Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-01-12

mentS Tor Qenvertng DiOWS, ne says.
1.-The essential difference between bat
ties of prehistoric times and those of
today lie in the manner Of delivering
blows. SmOkeless powder has merely
heightened the arm of the fighter. He
strikes and kills at a distance of miles.
Because armies are still composed
essentially of many individuals fight
ing ships may be more fittingly termed
war machines A battleship is real
machine. The men on board are mere
ly so many intelligences that control
the steam engine, the turrets, the great
guns, and searchlights. But land war
fare is still waged, not by few ma
chimes, as on the sea, but by organized
millions of men.
"Why is there no land battleship
something comparable with our own
Pennsylvania, something which will
concentrate within one volume the
striking power Of an army?
Engineering Possibility.
There is no good engineering rea-
sun why dh ChOlA "ACCiCu OIL ~
ture heavily armored and capable Of
travelling at high speed. should not
wage the battles of the future. Tech
nically it is far easier task to de-
sign and build a superdreadnaught
than a wheeled destroyer to run on
solid ground. The ocean is a vast
level expanse. There are no hills and
valleys. Waste is In the same dem
sity everywhere. But land varies from
the hardest rock to the sOftest quag-
mire. Here we have the reason, why
we still oppose armies against each
other instead of machines.
"Undeniable as these difficulties are,
it seems to me that they could be over
come by boldly designing machine
of such dimensions and of such en-
ergy that it could travel over a country
road. A hill so feet high would be to
that machine what six-inch ridge of
clay would be to an automobile; a
swamp would no more hinder it's course
than a half foot of mud would stop
a touring car. Even over rough inland
country 1t would rush more swiftly
than any touring car on a poor road.
The impact Of heavy mass moving
with the velocity Of an express train
would be irresistible. Indeed, in its
speed would lie its destructive pos
sibilities. 1t could NOW down every
thing before it with the "reminiscences
of a steam roller. Guns would not be
required to rout an enemy. An army
would be as helpless in offering resist
ance as a flock Of geese in the path of
an automobile.
picture to yourself self-propelled
machine, comprising three wheels and
heavily-armorej body or car. There
are two wheels, $50 to 200 feet in di-
ameter, in front and a single smaller
steering wheel to the rear. The en-
tire structure is short so that the turn
ing radius will be small.
mo doubt you are familiar with the
military masts of our American bat
tleships. They are latticed towers not
unlike cages. They are thus construct
ed so that the whole sections of the
lattice work may be shot away; but
the remaining portions will still sup
port the mast.
$50 1 would build the wheels of my
war machine. Why not armOr them
instead? They would weigh too much
thousands of tons. But the hub
would armor, and heavily. There the
spokes would be concentrated SC
thickly that they might be shot away
in great numbers and the wheel still
stand.
1.-The two front wheels of this wal
machine would have to be spaced
about 200 feet apart. They would
have a tread about 20 feet wide.
would make them of steel in plates
four inches thick, bolted together in
sections.
Car Comparatively Small.
"Since the machine Is to destroy by
virtue of its inherent energy, and moi
by means Of guns, It would have q
comparatively small cara car which
would not rise above the tops of the
front wheels, which would be heavily
armored and which would serve pri
marily as housing for the engines
The crew would BE- small-not more
than perhaps thirty men.
II am fully aware that the problem
of obtaining engines which will give
this war machine speed of 100 miles
an hour is not easily solved. But II
thousands of horse power con be devel
Oped by the engines of pitching ano
rolling battleships. It Is not unreasOn
able to suppose that competent IN
! gineers could be found to design ant