the field artillery journal - Fort Sill - U.S. Army

THE FIELD ARTILLERY JOURNAL
and the fact that no cannoneers are required to walk are points
that are noticed at once. The saving of road space of this section
over one equipped with animal traction is about twenty-four
yards.
About one-half mile southeast of this point is the difficult Vshaped
crossing of Beef Creek, shown in Nos. 2 and 3. In No. 2
the tractor is at the steepest part of the east bank, a grade of
about 40 per cent. No. 3 shows the piece at this point. In
making this ascent, the tractor was obliged to stop two or three
times in order to speed up the motor. No trouble was
experienced in starting after these slight delays.
No. 4 shows the section in Cache Creek just below the iron
bridge east of the Old Post. This crossing was easily made.
In No. 5 is depicted one distinct advantage that motor
traction has over animal traction; an advantage that might
under certain conditions become of great value. The tractor is
hauling its tow over a stream on a railroad bridge, the vehicles
running directly on the ties without the intervention of planks
or other covering. The rate of crossing was slow to avoid
bumping the bridge and the matériel too severely; as far as the
tractor itself was concerned, no better roadway than the level
ties could have been desired. At one point in the bridge one tie
was missing and the gun wheels sank down into this space with
a thud, only to be pulled out slowly and easily.
No. 6 shows the tractor passing over a cattle guard which
proved to be a close fit for the caterpillar track. This
photograph also shows how the vehicles straddled one rail in
crossing the bridge and in moving along the ties.
The last test was held in a mud hole. Up to this time the
caterpillar had successfully overcome all obstacles that had
been presented to it. The weather had been dry for some time
and mud had not figured greatly in any of the trials. After a
search, however, a gully of thick, black, sticky mud was found.
The section was ordered to proceed down through this, to
turn around and to come back up the gully keeping in the track
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