The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-06-20
AS BRITIsHERs SEE 1T.
Comments OF the English Press Upon
the Undertaking of WeIlman.


wellman's dash 10 the pole" says the
Chicago Herald. Leading newspapers
are devotlng a good deal Of space TO dis
cussing the question OF its probable sue
cess. characteristic British conservatism
being displayed In the care with which
most OF them refrain from giving de-
oided expressions or editorial opinion
either pro or con. In some cases there
Is hint OF confidence that American
pluck viii succeed where so many men
OF other nationalltles have failed. one
journal going 80 far as TO say that before
long the mysterious frozen north may
become familiar to the summer tourist
IL is generally conceded that Mr. Well
mans idea Of using aluminium sledges
Will be OF great benefit 10 the American
explorer. especially as his program con-
templates but a brief sojourn I'm the
arctic as compared with the stay pro-
vided for by his predecessors.
The London Daily News prints in its
news columns an extended review oI t.e
proposed expedition and comments edi-
torlally as follows:
we publish today an account Of Mr..
Wellman's plans for the American polar
expedition. The three great expeditions
now on their route 10 the pole or shorty
| tinct theories Of the way 20 reach H. Time
and the event alone can decide between
them. Or. Nansen is to put himself In n
sort Of stream Of polar tendency. get
| frozen up In IL, II need be. and yet trust
| 10 the stream to carry the ice and the
imprisoned vessel past the pole. The plan
! OF Mr. Jackson. the Englshman, is to
| sap up 10 the pole by the way OF Franz
| Josef land. which many high authorities
| regard as the only route that has not
| fFah faf1 xti1l
| slowly. establishing food and shelter de-
pots as he goes as reserves for the return
| journey, and he Is prepared 10 devote
| some three years to the task. The Ameri-
can plan described today is highly char
| acterlstic OF the nationality OF It's leader.
"Mr. Wellman hopes as IL were, 10 wing
the pole by a sort of snap shot He VIII
get as far as he can within one briet sum-
mer season, taking care TO stop, wherever
| he may be I'm time to allow Of his return
| under the most favorable conditions OF
| temperature. He is not TO sap up To the
| pole by slow advances carried through sew
| eral seasons. but to rush II by travelling
| at his best speed with specially con-
! structed boats and sledges. These are to
be of aluminium, because the metal gives
the minimum OF weight with the maxi
| mum Of strength, and TO be drawn by
| kind Of newly invented artic dog from
| Holland and Belgium The very clothing
| OF the party will be almost as light as
that worn in wintry weather In our lati-
| tudes It is an Idea like the others, and
| as we have said, time and the event can
| alone show what 1t is worth.
| The Yorkshire Post, one Of the leading
papers i'm the north OF England. indicates
/ hope Of success, basing this implied belief
| on the lightness Of equipment which
characterizes the expedition. The paper
| named says:
zone OF these days there will be an in
! teresting meeting at the north pole.
/ 10 n a
| that desired spot. DR.. Nansen has had n
| good start but he required a liberal
] handicap treatment as drifting-his
/ method Of proRress-is apt 20 he slow at
| times, and recognizing this the intrepid
Norwegian cannot fix the date of his ar
| rival al the pole any nearer than within
| a year or two. Lieut.. Parrys progress
is likely TO be more satisfactory while II
| lasts, but progress in these latitudes Is
| not Of long duration Another expedition
| is about 10 join the race, so that IL may
| be looked upon as starting at scratch.
! This is the Wellman polar expedition
and II has been thus penalized In the
| race on account OF the supposed superb
! ority of its equipment.
| "The leading spirit Of the expedition is
| Walter Wellman, an American gentle
| man, and n novel idea Of his is the feat
| ure of this attempt is 10 succeed where
| so many have failed. This consists in
| the use Of aluminium in the construction
Of combination boats and sledges. thus
| securing unusual lightness In addition to
| the necessary strength II Is on these
aluminium boats and sledges that the
promoters OF this expedition pin their
| chance OF success. The Wellman expedi-
| ton is an elaboration OF the at
| tempt made by Sir Edward Parry
| in 1927 the feature of the modern
effort being its lightness all round and
| the consequent ease by which the boats
| with their occupants and dogs with their
| al These
] expeditions will soon Jostle each other at
| the pole and in a few years what was
| formerly an unknown region Of the globe
| will be the popular haunt OF the summer
| tourist"
| while bidding Mr.. Wellman and his
| fellow-explorers godspeed the Scottish
| Leader throws the corner OF a damp
| blanket over them by referring to the
| danger they would have TO face should
winter overtake them in the Arctic The
] Leader says;
| "A summer trip to the pole in alumni
| ium boats and sledges-that is the brief
| description of the American expedition
which will leave Norway In few days
| for the Arctic seas. The leader OF II
| is confident that by sticking to the sum-
mer months he will effect what Mares
| and Greely failed to accomplish and will
| lift at last the white curtain or mystery
| that hangs round the northern eXtrem-
| ity of the world. That is all very well. Of
| course. IL one can SUCK u the summer
| months but what If the winter comes
/ down on the gallant band ere they have
reached their journeys goal? At any
rate. we wish them all success, them
| and also the valorous DIR. Nansen. who
| is already in those frozen regions for
| which Mr.. Wellman is about to set out"
| The Leeds Mercury has the following
| to say
| "Walter Wellman, the leader of the
new American expedition which hopes to
| reach the north pole via Spitzbergen,
| landed at Liverpool on Monday from
| New York en- route to Norway Mr..
| WeIlman is just thirty-five years old.
| He spent his boyhood in the backwoods
! of Michigan and the prairies Of Nebras-
ka. starting to earn his own living at the
| age of twelve as clerk in a country store.
| He then entered a printing office, and as
a boy of fourteen started a newspaper
| OF his own with capital of thousands Of
! homes and a score or two of dollars" and
| he made it a success. Mr.. Wellman
| ioined the Chicago Herald ten years ago
and was sent out by it in 1891 to find the
| spot at which Columbus first landed on
| American soil and to erect a monument
| there"
No Children Taken.
The Janitor-"Sorry l can't let you
have the fiat, ma am. but we don't allow