Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-19
ARMoRED CARS RECENTLY USED
IN DRIVE IN FRANCE or
AMERICAN MAKE.
CATERPILLAR TRACTORS
e MADE INTO LAND CRUISERS
British Geniusss Add Armor and Guns
to Machines Constructed For Asri-
cultural OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Makers
Did Not Design Machine For War
Purposes-Have Sold 1000 to Britain

Washington, d. c., Sept. 19.-The
British tanks the armored motor
cars used in recent assaults on Ger
man trenches in northern france 50
successfully as TO attract worldwide
attention, were built for the most part
in Peoria, ILL.,, in the form of caterpil-
lar tractors designed many years be-
ICre the war pegan To meet some or
the difficult problems of modern farm
ing.
Except for their armor, their ma
chine guns and their crews, thousands
like them are in use today in he Unit
ed States in blowing, digging bitches
and other labors less heroic than war.
NJ. NJ. Baker, e-president of the
Holt Manufacturing company, ex-
planned that it was machines made by
this company at its Peoria plant that
had hurdled German trenches, walked
through forests and crawled over she'll
craters in the face of intense u fire.
England Puts on Trimmings.
w have sold about 1000 cater
pillar tractors to the British govern
ment," said Mr.. Baker. I'VE have 10th
ing to do with putting armor on them
or placing machine guns, but some of
our mel at Aldershot. England, recent
~ were notified that the British gov
eminent intended to armor some of the
tractors and use them for other than
the usual towing Of big guns.
Germany had some Of these trac-
tors before the war began, and al
though l do not understand just how
it occurred, / believe she may have got
others since then. We have sent some
to France and some to Russia. ST far
as / know, up until the recent appear
ance of the motorcars the tractors
were used only TO tow big guns I
understand that Germany had about
forty of them in his work before Liege
early in the war and recent photo
graphs show that the British are us
ing some of them now for the same
purpose"
Details Lacking.
Mr.. Baker said he did not Snow
how many Of the tractors sent to
England had been armored and put
in service. nor did he know what
equipment the British wal office had
placed upon cars to be used in this
work.
IT !s tr"e." sale Mr. Paker. that
these tractors can go ahead over al
most anything or thru almost anything.
They can straddle a trench. roll over
logs. or climb thru shell craters like a
car OF Jugsernaut. 1t looks can
to see them crawl along the ground,
just like a huge caterpillar. IN e
thick forest, IL they encountered trees
they could not brush out Of their way.
they could easily be used to uproot
them and clear their " paths"
Have 100 Horsepower.
Mr.. Baker said the tractors sent to
England weigh about $4,000 pounds
each. develop 12o horsepower. and are
built Of steel. The caterpillar feature.
he explained, is OF the utmost impor-
lance. Speaking broadly. the tractor
crawls on two belts, with corrugated
surfaces on either side of the body.
The corrugated surface is on the
ground. On the inside of the belts, on
each side Of the body. are two lines Of
steel rails, making four lines in ali.
These rails are in short sections,
jointed and operated owe a cogged
mechanism that actually lays them
down with their belt attachment as the
tractor moves ahead and picks them
UP again so that the car runs or its
own self-made track continuously,
The short joints in the rails make It
easy to turn to right or left.
Like Railroad Truck.
The body is supported by trucks with
Eve wheels. something like small rail-
road trucks. These wheels never touch
the ground but run upon steel rails.
In the ordinary tractor about seven
feet Of belt and rails is on the ground
at one time.
The width of the track used on tho
machines sent to England, Mr.. Baker