The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-04-18

Battle SCARED and notified by the
camoufiage artists brush a real whip
pet tank that a few months ago was
wiping out machine gun nests on the
western front, paraded the streets of
Mankato today, followed by a large
crowd of youngsters and viewed with
scarcely less interest by citizens
wherever il passed. The tank arrived
on the Milwaukee road sometime
Saturday night from Mapleton and
Albert Lea and was left on side
track just behind the Saulpaugh ho-
tel. Yesterday it was covered with
a canvass most of the day but this
morning the little LAND battleship'
was uncovered and run down skid
off the fiat car.
E. A. March and Emil Horner, two
overseas veterans of the tank serv-
ice, are in charge of the machine,
which is making tour of a number
of Minnesota cities in behalf of the
Victory Loan. From the railroad
yards this morning the tank was run
ND the street to headquarters, on
Hickory street. H. H. Perrin and
Ivan Bowen of the Victory loan COM
mittee have charge of the direction
Of the tank. At 1910 the morning
the parade started.
Tank On Dress Parade.
The tank went south on Front
street to Byron. on Byron to Lincoln.
on Lincoln to Broad, Broad to Rock.
on Rock to Front and up Front to
--the tank headquarters, arriving at
twelve O'Clock. This afternoon the
tank again toured the city, making
an extensive trip at this time. At
4:3O the machine started going on
Front to LIE Sueur. on LIE Sueur TO
West Eighth, Eighth to Baker ave-
nue., on Boxer avenue to Pleasant
street. on PLEASANT TO Clark. on Clark
to Parsons and on Parsons to War
rem: ON Warren to Fifth, on Fifth to
Madison avenue, on Madison to
Fourth street, on Fourth to May to
Broad. on Broad to Lafayette. on La
Fayette to Front and down Front to
tank headquarters again.
The final parade by the tank will
he featured this evening, starting
from the armory at 1880 o'clock
going north on Second street to Elm
on Elm to Front. south on Front to
Byron. on Byron to Second and down
Second street to the Mankato theatre
where the big mass meeting OF the
evening will be held.
Smallest Tank in War.
Tanks of the type dispiavc'
Mankato today are the smano5t used
in the fighting and 80 Cor the pur-
nose of crushing out machine CUR
nests chiefly. The whippet which
paraded the streets this morning had
several holes in the side and fron'
where machinegun bullets had suncf
but failed to penetrate the steel shell
Inside the little machine there is
inst room for two men. One sits di'
rectly in front on a small seat an6
runs the tank. controlling the engine
from here and steering. the machine
bvltwo levers which work one of the
caterpillar wheels or the other, as
desired In this manner the tam
can turn completely around with ii:
own length.
The Revolving Turret.
The other occupant of the TIM
fighting machine either stands Of
sits in the revolving turret in who,
is mounted a machinegun. Two small
Sits in the front of the machine ant
one in the tower, scarcely more thar
an eighth of an inch wide are thu
only means of seeing out. Inside
the tower are numerous Delt:
for machine gun magazines so tina
a continuous fire can be directed a
the enemy, practically without halt
The engine is in the rear OF the ma
chine and is completely protected b!
the steel plates. 1t is said that thu
little tanks can so practically any
where in any weather and were o
great value in combating the Ger
man machine gun nests.