Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-11-07

cared to cable over necessary expenses,
! L had every reason to believe that a
good order would be forthcoming
through the French War Office for
automatic engines to be installed on
! these tractors.
! on Monday, August %, I saw Gen.
eral E. w. Moir, comptroller of NUM-
tions inventions at Whitehall. London
| informing him that l had left a blue
print of the caterpillar tractor with
/ fun particulars with Colonel Holden
/ of the a. S. c. British War Office,
prior to my departure for Paris. Gen.
/ eral Moir was so interested by my
verbal explanation that he Immediately
sent me to Colonel Holden with a let
ter stating that he was to obtain these
blueprints att once.
on returning the hlueprints, as per
+ General Moir's instructions, and on
thoroughly going over the matter
with him, he stated that I should hear
further regarding developments in the
course of a few days.
On Wednesday, August 25, I re-
tcelved letter from the Naval Ar
mored Car Division at Pail Mall, ask
ing me to attend a meeting of officers
VINO were going to confer in regard
TO the caterpillar tractor l attended
this meeting as requested, which ex-
tended for several hours, and was ad-
Vised that the matter would be taken
up further with me in due course"
At that time 1 also advised them that
should l not be in the country to COM
municate with Norman Leeds, at the
Automatic Machine Company, Bridge
port, Conn. Nothing further was
done; therefore this report is at an
end, however, 1 am firmly of the
opinion that the recent advance on
the Somme has been entirely due to
this very caterpillar tractor
On my second return to Paris, on
Tuesday, January IL, 1916, 1 was for
tunate to meet my personal friend,
{ Monsieur Corcas, secretary to NJ. AL
bert Thomas, Minister of War. Mr..
Corcas was very much perturbed that
II should have left Paris in August OF
+ last year very suddenly, as it seems
that the Minister of War and other
/ nigh officials were so very interested
IN the caterpillar tractor as submitted
/ that they desired a further conference
with me, but were unable to accom-
pllsh TINS, owing to my departure
In the sketch as carried over the
seas by Mr.. McNab, Mr.. Leeds had
no thought of presenting a finished
product The question of proper arma-
ment and its disposition was one to be
settled by men expert in modern ord
nance, not by an American engine
builder. What the American wanted
was to sell engines and at one time
IN the negotiations, according to Mr.
McNabs statement, and more particu.
larry found in correspondence and
cablegrams which are in the file con.
taining the full record of the nego.
tiations. the prospects for an engine
contract were bright
! The land cruiser as submitted to tbe
war Office was sketched in about the
smallest dimensions which would be
erective; there were no mechanical
obstacles to be overcome fin the build.
ing of much larger machines. The
length over all is 23 feet inches: the
width, 10 feet; the height, IL feet
The distance between centers of drive
wheels is Is feet. The alligator TYNE
of drive was selected in place of the
more common caterpillar type because
of the greater bearing surface which
would enable it to cross trenches OF
about feet in width and would give
1t more stability and tractiVe surface
on badly broken ground and because
Ii would have no exposed front wheel,
ito become caught or shot away. The
weights are equalized throughout the
apparatus as far as possible The en-.
g1ne is placed little aft of the center
to compensate for the front or fightine
end with its heavier weight of arma.
ment and ammunition.
Time will tell how much has beer
borrowed from these sketches in ths
building of the tanks" as Tomm,
Atkins terms them.-W. Z. Freeland
in the Iron Age.