The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-23
TRY OUT TANKS
Men Like Lilliputians With
Brobdignagian Toys.
sLand Battleship" Crew Has No
Snap; Rough Riding Inside.

British Headquarters in France.
July 23.-Under the shelter or
green ridge of shell pocked farm land
about fifteen miles behind the front
line trenches, one may come upon the
encampment of the tanks. The pa
rade ground is like a distorted page
from GulIiver-Lilliputian men at
play with Brobdignagian toys.
A dozen of the monsters are lying
stretched out in the warm afternoon
sun being combed and oiled and
secured by their Industrious attend
bv the side of the great steel steeds.
Over at the edge of the parade
ground where the level grounds break
up into ridges and hillocks, two or
three of the big iron horses are put
thru their PAGES. Grunting and puff
ing, creaking and complaining, they
move all along, not with the easy
stride of the story book giants but
with their cumbersome gait of huge
musclebound turtle on its back But
nothing diScompoSeS them in their
s:rumbling advance. They mount a
terrain five feet high with the same
clumsy, complaining nonchalanca that
they negotiate a mole hill and the
steady pace of their caterpillars is
unchanged whether climbing up a
steep slope or clamboring along the
| level.
Not Built for Comfort.
The job of a tankman is no sine
cure. The interior is not built for
comfort. It is crowded with mIchin-
cry and guns and armor and in mo-
| ton the deck sways and bucks like
| that of a little torpedo boat in a
= storm. Nor is the roof high enough
to prevent danger of receiving a sound
humping if one is too tall. Men for
i tanks are picked for small stature and
slender bulk. They must be- tough
as nails but occupy no unnecessary
space.
If you would spend a few minutes
| on board tank you must have your
steel helmet with you and your gas
| mask carefully encased in its water
proof bag, ready for emergency.
! Climbing thru the manhole requires a
little knack of it's own. Legs -lrst is
the approved technique, altho to the
novice there appear good grounds for
believing that the reverse process
might by just as satisfactory. Legs
first, one is in danger of placing, a
foot or a leather clad ankle against
the hot engine case, with disastrous
results, but with care this can be
avoided, and landing made just be-
side the starboard gun.
Color Scheme Peculiar.
Everything is spic and span, shin.
ing with abundance of oil but nc
| superfluouS 1uXuries of brass or nick.
ell to take away the business like bare.
less and grimness of gray black ar.
nor plate which obtrudes everywhere
AS in battleship, the preferential DO.
sitfon, from the point of view of safe.
ty. is given to the engines They liz
Just above the floor, stretching in &
longitudinal position thru the center
CT the craft, while shafts and crank.
run under a special armor casing a
the back of the cams which operate
the caterpillars and big push wheel:
at the rear.
The painting of the tanks is a erea
pastime in the tank encampment
Modern protective co1oring of battle
field weapons offers wide field fol
the development of the cubist art. ant
the decorative appearance of a tanI
going into battle suggests that som,
painter who all his life had specia1
;zed in barber poles had suddenl,
gone amuck with paint brush and col
f-r- lnf