The tank is ponderous, the smallest of them, which were
those first constructed, weighing forty-two tons, or about
as much as a good-sized railroad freight car. And it is this
ponderosity, with its slow but resistless movement, that
gives the tank its power.
The tank, by means of the endless belts of steel plates,
can travel over the roughest country. It can butt into a
tree, a stone wall, or a house, knock over the obstruction,
mount it, crawl over it, and slide down into a hole on the
other side and crawl out again, on the level, or at an
angle. Even if overturned, the tanks can sometimes right
themselves and keep on. At the rear are trailer wheels,
partly used in steering and partly for reaching over gaps or
getting out of holes. The tanks can turn in their own
length, by moving one belt in one direction and the other
oppositely.
Inside there is nothing much but machinery of the gasolene
type, and the machine guns. The tank is closed except for
small openings out of which the guns project, and slots
through which the men inside look out to guide themselves or
direct their fire.
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