Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-04-07
NEW MATERIAL FOR WAR
Innovations In Military Trans
portation Now In Use.
PORTABLE BRIDGES IN AFRICA


Engines Are Extensively used In
the Boer War - Electric Automo.
biIcs For Use In Philippines.
The late wars have called for wat
material Of an entirely new kind, par
ticularly in the domain of logistics or
military transportation, says the
Washington correspondent Of the New
YORK Sun. The immense Importance
Of transportation to an army In the
field, the great strain put upon all
available means of transportation In a
campaign, the necessity of keeping
open the lines of communication and
the advantages resulting from increas-
ed facilities for transportating mate
rial, thus leaving more means of trans
portation open for the troops, make
this a subject of paramount impor-
lance and solicitous care to the com
mander of an army.
The experience of the British I'm
South Africa have attracted attention
TO the necessity of having on hand ma
teElal readily transportable to the re-
quired point, which will be more per
manen: In character than the common
pontoon bridges-in others words. me-
tallic portable bridges. The English
workshops have shown a remarkable
capacity for supplying quickly the ma
terial necessary to replace the broken
sections of the Colenso and Frere
bridges, but the great military powers
have decided that it is necessary to
keep on hand in the depots of supply
sections of portable steel bridges,
which can be shipped to the front
when required. One of the latest
forms of these portable bridges is the
Henry bridge, adopted by the French
army. There are three sizes, the light
bridge material, of which q bridge q
yards wide and from 5 to 25 yards
long can be constructed in so minutes,
which weighs but 400 pounds to the
running yard and can easily be trans
ported on ordinary wagons or pack
animals; the field bridge material,
weighing 500 pounds to the running
yard. but transportable on military We
hicles, and also the strategic bridge,
four yards wide and weighing 1,000I
pounds to the running yard, capable of
carrying the heaviest loads required
of a military bridge or suitable for re-
pairing permanent bridges. All the
parts of these bridges are of steel and
readily interchangeable. The strategic
bridge can be put up to length Of %
yards in 40 hours.
Traction engines are designed to run
over dry ground without requiring a
track or trail. They have been used in
the broad fields of South Africa for
blowing, at Johannesburg for hauling
mine material and for other purposes
and in New Zealand for hauling wood,
but their military use has been limited.
In the Boer war, however, tranSporta-
ton by the slow OK trains has become
so difficult that traction engines, ow-
ing TO the dryness of the roads. have
recently found extensive application.
The engines look like ordinary portable
road engines, but the water tanks are
large, so that they can haul their full
load without refilling for u miles on
bad roads; the wheels are extra wide
to travel over soft ground without
sinking, and clip irons are attached to
the rims of the wheels to enable them
to take firm hold of the ground. The
cars are box cars of milled steel and
wrought iron, also provided with wide
wheels. The rate of these trains is
from three to six miles an hour, and
the engines can haul load of % tons
IT, - To-
can be fitted with a seven ton crane,
which can be attached or detached in
few minutes. When it is remember
ed that an OK wagon carries but 600
pounds and that Buffers army has
1,6G0 such wagons for conveying NUM-
lions alone, stretching over several
miles of road, the great advantage of a
traction engine and train is apparent
The third innovation in military
transportation is the electric automo-
bile. The signal corps of our army has
recently been supplied with electric au-
tomobile wagons for use in the Phil
ippines. These wagons are of two
kinds-one to carry the instruments
and material and the other to carry the
covered ambulance. with rubber tired
wheels, and contains a storage battery
capable of running the vehicle for 80
hours on one charge when conveying
1900 pounds of load. There are two
31a horsepower motors, one in each
rear wheel The maximum speed is
about ten miles an hour The other
wagon Is constructed like a high cart
and is in other respects similar to the
first Both wagons are fitted with
electric side lights, and the first also
has electric lights in the interior 9th
er military applications of the automo-
bile have been considered by the mill
tary world, but this is the first actual
introduction.
The art of war has always drawn on
the sciences and arts for its develop
ment and improvement, but more so of
late than ever before, partly because
the world is wide awake to improve