The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-06-23
WHEELS FOR AN ARMY.
The Greatest One In Use m Am.
crfcnn iOr,. go

erican invention
Chicago Record. There are many
different kinds of wheels now used III
the British army. The qualities most
essential for an army wheel to pos
sess are strength and durability, COM
bined with such construction as will
allow its being quickly repaired in
cas- of accident. Most of the atten-
ton in regard to these qualities is
brought to bear OH the wheels of the
gun carriages and limbers, for cer-
thinly the loss of ai ambulance, trans
port wagon or the like would be in no
way SO serious a matter as the loss Of
Il gin or nh ammunition cart. In fact,
wheels made-witi1 wooden hubs are
seldom used by the British war de-
partment except for store wagons or
ninbulances, and arc never used for
guns or limbers.
Every precaution is taken that a
gun shall not fall into the hands of
the enemy on account of m accident
to the wheel Some of the later pat
terms arc made 9th such care and
with such fine material that II single
wheel costs the government $50. Also
in case of an encmy's shell damaging
the spokes or the fcllies the break can
ut once be remedied on the field. To
every battery a wheeler is attached.
In addition to the other equipment,
the battery also carries one or two
slip spokes and slip fellics to be used
in case of smashup. The slip spoke is
like an ordinary spoke at the end
nearest the axle, but has a shorter
tenon than the other. The slip felly
is IN ordinary felly, sawed down
longitudinally and bolted together.
II a spoke is carried away by the
bursting of II shell the slip spoke can
at be adjusted in the place. of
the broken spoke, and the wheel tenn
porarily at least is sound again. In a
like manner is the slip felly used.
In speaking of the different wheels
employed on guns and limbcrs, ali
ordnance officer said the other day:
"a good many of the later types are
numbered. The AZ wheel is a very
good wheel, but has been somewhat
improved upon by the patterns. Of
more recent date. 1t has staggered
spokes similar to the other wheels,
but instead of staggered langes has
only straight fanges, with packing or
filling-up pieces on the front of one
spoke and on the backs of the next.
The old pattern English. wheel, No.
&c, used for both gun and timber, is
in many respects similar to the Amer
lean Archibald wheel.
"Since then the wheel has gone
through many changes until the pres
ent state of perfection has been
reached in TYPE of gun wheel known
in the service as the 35; a wheel the
spokes OF which are staggered to cor
respond. In case of an emergency n
damaged spoke or felly can be re
placed by n batterY's wheeler in avery
few minutes But when going into
nctiongor on. the march n battery car
ries with it three or four spare wheels,
and all the wheels of a battery, all the
types of wheels, in fact, are inter-
chnngenble. Thus it is only on rare
occasions that a wheel is repaired on
the field of action. though as soon as
the battle is over the broken wheel is
repaired and then becomes the spare
wheel of a. section,
Owing chiefly to the climate in this
section of the country, when the sun
shine at midday is excessively hot, the
woodwork of the wagon wheels is very
apt to shrink away from the iron
tires, and it becomes necessary for the
tires to be frightened. Not far away
from the blacksmith's shop is a short
railway truck, which used to belong
70 the Orange Free State government,
.iammed against the pile of red dirt
at the end of n sub-siding of track.
On this truck is placed an apparatus
by which the tires, whether loosened
by being knocked out out of shape by
a heavy Jar or by the wood shrinking
away from the iron, arc frightened
without the aid of heat in about II
hundredth of the time taken by the
former method employed. One hum
dred and fifty wheels have been tight
ened j n one day by means of this ap.
paratus.
This machine, which Will fit. on new
tires as we'll as tighten old ones, is
the invention of an American of the
name of Jonathan Burns West, and in
this campaign is the first time that it
has been used in warfare. The ma
Chine is now employed by the British
forces ut Cape Town, De Aur junction,
Kimberley. B~loemfontein ana else.
where. and i'll all instances has proved
itself to be a success.
h machine is rather a complicated
affair. Their are eighteen steel rams
ooilSu oit we HsIue4OT q nickel steel
Ting. AS the hydraulic pressure is sap-
pred these rams simultaneously travel
tTadially toward the center, forcing
he 9 tire to contract and squeez-
ing IT onto the wheel. The wheel is
placedSin the center of The ring. The
hub is held down by means of 4 screw
bolt TO prevent the lateral pressure
from forcing the hub upward and in.
creasing the dish of the wheel. Then
when sufficient force has been applied
ito jam the tire hard to the woodwork
the hydraulic pump is stopped, the
pressure released so that the rams
slide back to their former position
md the wheel is rolled of the truck
to the earth.
Great lndncement.
Nav York SIM tsHehs, ~ -, &. ~.