Among tear gases, the new chloracetophenone, a solid, is perhaps the
greatest of all. When driven off by heat it first appears as a light
bluish colored cloud. This cloud is instantly so irritating to the eyes
that within a second anyone in the path of the cloud is temporarily
blinded. It causes considerable smarting and very profuse tears
which even in the smallest amount continue for two to five minutes.
In greater quantities it would continue longer. So far as can be
ascertained, it is absolutely harmless so far as any permanent injuries
are concerned.
Considering that it is instantly effective, that minute quantities
are unbearable to the eyes, that it can be put in hand grenades or
other small containers and driven off by a heating mixture which will
not ignite even a pile of papers, and that it needs no explosion to
burst the grenade (all that is used is a light cap, set off by the
action of the spring, sufficient to ignite the burning charge), the
future will see every police department in the land outfitted with
chloracetophenone or other similar grenades. Every sheriff’s office,
every jail and every penitentiary will have a supply of them. No jail
breaking, no lynching, no rioting can succeed where these grenades are
available. Huge crowds can be set to weeping instantly so that no man
can see and no mob will continue once it is blinded with irritating
tears. More than that, it is an extremely difficult gas to keep out of
masks, ordinary masks of the World War being entirely useless against
it.
The same is true of diphenylaminechlorarsine. This is not a tear
gas but it is extraordinarily irritating to the lungs, throat and
nose, where it causes pains and burning sensations, and in higher
concentrations vomiting. It is hardly poisonous at all so that it
is extremely difficult to get enough to cause danger to life. This
is mentioned because of its possible use for the protection of bank
vaults, safes, and strong rooms generally.
There are many other gases that can be used for this same purpose. It
is presumed that gases that are not powerful enough to kill are the
ones desired, and there are half a dozen at least that can be so used.
If desired deadly gases can just as readily be used. Already a number
of inventors are at work on the problem, with some plans practically
completely worked out and models made.
It has been suggested that one of these gases could be used by trappers
in trapping wild animals. Hydrocyanic acid gas may be so used. It acts
quickly and is very rapidly dissipated. An animal exposed to the fumes
would die quickly and the trap be safe to approach within two minutes
after it was sprung. It is said that the loss from animals working
their way out of traps by one means or another is nearly 20 per cent.
More than this, it would meet the objections of the S. P. C. A. in that
the animal would not suffer from having its limbs torn and lacerated by
the trap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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