Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-04-23
COUNTY WILL
GET TRACTOR
FROM STATE
Highway Department Awards
Ten-ton Machine For
Cameron Road Work

According to a telegram received
yesterday by Judge Dancy from r. j..
Windrow, state highway engineer at
Austin, Cameron county has been a.
warded a ten ton Holt caterpillar
tractor by the state highway depart
ment to be used in the county's
scheme to construct the best earth
roads in the state.
Judge Dancy, on his first trip to
Austin in March, made application for
. tractor, it being thought at the time
that there would be $50 five and ten
ton tractors for distribution through
out the state for road work. The ap
plication for a five-ton instead Of
ten ton tractor, was on the belief
that there being so many bridges in
the county, the lighter machine woulc
be more practical in this county. La
ter it was ascertained that no five ton
tractors would be available and that
the large ones, such as has been a
warded this county, were available.
There being 253 counties in the state,
the commissioners got busy to get
Cameron's needs considered early.
These tractors are leased by the high
way department on the assumption
that they will be kept continuously at
work on road construction.
Under the arrangement with the
highway department. tractors are
leased without rental charge and any
county not using the tractor in road
construction, runs the risk of having
the tractor taken away from it. The
county has to pay the freight from
Fort Clinton, Ohio. and its proper
tionate part of inspection fees. The
highway department, in order to
make sure that the state would ge-
good machines, sent a special inspec
tor to Fort Clinton. The Holt people
also sent an inspector from its factory
for the same purpose.
Several of the machines were ship
ped to San Antonio, from which place
Cameron County's tractor will be
shipped Tuesday. The original cost of
each tractor is something over six
thousand dollars.
The cost of securing it is estimated
in the neighborhood of 5000 for the
county, the commissioners expecting
to arrange at its today session for
cashiers check to cover this amount
The tractor was ordered shipped to
Harlingen yesterday.
Inorder to put il in use on arrival,
County Judge Dancy, Engineer Wash
ington and Commissioner Weems
made trip to Harlingen and La Feria
yesterday where arrangements were
made to begin the work on the part of
the state highway between. Harlingen
and the Hidalgo county line. On ac-
count of delays in securing right of
ways at this end. cnange i'm this plan
may develop and the tractor may be
sent elsewhere in the county.
While the highway department de-
mands that the tractor be kept con
tinuously at work, lack of funds
by the county. and the absence of
constitutional borrowing capacity may
prevent the continued operation of the
tractor until after making up next
years budget in August. The county
commissioners are hopeful of securing
the necessary funds in the meanwhile
to keep the machine in continuous
operation.
The tractor Judge Dancy said,
will develop 25 to GO horse power
and weighs nearly ten tons and will
pull anything to which it is hitch
ed. 1t fis claimed for it. that it viii
efficiently pull heavy twelve foot
grader digging up the dirt with a ten
foot grader spreading. IL also has
the distinction Of being called the
"daddy" of the famous tanks which
ran over the Germans at Vimy ridge
and which were used so efficiently
by the allies.
These tractors were furnished to
the state highway department for
road work.