The production of helmets, however, was our first concern; and in order to be sure of a sufficient quantity of these protective headpieces, we adopted the British model for production in the United States and went ahead with it on a large scale. For the metal we adopted after much experimentation a steel alloy with a high percentage of manganese. This was practically the same as the steel of the British helmet. Its chief advantage was that it was easy to work in the metal presses in existence and it required no further tempering after leaving the stamping presses. Its hardness, however, wore away the stamping tools much more quickly than ordinary steel sheets would do.
While we adopted the British helmet in design and substantially in metal used, we originated our own helmet lining. The lining was woven of cotton twine in meshes three-eighths of an inch square. This web, fitting tightly upon the wearer's head, evenly distributed the weight of the two-pound helmet, and in the same way distributed the force of any blow upon the helmet. The netting, together with small pieces of rubber around the edge of the lining, kept the helmet away from the head, so that even a relatively large dent could not reach the wearer's skull.
It is an interesting fact that the linings for the American helmets were produced by concerns whose ordinary business was the manufacture of shoes. There were 10 of these companies taking such contracts. Steel for the helmet was rolled by the American Sheet & Tin Plate Co. The helmets were pressed and stamped into shape by seven companies which had done similar work before the war. These concerns were:
| Contractor. | Delivered. |
|---|---|
| Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Co., Philadelphia | 1,150,775 |
| Sparks, Withington Co., Jackson, Mich. | 473,469 |
| Crosby Co., Buffalo, N. Y. | 469,968 |
| Bossett Corporation, Utica, N. Y. | 116,735 |
| Columbian Enameling & Stamping Co., Terre Haute, Ind. | 268,850 |
| Worcester Pressed Steel Co., Worcester, Mass. | 193,840 |
| Benjamin Electric Co., Des Plaines, Ill. | 33,600 |
| Total | 2,707,237 |
The metal helmets and the woven linings were delivered to the plant of the Ford Motor Co. at Philadelphia, where they were painted and assembled. The helmets were painted in the olive-drab shade for protective coloring. While on dull days such objects could not be discerned at a great distance, in bright weather their rounded surfaces might catch and reflect sunbeams, thus betraying the positions of their wearers. To guard against this, as soon as the helmets were treated to a first coat of paint fine sawdust was blown upon the wet surface. When this had dried, another coat of paint was applied, and a nonreflective, gritty surface was thus produced.
AMERICAN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF HELMETS, LIGHT BREASTPLATES, AND ARM GUARDS.
American Helmet. Experimental Model No. 2.