Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-09-29
BRITISH ''W|LL|ES"
MADE IN AMERICA
,Nmored Tractors Leap Trench
es and DamoIiSh Houses,
they LAY THEIR own TRACKS

Can Bowl Over Trees and Walls and
Chass . Man All Around . Field.
England Has Bought 1000 Of These
Wonder Machines For War Use.
The British tanks" or "Willies." a.
they are popularity called among the
soldiers, the armOred motorars used
In recent assaults on German trenches
In northern France DO successfully as
to attract worldwide attention. were
built for the most part In Peoria. ILL.,.
In the form Of caterpillar tractors de
signed. many years before the war he
gan, to meet some Of the difficult prob
lems OF modern farming. Except for
their armor. their machine guns and
their crews. thousands like them are III
use today In the United States In
blowing. digging bitches and other la
bors less heroic than those Of war.
II. III. Baker. vice president of
big manufacturing company. explain
ed that they were machines made by
his company in Peoria that had bur
died German trenches. walked through
forests and crawled over shell craters
in the face of intense gunfire.
I've have sold about 1000 cater
pillar tractors to the British govern.
ment." said Mr.. Baker. I'VE have had
nothing to do with putting armor on
them or placing machine guns, but
some of our men at Aldershot, Eng
land. recently were Informed the Brit
ish government intended to arm some
OF the tractors and use them for work
other than the usual towing Of big
guns.
Germans Also Have Thorn.
Germany had some OF these tractors
before the war began. and. although
do not understand just how it happen
ed, | believe she may have got others
since then. We have sent some to
France and some to Russia.
$50 far as I know. until the recent
appearance Of the armored cars the
tractors were used only to tow big
guns. understand that Germany used
about forty Of them in this work be-
fore Liege early In the war. and recent
photographs show that the British are
using some OF them now for the same
purpose"
Dir. Baker said he did not know
now many of the 1000 tractors sent
to England had been armored and put
I'm service as land battleships.
1T is true" said Mr.. Baker. that
these tractors can go ahead over al
most anything or through almost any
thing. They can straddle trench. go
through swamp. roll over logs or
climb through shell craters like a car
OF Juggernaut. 1t looks uncanny to
see them crawl along the ground. just
like huge caterpillar.
''In thick forest. II they encounter
ed trees which they could not brush
out of their way. they could easily be
used to uproot them and clear their
own paths" The description Of the car
says that 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 all.
These rails are in short sections
jOinted, and operate over a cogged
mechanism that actually lays them
down with their belt attachment as
the tractor moves ahead and picks
them up again. so the car runs on its
short joints in the rails make it easy
to turn to right or left.
How a "Tank" Crosses a Trench.
When 1t moves across trench the
front wheel on which normally no
weight rests. crosses first The for
ward end Of the caterpillar would then
move forward over the open part OF
the trench. and the machine would be
supported by the rear of the cater
pillar. where most Of the weight was
concentrated. on one side with the
guide wheel forward to act as a
-steadier in front Then by the time
the rear part of the caterpillar had
reached the edge Of the trench the FOR
ward part would already be across. and
there would be very little displacement
of the machine.
The machine had been used t" knock
down trees before the British thonGh'
Of making a war chariot ont Of 1t. The
narrow lumber roads through the Flor1'
S1a woods must he widcned FOR the
massage Of the tractor. and instead OF
daving men go ahead to cut down trees
~n either side Of the road the raterpi'-
fars themselves are run against the
trees that are In the way. The cogs on
tAe other side Of the track plate take
bold of the tree and start to run the
caterpillar up the hole. but the weight
and the force Of the engine are TOO
much for the resistance Of the tree. ana
It snaps OF almost Immediately.
As to knocking down houses. the
ordinary frame OF the tractor VIII eas''
" run through brick wall The ma
chime weighs about 25.0no pounds
With the armor and armament IT
would probably come to about 31.Wn
4 machine OF this weight driven with
n motor Of not less than 40 morse,
s,ower will play havoc with ordinary
houses.
The machine has two speeds-one OF
about two and half miles an hour
Mnd the other Of four. With its ease
OF direction and management the car
can be used TO chase man around IN
a field and follow almost at his heels,
TO matter how he turns
Wasted Labor.
Little Edna, who was watching the
mon WORKING milo driver In the lot