The United States Army's first armored car has twenty port-holes for 

 machine-guns and a well in the center for a three-inch rapid-fire field piece 



Our First Armored Car 



THE first armored car to be con- 

 structed under the direction of 

 the Board of Engineers of the 

 United States Army has been inspected 

 at the Sandy Hook proxing grounds. 

 The car was designed and built within 

 twenty-seven days. It will no doubt be 

 sent to the Mexican border, to be used 

 in actual operation. 



The service for which the car is 

 intended is primarily to guard railroads 

 and depots adjacent to railroads. It is 

 not ordinarily to l)e em])I()yi'd in aggres- 

 sive mo\'ements. In cffi-ct, it is a 

 movable jjlockhousi- which may be 

 used at any point along the line. It 

 may serve as a retreat for troops past 

 danger points, or for the transportation 

 of explosives or material of a perishable 

 nature which might l)e damaged by lire 

 from the ends. 



The car consists of a heavy steel-plate 

 structure erecte<i upon a staiidanl II, it- 



car frame. The plate is of suliicicnt 

 thickness to withstand fire from small 

 anus. The interior is divided into three 

 compartments. Through port-holes in 

 the end compartments, machine-guns 

 and rifles may be fired by soldiers with- 

 in the car. The center comixirtmeiit, 

 which is lower than the full height of 

 the car. is used for the storage of 

 ammunition. Enough ammunition may 

 be stored to sup]il\' the small arms 

 and the three-inch rapid-lire field gun 

 mounted on toj) of the car. This gun h. is 

 asi)ecial recoil mounting. It takesacrew 

 of three Iraini-d nun to opi-rati- it. The 

 gun-wi'll may also be used as a fighting- 

 top for troops armed with machine-guns 

 or rilles. 



The car will accommodate a plat<x)n 

 of infantry seate<l on camp sttKils or on 

 benches. When used for patrol ])urposes 

 tlu're would not be more th.m twehe 

 men in tin- car, to o|>erate the rai)id-fire 



r.vSS 



