The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-11
The Machine That
Goes Anywhere

II one way or anOtneT, Deloie ~ po-
came a real, dive something
that something is called a tank.
And if it could realize how import !
ant it has been in the war, it would
swell with pride to even bigger
size than it is, which in some kinds
is very great, right now.
Do you remember that old say
ing that Necessity is the mother
of invention" That is very true,-
we usually have to feel the need OF
a thing very much before we spend
hour precious moments planning
yand making something to fill that
need.
Some years ago men felt the
need of some machine which could
be used especially on ranches and
large farms and would be more ef-
ficient than any they were using at
that time-in other words, ma
chine that would do more work in
less time and with less cost in the
long run, than the machines they
had. A wheeled machine was the
best kind, but they have to have
special tracks made for them, and
people wanted machine that
could travel anywhere, over any
kind of ground and would be self
propelled.
Then the inventors-which are
really just men with ideas and the
willingness to work very hard to
make their ideas become facts, be-
gan to get busy.
A British inventor planned ma
chine with large wheels and on
these wheels was something that
took the place OF feet, which could
be planted securely in the ground,
one after another, and could walk
forward that way. This machine
even went up a flight of steps.
Then some one thought that a
wheeled machine could be made
that could lay its own tracks. So
some clever man made one. The
track was an endless chain of steel
plates that ran around the wheels
of his machine. AS the machine
went forward, new links OF track
were laid down before them, and
the links of track that they had
gone over, were picked up behind
them.
Many men worked on the idea.
but it was BENJAMIN Holt, Of Poor
ia, ILL.,, that made one of the most
successful machines. His machine
had many wheels which we're
mounted on springs and which
yielded to any unevenness OF
ground. This machine was called
Caterpillar" tractor, because it
crawled over the ground, just like
a caterpillar. 1t was very power
full, and carried great loads.-and
could walk. or rather waddle be-
cause it was SO heavy and slow,
over tree stumps. stones and ditch.
es. 1t hauled gangs of plows and
cultivators on large farms, or on
the great wheat fields of the west
As the great wheat fields seem
ed to be the only place, these ma
chimes were needed, no suggestions
were made for their use anywhere
else.
Then came the war. From the
first, the Germans had used ma
chine guns, Of which they had a
great number made and ready to
use by the beginning Of the sum.
mer of 1914. Machine guns shoot
out a stream of bullets, which is
much more likely to reach its aim
than rifle fire with its single shot
Thousands Of British, French and
Italian soldiers were moved down
before these machine guns. The
allies had nothing that could com
bat these guns. Something had to
be done to defend the men fight
ing under the allies flag. The need
was very, very great,-so the solu
ton Of the problem was worked out
"a splendid solution.
Just before war broke out, Bel
GUM was holding an agriculture
exhibition. A tractor-One Of
those developed by Mr.. Holt-was
on exhibition and aroused great in
terest. Col. E. d. Swinton of thu
army realized then that sucf
q tractor, with an armored case
would be effective on battle-tOrI
ground. Later, when the machine
guns proved such a terrible menact
he remembered the tractor; ant