"077 (B041) - Merchants of Disaster (1939-07) - Harold Davis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

Soldiers who had been operating the smoke generators leaped into action as the officers arrived. Huge fans, prepared for the purpose, roared into action.



A strong surge of air swept the field, drove the smoke Screen away.



Then the soldiers beneath that screen could be seen. They no longer were marching. They were sprawled in grotesque positions. Some had snatched the gas masks from their heads. Others apparently had been clawing at their throats when they went down.





SHARP commands rang out. Ambulances raced to the field. Bewildered doctors started to work. Each used a different method in trying to revive the more than two hundred victims.



Several of the stricken were revived. But there were not more than half a dozen of these.



The others were dead beyond all hope of saving.



There were no marks on any of the bodies. And despite the display of "fireworks" which the watchers had seen, not a body was burned or showed any sign of having been near flames.



The survivors could offer little assistance in solving the mystery.



"I just found myself gettin' faint," one of them reported. "It seemed like I couldn't breathe all at once. Then I went down. That's all I know."



And that was all the medical and laboratory workers had learned late that night.



A thorough test had been made of the type of smoke used in the tests. It was found to be perfectly harmless, even without a gas mask. And the masks used were tested with every kind of known gas and found to be good.



Newspapers were making a terrific clamor. The first reports were sensational in the extreme. Some hinted at a surprise attack by some jealous rival nation.