British Tank Was First Suggested by
a Citizen of the United States in a
Communication to House Commit
tee.
The submarine, the aeroplane, the
depth bomb, and other effective war
inventions, originated in the fertile
brains of American citizens. Holland
invented the first successful diver; the
Wright brothers the first successful
flying machine, and Thomas Edison
perfected the depth bomb, now em
ployed so effectively against enemy
divers. It now appears that an Amer
ican citizen, William S. Isham, first
suggested the idea of the British arm
ed tank. Six years ago, or before the
world war began, Mr. Isham sent the
following communication to a commit
tee of the house, as follows:
To the House Committee on Military
Affairs.
Gentlemen: Your attention is re
spectfully directed to the urgency of
greatly strengthening our mobile ar
my and to the ease with which this
can be accomplished by means of ar
mored cars capable of containing and
protecting behind armor plate the
highly trained men composing the ar
my while still further increasing their
offensive power and mobility.
It is recognized tnat me luntuuns
of this committee are limited primar
ily to matters pertaining to the mobile
army, but it is also recognized that if
our navy can prevent a hostile army
from entering our borders there is lit
tle need for an army, while if it can
not do this the necessity for a power
ful army is imminent. Hence a few
facts relative to the weakness of our
navy as a deterrent to foreign inva
sion are considered germane and are
introduced as a necessary part of this
presentation.
A glance at the statistical records
of the development in the navies of
the leading great powers show that all
countries save the United States pos
sess and are rapidly constructing fast
battleships of about 28 knots speed
armed with the most powerful guns.
These ships are constructed, as stat
ed in tactical journals, to sweep the
seas of slower vessels possessing
lighter armament. That they can do
this is universally admitted. Hence, it
is evident that were we forced into
war with any foreign power our
scouts, cruisers, and torpedo fleets
could not fulfil! their most important
function, that of finding and watching
an enemy, without incurring the risk
of almost certa n destruction. It is
therefore obvious that the. e ship
must remain between the lines of our
slower battleships; meanwhile an en
emy’s fast scout ships employing1
wireless telegraphy could direct the
movement of a fleet of transports to
its destination without risk of discov
eiy. Hence, rur navy today dors not
afford any obstacle to the movement
of foreign transports. A landing ef
fected on ov borders would force u
to an aggressive warfare to meet
which a glance at the statistical rec
ords of the armies of different coun
tries is even less reassuring to us than
a comparison by navies, and compel us
to admit that in the number of men
nr.d guns our army is woefully behind
that of any foreign power and hence
we could not hone for it as now ecuip
ped to protect this country from an
invasion which our navy is powerless
to prevent. Hence the necessity for a
great increase in the strength of our
mobile army if it and ou>- other lines
of defense are being maintained for
the purpose of either affording us or i
convincing other powers of our securi- .
ty against foreign attack.
This brings us to the practical con- i
sideration of the means to be employ
ed to secure tine required increase in
strength. The cost of maintaining
soldiers in the field in the United
States is greater than in any other
country. Therefore to enable us to
meet the military competition of these
countries as we do their industrial
competition, we should increase the ef-1
ficieney of our soldiers by giving them
a superiority of equipment and mach
inery as is done in the shops and fac
tories of this country. This can be ac
complished by placing the men, of a
portion of them who use the military
rifle, in bullet-proof armored cars cap
able of -operating on any terrain.
These cars will be provided with tele
scopes and range tinders to discover
an enemy and determine his range.
Without this equipment, which sold
iers can not carry, ammunition will be
wasted and the results will be a min
imum, since in war there are no target
men to signal that a shot is low 01
high and without which, even on the
target range, no results could be se
cured. The weight of such cars, with
a ciew of live men, should not exceed
5,000 pounds to enable them to easily
pass over bad roads. These should be
provided with at least 25-horsepower
motors geared down to truck speed
r.r.d should be provided with a winch,
bead and cable to enable them to puli
themselves or other cars or material
iH ail uiucnw&c nnpaofcuuiL' ajuuyu
or stream or up even the steepest and
most impassable of slopes. By means
of such cars covered on all sides by
one-fourth, inch armor plate a zone ol
tire might be safely entered and the
advance of an enemy checked, and
held material might be advanced o:
retired to secure better results or to
save it from capture, a tactical move
proven to be impossible with horses by
the Russo-Japanese War. Acting as
iire-control and observation stations,
the tire of artillery and the movement
of forces could be directed, and the
operations of an enemy could be
watched with safety. At night the au
tomatic guns in these cars could be set
to sweep roads and rake the barbed
wire entanglements. If surrounded by
an enemy, they could be fired on with
impunity by friends, since their ar
mor would be impervious on all sides.
Hence the danger of being crushed by
a night attack, the bugbear of raw
troops, would be absolutely eliminat
ed by such cars.
It is recognized that such cars
would be destroyed by 3-inch or larger
unexploded shell penetrating their ar
mor ,the same as field guns would be
destroyed; but the probabilities of be
ing damaged in this way would be
very small, because when discovered
they could be changed to new positions
while cloth targets of the same size
and color could be left to exhaust the
enemy’s supply of ammunition and
discourage him from continuing such
attacks. If the argument of vulner
ability is of any value against these
cars, it applies with overwhelming
force against the use of artillery,
which can not be moved from its posi
tion saved when its location has been
determined and artillery has begun its
destruction. It may be argued that
these cars would become stalled in
sloughs and time would be lost. It
this were truo and was an objection to
their use, in view of their advantages
each battery of live cars working to
gether and forming a unit should be
accompanied by a 6-horse team to pull
them across such places until they en
ter the zones of tire, after which they
would be compelled to select pass
able routes. Hence, lack of mobility
is not a valid argument against the
use of armored cars of this descrip
tion, since they can move with horses
anywhere that artillery can move and,
moreover, and what is infinitely more
important, can leave a sheltered posi
tion and move to attack at a critical
moment or change to a new position
under fire when artillery could not
Scattered and concealed along the
line of battle, perhaps sheltered be
hind natural or artificial protection
from which they could rush out and
overwhelm any advance, they become
a guaranty against the advance of
any enemy however strong or well
trained. If our army is now able to
do this without such means, what
would be the unnecessary cost to us
in our best blood and what would be
the subsequent cost in treasure to pro
perly recompense for such unneces
sary sacrifice. The records of all mod
ern wars show that about 05 per cent
o! the casualties of battle have result
ed from the rifle bullet. Can any con
sideration of cost be brought against
the use of armored cars that would
prevent this 95 per cent of casualties
men in the cars would be correspond
irgly increased? These are a few o
he reasons why such cars should bo
purchased at once. The cost of 8,000
of these cars, enough to contain our
entire infantry and cavalry forces in
this country, would be less than a
single battleship and would make this
country impregnable against the at
tack of any nation or combination of
nations. These cars possess no un
tried elements that need to be tested
to determine their practicability.
Hence, at least two batteries of five
cars each should be purchased at once
and their operations observed in the
maneuvers of the army during the
present year to determine whether
horses will be required with them and
to establish their tactical uses in order
that the number required for the serv
ice may be determined and appro
priated for at an early date. It is
therefore requested that this commit
tee authorize the expenditure by the
secretary of war of $50,000 for the
purchase of 10 cars fulfilling the re
quirements herein described and form
ing part of their specifications.
I am, respectfully,
WILLARD S. I SHAM.
SEATTLE, May 9.—(Special Cor
respondance)—Capt. J. T. Wester
mann has gone to Camp Fremont,
Cal.
Brice H. Howard has accepted a
position as auditor with the Wilson
and Keelez ship yards here.
Mark Dolliver is enjoying the
beautiful highways in his new car.
Joe Morris is in the transfer busi
ness—East Union Transfer Co.—op
erating auto trucks. Offices corner
Columbia and Western avenue.
Blondy Anderson, of Talkeetna, is
visiting his parents here. He will
leave in ten days to join Col. Mears’
regiment.
Ex-Governor Strong and Mrs.
Strong are guests of the Frye hotel
en route to California for a visit.
They will return and make Seattle
their future home.
J. J. Lankin and Mrs. Lankin are
living at the Milton. Jimmie expects
orders any day to report for duty
with the overseas service.
Capt. Lathrop is a guest at the
Frye while here.
It. J. Brown, who has been with
the Northern Transfer company, of
Anchorage, for the past two years,
“wears the olive drab well”; is now
stationed at Fort Lawton and expects
to leave shortly for San Antonio,
Texas.
DUBLIN, May 20.—John Dillon,
member of the British parliament and
head of the Irish nationalist party, has
been summoned to a special meeting’
of the party, called to convene in Dub
lin. The meeting is for the purpose
of discussing the situation growing
out of the Sinn Fein revolution.
Many arrests have been made by
the authorities and the government is
using efforts to prevent further strife.
LONDON, May 17.—King George
yesterday very cordially received an
American labor delegation, which
comes to England to confer with rep
resentatives of British labor.
SEATTLE MAN DELEGATE.
SEATTLE, May 17. — William
Short, of Seattle, president of the
Washington State Federation of
Labor, is among the American labor
delegates visiting England.
ADDRESSES WILL BE PUBLISHED
WASHINGTON, May 20.—The war
department will continue the practice
of giving the names and addresses of
American soldiers named in the daily
casualty list, according to a decision
nade today by President Wilson to
vhom the public appealed when the
iddresses were discontinued.
slillu ruLii
OFITALYHEETS
Captain Antonio Silvio Resdad of
Royal Italian Flying Corps Killed
in New York While Testing New
Machine.
NEW YORK, May lk—Captain An
tonio Silvio Restafl, of the Royal
Italian Flying Corps, was killed at
Heamstead aviation field yesterday
afternoon, while testing an American
built apron-bombing plane, recently
authorized for purchase by the Amer
ican government. The machine col
lapsed high in the air and fell to the
ground. The aviator was dead when
the machine reached the ground.
The famous Italian military aviator
recently successfully piloted a Caproni
machine, containing ten passengers,
from Washington to New York and
back again.
CREEL SAYS NO
INSULT INTENDED
WASHINGTON, D. C., May 17.—
In a letter written to Congressman
Pou, chairman of the house rules com
mittee, George Creel, publicity man
i'or the administration, said he had no
intention of reflecting on members oi
congress in a recent speech in New
York city, in which he is reported to
have said that “inasmuch as I do not
enjoy slumming, 1 do not intend to ex
plore the hearts of congressmen.”
GERMAN FLEET iS
RECALLED TO KIEL
LONDON, May 17.—The entire
German fleet in the Baltic sea, with
the exception of a few light cruisers,
has been recalled to Kiel, the big Ger
man naval base, according to reliable
information reaching London today.
Important naval forces are concen
trating at Kiel, says the report, and it
is expected that some highly import
ant naval action will follow.
KERENSKY COMING
TO UNITED STATES
NEW YORK, May 17.—The New
York Call, the organ of the socialists,
is authority for the statement that
Kerensky will arrive in the United
States one day next week. Kerensky
was at the head of the Russian gov
ernment for a brief period following
the revolution which deposed Czar
Nicholas.
REGIME OF FORCE.
NEW YORK. May 21. — “You are
conducing in Livonia and Esthonia a
regime of force which will cause a
deep enmity toward everything that is
German,” said Deputy Ledebour, lead
er of the German independent social
ists during a discussing of the Brest
Litovsk treaty in The German reich
stag on March If), according to Ger
man newspapers. “We reject the
treaty,” he said. “The king of Prussia
should become Duke of Courland, ac
cording to what principles is the good
men to reign there?” Ledebour said
that Russian soldiers in Livonia and
Ethonia were being hanged by the
Germans.
ANSWERS BY FRESHMAN.
Answers by freshman in an examin
ation at an Oklahoma college:
Ukraine—French territory.
Czernin—The wife of the former
czar of Russia.
Trotzky—A leader of the German
army.
Vanderlip—Member of the shipping
board which made an investigation of
Hog Island.
Hog Island—An island off the coast
of Ireland.
Von Hindenburg—The German line
Gompers—A United States senator.
Haig—A piece convention to deter
mine points of international line —
Kansas City Star.
y
On An Average of 100,000 Persons j
Obtaining Employment Through
Agency on Federal Bureau in Chi
cago District Alone.
CHICAGO, May 22.—The nation’s .
industrial manpower has not suffered
serious depletion as a result of the
United States’ first year in the world .
war, so far as indicated in recent sur- 1
veys of the general labor situation .
conducted by the United States em- .
ployment service and the Illinois free
employment bureau. Except in certain
skilled trades these bureaus find there
is no marked shortage of labor, the
chief problem at present being distri
bution.
The labor turnover so far this year
has been greater than in previous
years. This is attributed to some ex
tent to unsual opportunities for in
dividual betterment offered by plants
working on war contracts.
On an average 100,000 persons are
obtaining employment through the
Chicago district office of the federal
bureau as compared with a total of |
405.000 during the last fiscal year.
This huge increase is accounted for by
the recent reorganization of the
bureau for service as the national
machinery for the applications of hun
dreds of thousands of workers regist
ering with the public service reserve,!
including moie than 260,000 mechanics ;
for shipbuilding.
A system of daily surveys shows the ;
bureaus where the greatest shortages
or surpluses exist and with this infor- i
mation it is able to make economic
distribution. Manufacturers are be
ing urged to use the government
agency as far as possible in order to
reduce the labor turnover and unecon
omic competition between industries
essential to the war.
At the state employment bureau1
6.000 persons sought work in March
and there too the demand is about j
equal balance with the supply, except !
in a few trades. Positions were found j
for nearly all the applicants.
The demand for women workers is j
said to be about normal. Only in a few
isolated cases have they replaced men
called to the colors. A few plants en
gaged on war contracts have employ
ed large numbers of women without
111 iv ui \»y .
Many women teachers are said to
be leaving- the school rooms for more j
remunerative employment and the
draft has shown so heavily upon the
already scant supply of men teachers
that several states report the situation
alarming for next year. A survey of
thirty-seven states just completed by
the Professional Service Division cf
rhe federal bureau shows that during
the present school year West Virginia
was forced to close between 150 and
200 schools because of the scarcity oi j
teachers. In Montana and Wyoming j
about two dozen schools were closed
for the same reason, while New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Delaware,
Mississippi, Alabama, New Mexico,
South Dakota, Wisconsin and Indiana
report a marked shortage. The bureau
has 700 teachers’ applications and GOO
vacancies listed, but a large percent- '
age of those seeking position, it is
pointed out, are not qualified for work
in the departments where the great- 1
est deficiency exists.
To cope with what is expected to be
an unprecedented railroad labor short
age later in the year, a new depart
ment of the United States employ
ment service has been organized to ^
handle railroad labor for the western
regional district. By order of Direc
tor-General McAdoo the railroads _
have abolished their labor bureaus and
the government agency* will recruit .
their men as well as direct the distri
bution. In event of an acute shortage
of workers in maintenance of way do
partments, it is planned to suspend
work not absolutely necessary and
send men from these locations tc
points where they are more urge nth
needed. A great number of laborer;
i
are said to have left the roads because
of the higher wages they can obtain
n mines or factories.
So far the fai’me,,3 of the central
vest and northwest have had little f'
ii/ficulty in finding enough help. Most j|
)f them demand expericed hands but
ire being urged by employment ofFi
bals to accept more men from the
Dublin service reserve, which consists
'or the most part of students. In a
*ew western states the harvest labor
question is being taken^up by com
nunities, each community mobilizing
imergency workers to help nearby
hirmers. Mobile forces of harvesters
ire also being organized to begin with
she Kansas winter wheat harvest and
nove northward through the Dakotas
ind other northwestern states where
she wheat is ready for cutting after
he Kansas harvest is over. These
nen, with the hand!: available from
she public service reserve, are expect
ed to furnish ample farm labor.
An innovation in the federal em
Dolyment bureau is a department or
ganized to aid crippliesl soldiers re
aming from the war. The committee
or the handicapped, a private organi
sation, has just been merged with the
service. It will list positions disabled
nen can fill and help them reestablish
shemselves in civil life.
I
GENEVA, Switzerland, May 20.—
Former Czar Nicholas of Russia, and
lis family are coming to Switzerland
:o make their future home, according
,o reliable information reaching
Gleneva. The czar was given his choice
is between Switzerland and Rumania,
ind chose the former.
The concession is granted to the
■zar on certain conditions, to which he
s said to have assented. One is that
le shall not attempt to again ascend
;he Russian throne.
BIG EXPLOSION
DESTROYS PLANT
PITTSBURG, May 18.—A big- ex
plosion destroyed the massive plant
if the Eetna Chemical company at
Dakdale, Pennsylvania, last night, and
it is believed that at least a hundred
employees lost their lives. The prop
erty loss is estimated at a million
lollars. The debris is still burning
ind officers say it will be days before
it will be possible to determine the
sxact number of the dead.
WOMEN WORKERS ARE
TO BE PAID OVERTIME
SAN FRANCISCO, May 18.—The
ndustrial welfare commission has to
iay issued a revised order governing
;he employment of women and minors
in the fruit and vegetable canning in
iustry in California.
On account of its perishable condi
tion, the fruit and vegetable canning
industry is exempt from the eight
lour law. However, the commission
establishes eight hours as the normal
lay and requires that an increased
rate of 25 per cent be paid for any
vork performed by women after eight
lours. If the -work extends beyond 12
lours, double rates must be paid. Mi
lors are not permitted to be employed
nore than eight hours in any one day.
\LIEX ENEMY FROM
ALASKA IS ARRESTED
SEATTLE, May 22.—Paul Gutsk w,
m alleged enemy alien, was arrested
>y the police here Saturday, together
vith Joel Crawford, when they failed
o give a satisfactory explanation of
heir presence on the water front.
Gutshaw has been sought in towns
n the States and in Alaska during the
last several months for alleged viola
ion of the espionage act. He is said
o have told the authorities of his fail
ire to make the required registration
is an enemy alien.
The police say that Crawford es
:aped from the Multnomah county
Oregon) jail two years ago.
Job printing at the Times cffi-e.