JO pillar c^cience Monthly 



691 



I Underwood and Underwood 



Before the war this part of the Belgian border contained the most beautiful country roads, 

 shaded by magnificent old trees which the retreating Germans cut down by the thousands 



A Beautiful Section Laid Waste by 

 War's Iron Heel 



THAT part of Flanders which is lo- 

 cated between the Belgian border 

 and the Somme river, was known before 

 the war as one of the most fertile and 

 beautiful agricultural districts of northern 

 Europe. 



When the British undertook their drive 

 toward Cambrai, the retreating Germans 

 cut down thousands of the trees lining 

 the country roads and placed them across 

 the roads to hinder the progress of the 

 British. 



The Lawn Roller Be- 

 comes a Weapon of War 



ALTHOUGH conceived 

 2~\ primarily as a war 

 machine of unlimited pos- 

 sibilities, the 

 invention upon 

 which J. L. Hy- 

 land, of Min- 

 nesota, recent- 

 ly obtained a 

 patent, can also, 

 lay claim to a 

 wide range of 



Not a lawn roller, but a machine which protects 

 the soldier from gun fire as well as from liquid fire 



usefulness in times of peace. A hollow cyl- 

 inder, approximately seven feet long, has a 

 shaft or axle around which it can be rotated. 

 To the ends of this shaft a steering frame 

 is fitted, similar to that of a lawn roller. 

 By means of the steering frame the roller 

 with its contents may be rolled toward 

 the enemy by two or more men, who are 

 protected from gunfire by the roller, 

 which is to be kept between them and 

 the enemy. One or more machine guns 

 may be mounted on the outside of the rol- 

 ler or placed inside of it, so that they can 

 fire through openings in the steel cylinder. 

 When the roller is to be used as a convey- 

 ance for men, either fighting men on their 

 way to the front or wounded 

 men to be taken back of the 

 lines, a stretcher is suspend- 

 ed from the shaft by means 

 of hooks, or a semi-cylindri- 

 cal structure 

 with berths for 

 three men is 

 suspended 

 from the shaft, 

 so that it will 

 swing freely 

 while the 

 cylinder is re- 

 volving. 



