The Washington times., 1918-04-19


her port caterpillar stationary the
sstarboand" or right-hand belt swung
Britannia about in the space OF ten
feet
Greeted With Cheers.
Captain Haigh and Lieutenant Ross.
here as representatives Of the British
and Canadian recruiting mission. walked
before the tank most Of the way TO the
EInpse. As she showed her nose upon
the concrete street. a great cheer swelled
up from throngs which had been wait
Ing. two hours for Britannia's appear
ance.
Hundreds Of children from the JeHer-
son School with small American hags
formed an escort Of honor for two
blocks. As the tank. her 2io-horsepower
engine turning over with no more hum
than a limousine. erunched past Fire
Truck House No. 4. on Virginia avenue,
one OF the firemen appeared at ar. upper
windoF in his shirt-sleeves and blithe-
ly bugled the notes OF "Over There"
Leaves Her Marks.
Britannia left marks in the ada
mant eobble blocks at the station.
She wrought her initials In a series
OF nne transverse lines all up the con-
crete streets. Had Il been q hot sum-
mer day, she would have cheWed the
surfacing az though Il were butter.
Up Sixth street the tank numbered,
headed by her commander, with high
British officers stationed here. and
followed by scores OF automobiles, IN
escort from the Fourth precinct OF
police. and hundreds Of citizens.
Observes TraHie Hale.
She rounded into Pennsylvania ave
nue.. and there dense crowds blocked
her progress. and the sweating crew,
from the vitaIs OF the ma
chine, gave her radiator a drihlS OF
several gallons OF water. At Ninth
street. G. II. Clark. traffic officer on
duty, motioned Britannia, crusher of
houses, to pause while a strfhg of
automobiles went north across the
intersection.
When the tank reached the Treas
ury Department. the south steps and
plaza were filled with employees. who
gave her Z great ovRtion- Moving at
maximum speed. Seven and one-half
miles an hour. she warped into posi-
tion before the Ellipse and the Lib
erty loan open-air mass meeting be-
gan.
snapped fer The Times.
Britannia. which since its appear
ance in Baltimore has toured North
ern cities. including Boston and
Lynn, Mass, and Buffalo. N. Y, drew
in at the freight yards on a fat car
early this morning As she squatted
like a looming monster OF prehistoric
days on~the car, she was snapped by
a Times photographer, who waited
only for the light and secured the
first views OF the tank, already the
center OF attraction for curious rail-
road employees.
She rested until 10 o'clock when the
car was coupled to an engine ana
switched about an hour before she
could be gotten In position to run on
the platform. Meanwhile, such per-
sons as were allowed on the plat
form squinted inside the steel box,
many OF the secrets OF whose ma
are jeziousiy guarded from
p-yinE eyes.
ROOuy Inside.
What they saw was a Surprisingly
roomy interior, ftted out with an en-
gins evidently OF great power. To
starboard were six Lewis machine
guns. stacked up like rides in an
armory. and which cen be put In posi-
tion with their grim muzzles point
ing through the six ports in the two
lateral turrets and fore and aft In =
few seconds.
Off steps" to the top Of the tank.
In whose roof II an entrance like 4
companionway, with a sliding stee;
top. the Tommies assigned as crew
utilized the swiftly revolving CORFU
gationg on the caterpIllers The re-
volving turrets are fitted with ten
inch ports. carefully closed during the
trip through town.
Washington is full OF spies" de-
II undiplomatically, remark
ed one Of the officers. Two lookouts,
one controlling the drivers, are sta
toned at square windows piercing
the front. In battle. the tank can b.
made almost alright, the sputtering
exhaust pipe in the rear being about
the only orifce.
United States Officers Examine.
While United States army officers
were examining the tank with great
interest, Captain Haigh's crew came
in sight. With business-like speed
they whipped OF their military coats.
donned khaki overaIls and descended
into the machine. whose dull brown
sides uncamoufaged, bear queer
mixture OF chalked names and
legends, variegated by deep marks OF
explosive bullets and shrapnel.
xiii the Kaiser" read one legend
written In q sprawling hand. When
Captain Haigh arrived II was but
few minutes before the Britannia
moved off.
With the captain. in the trip up the
Avenue, was Mai. Gen. James d. Nc
Laehlen, military attache OF the British
embassy. Britannia's halt before the
Treasury was marked by Liberty loan
talks by John Poole, Mrs. Frank Van
derlip OF. the women's committee, VINO
was assisted to the steel back OF the en-