Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 120, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1913 — ADDITION TO WAR’S HORRORS [ARTICLE]

ADDITION TO WAR’S HORRORS

English Chemist Has Produced Gas, Which Set on Fire, Can Not Be Extinguished. Ernest Welsh, a chemist of Hull, England, has invented a remarkable machine gun which is discharged by gas, which will send projectiles five miles in a minute, and the projectiles set on fire anything they may strike. In appearance the new weapon resembles somewhat the Maxim gun, and the mechanism, according to Mr. Welsh, consists in part of three generators which manufactures three distinct gases, whose nature he keeps as his secret He was willing to admit, however, that it had taken him 13 years to find out the different gases. “A feature of these,” he went on, “is that they will ignite on water, but one problem I have not yet solved is how to extinguish the flames which they cause. The projectiles are not large; It is the stuff they contain that does the mischief.” Mr. Welsh added with some pride: “I have also perfected a shot for bringing down aeroplanes. You don’t have to fire accurately at the machine. The gases are enough to suffocate any one within the area of their scope.”