
erect.
Omaha grows and the quality
of that growth is stimulated
as she grows.
414-416-418 South 16th Street
A Classy line in wool and silk.
Large sizes a specialty.
SOMETHING NEW.
Beautiful silk home flag. Size 24x36-in.
Made of grosgrain silk.
Embroidered stars and woven stripes.
EVERYTHING FOR THE CAMPER
and
ANYTHING IN CANVAS.
SCOTT-OMAHA TENT
& AWNING COMPANY
Opposite the Auditorium.
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taxicab service
is copied nationwide
R
Greetings and Congrat
ulations to the
Omaha Athletic Club
I
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t
ANKING among the
foremost Taxicab'
Services in the coun
try, the Omaha Taxi
cab Company has been
the model for similar
services in both the
east and the west, and
has been chosen as the
official Taxicab Serv
ice for the Omaha
Athletic Club. This
same type of service is
to be had from the
leading clubs and ho
tels, as well as at all
depots.
sr
Omaha Taxicab Co.
Phone Douglas 90
4
mi