New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-05
ED1soN,s Way OF REACHlNG THE POLE.
PROPOSING TO PUSH AN ENORMOUS sLEDGE OVER
THE HUMMOCks.

PROPOSING TO PUSH AN ENORMOUS sLEDGE OVER
TIE HUMMOCks
Commander Cheyne's plan of reaching the North
Pole by balloons has been OutdOne. Thomas A.
Edison has turEed from the division of the electric
light and the addition of electric light companies
to suggest that the traveller in the Arctic shoud
embark modified ice boat ana pole his way over
hummocks and icebergs. " Ii was only hint, you
know said Mr.. Edison, rising from the lounge on
which he had been lying and neryously running his
Iientenant lIoygaard, OF the Royal DANISH Navy,
about Polar exploration when he was here and L
threw off this suggestion, which seems to me prac
ticable You build big boat or sledge' PERHAPS
100 or SOC feet long, and when the explorers come
TO the ice fields they can get INTO lhls b0at anu
push it along on the tops of the hummocks with
long poles" Then Mr.. Edison taking paper ana
nencii drew line of wave-likc mountains OF about
the same height intended to represent the ice hum
Knocks. Across the tops OF the hummo 2S he drew
ice boat lightly bounding over the hummOcks on
heI wav to the Pole. The men in the stern dill
gently pushing with long poles Nh Edison lett to the
Imagination of the beholder. lts very simple"
said Mr. Edison. as he contemplated his sketch with
afectionatc pride, and his visitor agreed that 1t
was The friction is leSsened, you see, and the
weight rests on several small surfaces"
= Int are not these hummocks and bergs of very
uneouaI heights and do not the distances between
30. | understand that they are tolerably uni;
form in height. OF course haven't been there"
added Mr.. Edison, i'll modest disc tanner, put I've
read good many books OF Arctic travel ana talked
with explorers. Now TO meet the question of un-
even surfaces the boat would have to he elastic so
that it could adjust itself TO- the tops Of the hum
more depicted icebergs some OF which lowered 10
the height of inch, while others were July half
an inch high. Across these unequal hlllocks
MIR Edison drew two lines joined at the ends,
the lower of which touched the top of each
height Therefore these lines presented a cnFl0usiy
irregular and wavy outline Now YOU ought 10
have flexible boat" said the artist one that VIII
adapt itself to uneven surfaces Ike TINS. Make
the boat of some material that will bend instead of
-. and hare
might be of kind of lattice work"
"And when you came to open water-F
We'll. YOU might carry another regular boat
inside this for use in the water"
Wouldn't this polling your boat over broken
hummocks entail considerable wear and tear on the
at would necessarily be shod with IRON like an
lcc-boat, ana would then withstand rough usage"
"And how when the boat pitched down into wide
valleys bel ween the icebergsT
Then il would be necessary to have some means
provided for hosting it mp. And to avoid the dan
ger OF the boat going head Tst Into hole the bow
Mr. Edison drew gracefully curylng line upward
from the bow of his crooked loat which gave IT the
appearance of serpent undnlatlng lts iolds over
ant. hills and raising its head to look out for danger
ITS Just tho principle of the snOwshoe you see
said Mr. Edison.
Probably eight or ten tons.
How fast do you think it could be pushed
along3'
nearly ten miles an hour. and if the North River
were frozen over there would be trouble in push
ing boat at good rate from here to Albany.
Then this boat night have a sail If they wished.
Have you entered into the details OF the number
of men you would have TO push the craft or OF the
steering apparatus
"Oh, no. but that could he arranged. The longer
the sedge within certain limits tie better, and it
might be 800 feet hong and 80 feet vide, which
would give ample room for the travellers and their
provisions"
"Mr. Edison, are you willing to take contract
TO push such a sledge the Arctic fields TO the
| Pole 7"
"Well, Pm not an Arctic explorer, you know.
But ii the country between here and Albany were
| covered with ice-hummocks, / would contract TO
| pole sledgc them and reach Albany in good
condition and in good time"
| TheTeupon Mr. Edison fell into Ieverie appar-
emily belolding himself in the stern Of a sledge a
| hundred or two feet long balanced on the SUBMITS
| of Arctic icebergs, while he with heavy stan was
| vigorously showing his way to the Pole 1t is said
| that Lieutenant Hoygaard cherishes very san
| guipe hopes that the Pole will be reached in this
manner.