The Portland daily press., 1894-05-04
OFF FOR THE POLE.
The Plans of Explorer Walter Well
man.

IT is Lieutenant Parry's Scheme Revised
A Summer Dash North That Will be
Watched with Interest.
IN. Y. HERALD
Walter Wellman, who has just sailed
from Norway for the Arctic seas with
the stars and stripes flying at his fore
peak, is native of Ohio and comes of
New England stock. The itinerary
which Mr.. Wellman proposes to follow is
briefly as follows: The Ragnald Jafl,
vessel of 438 tons, which was built
specially for ice work, and is handled by
one of the best ice pilots in the world,
proceeds first along the Norwegian coast
to Tromsoe, and thence as rapidly as
possible due north to Danes island,
Spitzbergen, which will be reachedsabout
the middle of May. Thus in ten days
the explorers will have reached point
exactly half way between civilization at
TF0msoe-the terminus of the Atlantic
cahls-and the North Pole, 1.-The distance
being 100 miles in either direction. At
Danes island they will esta blish their
headq uarters in shooting box lent for
the purpose by Mr.. Pike. an English gen
tleInan. Two men will be left in charge
of the extra stores and furs, and Fro
lessor Oven of Christiana, the well
knoHn geologlst, will remain at head
quarters with an assistant. The steamer
will then proceed to the edge of the ice
pack, probably between 80 and 81 de-
greea north latitude. and, somewhere
about May 20, Mr.. Wellman will disem-
back with fourteen men, fifty dogs, six
~.
pack. The steamer will return to Danes
island, and the expedition will be carried
ON by sledges drawn by dogs over the
ice
LIKE PARRY'S PLAN, ONLY BET
TER,
1t will be seen that in it's broad out
lines Mr.. Wellman's plan is much the
same as that pursued by Sir Edward
Parry (then Lieutenant Parry nearly
seventy years ago. Parry failed to reach
the Pole mainly for two reasons He lost
five or six precious weeks trying to put
his ship in harbor on the north shore of
Spiszbergen, which was covered with
drift ice, instead of on Danes island,
and when at last he did start his equip
ment was not adequate. He had no dogs
and no concentrated food except penn
mican, and his boats weighed 100
pounds each. Yet, Notwithstanding all
these obstao les. Parry reached latitude
SO deg. Is M, a record which up to the
present day has been beaten by only
forty miles. Parry turned back in the
middle of July, because the ice was
drifting him back to the South as fast
as he could walk to the North, so that
he could make no advance. This drift
ing, this current. is present every year,
but Mr.. Wellman told an interviewer the
other day that he does not expect to be
beaten by it as Parry was. Had Parry"
he remarked, STARTED five or six weeks
earlier and his equipment been little
lighter, SO that he could have travelled
a little faster, he would have been be-
yond the region of drifting before the
DRIFT set in. That is exactly what we
propose to do; SO that in midsummer,
or late summer, when the drift ice has
broken, we shall be on our return to the
South, and the drift will assist US on
bur homeward journey-we shall drift
to the south while we sleep!"
ALUMINIUM BOATS AND SLEDGES.
The equipment of the expedition has
been prepared with the greatest care.
An important and novel feature Of it is
the use OF aluminium in the construction
of boats and sledges. Three small boats
have beeu constructed of this metal and
built on the lines of the surf boats of
the United States life saving service. In
this way great strength has been secured
with extreme lightneSs. The metal is
ninety-seven carats aluminium and three
parts copper. 1t has tensile strength
of $500 pounds to the square inch, equal
to the very best iron and only about one
third its weight. The boaJs have sledge
bottoms, so that they can be used alike
ON land or water. In the same fashion
the six sledges, which are also made of
aluminium and will carry 600 pounds
can, il necessary, be converted into
hoasa Another device is worthy of
special mention. When two ice fields
collide the Ice rises up to height of
twenty or thirty feet and the crossing of
these ridges or hummocks has hitherto
ocoasioned much delay. In order to
surmount this difficulty Mr.. Wellman is
taking with him a set of aluminium
bRitiges. One will be used to reach the
top Of the ridge. another to cross it and
third for the purpose of descent The
three will be fitted SO as to form tram
way, over which boats, sledges, men and
dogs will be able to pass. These bridges
weigh $50 pounds each and will support
a load of 1000 pounds The fifty draught
dogs have been taken from Belgium
and Holland, for Mr.. Wellman believes
that years of street work have rendered
their feet tougher than the feet of Esqui-
mau dogs But If necessary they will be
provided with boots after the fashion OBJ
served ny the Tschukis of Siberia. The
expedition takes with it highly concen-
trated prepared food, dessicated vegeta-
bies and so forth.
GAS a sample of what we are doing in
this respect" said Mr.. Wellman to rep
,tr,
In a small case only few inches. square
the concentrated essence of two and a
half barrels of sugar. We take stores
enough to last twelve months, in order
to have reserve should we be compelled
to spsnd winter in Spitzbergen; but
as fact. have no expectation of re-
manning in the Arctic region after Octo-
ber LIST. Our concentrated foods are
only for use on the sledge journey. We
have very little in the way of special
clothing, and with the exception of
feece-Mned underwear our apparel will
he only such as would be worn IN Eng