I don't know if others will find this as interesting as I did.
National Archives: How Gas Masks Were Built During WWI
It's a 6+ minute War Department film from 1918 showing how US gas masks were manufactured. These masks saved the lives of tens of thousands of US soldiers during WWI, and producing them en mass was a huge job.
- Peach pits were burned to make the charcoal filters--that kind of charcoal was found to be especially effective. The film shows the process.
- Note the attire of the folks working in the factory--men in ties and shirtsleeves, women in full skirts. I wonder if that is legit, or if folks dressed up for the filming.
- The amount of hand labor put into each mask is amazing. I can't imagine what one would cost today if manufactured like this.
- The actual mask was probably a nightmare to use. The vision ports are very limited, and the user has to breathe through a rubber mouthpiece (nose pincher is included in the mask). It's nothing like modern protective masks. On the flip-side, the filter looks easy to change (compared to the old US M17 mask with the filters in the smooth cheeks--I was about 50-50 in getting them changed out in one breath.)
Anyway, apropos of nothing ER, just a reminder of how things have changed.
National Archives: How Gas Masks Were Built During WWI
It's a 6+ minute War Department film from 1918 showing how US gas masks were manufactured. These masks saved the lives of tens of thousands of US soldiers during WWI, and producing them en mass was a huge job.
- Peach pits were burned to make the charcoal filters--that kind of charcoal was found to be especially effective. The film shows the process.
- Note the attire of the folks working in the factory--men in ties and shirtsleeves, women in full skirts. I wonder if that is legit, or if folks dressed up for the filming.
- The amount of hand labor put into each mask is amazing. I can't imagine what one would cost today if manufactured like this.
- The actual mask was probably a nightmare to use. The vision ports are very limited, and the user has to breathe through a rubber mouthpiece (nose pincher is included in the mask). It's nothing like modern protective masks. On the flip-side, the filter looks easy to change (compared to the old US M17 mask with the filters in the smooth cheeks--I was about 50-50 in getting them changed out in one breath.)
Anyway, apropos of nothing ER, just a reminder of how things have changed.
Last edited: