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Frank Bottrill (1 April 1871 – 7 January 1953) was an Australian blacksmith and inventor, known for his giant "Big Lizzie" traction engine, thought to be at one time the largest in the world. It had a unique variant of the Dreadnaught Wheel design. Alternating bearing plates gave support to each wheel, allowing it to travel over soft ground without bogging down. This was an early attempt to solve the problem that was later addressed more effectively by the caterpillar track. After running into financial difficulty, Bottrill spent the later part of his working life clearing bush and hauling loads in the west of New South Wales and Victoria. Big Lizzie has been preserved, and stands in a small park in Red Cliffs, Victoria. ==Early years== Frank Bottrill was born on 1 April 1871 into a Methodist family in Sturt, Adelaide. His father, John Lucas Bottrill, was a market gardener. His mother was Eliza Bottrill, née Macklin. He apprenticed as a blacksmith, and worked in the Moonta and Wallaroo mines in South Australia, qualifying as a steam engine driver. He moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales, around 1889. In an early venture, Bottrill formed a steam-engine company to transport supplies to Broken Hill and set out from Adelaide with his first vehicle. The engine became bogged down in the sand north of Morgan, to the north of the Murray River, and had to be abandoned. By 1896 Bottrill had returned to East Payneham in Adelaide and was working there as a blacksmith. He submitted a patent application in September 1896 for improvements to the design of windmills. Frank Botrill and his brother Reuben were hired to clear bush in Tintinara, South Australia, in the early 1900s. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frank Bottrill」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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