The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-21
YANKEE MECHAN!SMS
[continued From page one.l


ing this destroyer plant, which will
supply crews as needed, and these
crews will be composed of men who
have seen the whole operation Of build
ing the Eagle and who will know every
detail OF it's construction.
Already a completed Eagle stands in
the Detroit shop. finished even to her
wireless masts. She Is a model, to
give the workmen an idea Of what they
are building. She. should take the
water now. But 1t will be only brief
number Of weeks before a steady over
ocean stream Of Eagles heads for
Europe.
1--WE have orders for 100 Of these
boats. but we're prepared to build
1000 II they are needed. Construct
ion will 60 on at Rouge river until
the weather Is too cold next fall, and
by that time the plant in the jersey
meadows will be in operation"
The Two-Man Tank.
Mr.. F'ord's other pet war machine
is the "two-man tank" This Is not
his owa idea he wants it understood.
1t was the conception of army men,
just as the Eagle was the outgrowth
OF navy ideas. But he has built one
of the small tanks for experimental
purposes and he knows what it will do.
1.-The simplest thing possible!" he
says enthusiastically. Its merely a
little affair OF sheet steel, armor.
plated. with two of our ordinary 90
horsepower motors. driving truck
worm-gears, with caterpillar traction.
These little tanks could turn with.
IT,. xl~~t, Ia nth nD,,lA do l,n~
and there along the fighting line al
most as fast as an unprotected soldier.
One man could handle the machine,
the other fellow man the guns. have
arranged for permanent supply OF
chemicals within the tank for pro-
lection against gas should the enemy
employ that, and the little tanks there.
for could 60 anywhere.
Suppose they did strike particular
ly deep trench. Drop one or two OF
them in there and drive the others
over top of them. But with 40-horse-
powe I think those little tanks could
climb any trench side, almost to the
perpendicular.
81 don't believe they'd cost more
than $1,000 apiece, and they'd save the
lives OF thousands of soldiers. The
British have said their big tanks were
each equal to 500 men. Each little
tank, believe. would be equal to 100
soldiers. To fight with machines and
save lives is the proper modern system
OF warfare, in my opinion"
So far as Mr. Ford knows, there has
not yet been any provision made in the
American armys fighting scheme for
these tiny tanks. But II they should
he wanted he'd like nothing better
than the job Of turning them out. And
they could be produced almost as
rapidly as pleasure cars. he thinks.
His Tractors Big Help.
Perhaps the most vital thing Mr.
Ford has done thus far to help win
the war Is that he has aided tremen-
dously In the production of food sup
piles for Great Britain by means of his
farm tractors.
No less than 5000 Of these machines,
each capable Of doing the work Of at
least five teams of horses and capable
besides Of Being handled by old men,
women or half.grown boys and girls,
have been shipped to England within
the past year. And some of them are
being worked twenty.four hours day,
ploughing. narrowing. doing the other
work necessary for bumper food crop
for the island.