Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-03

with least weight, but aluminium was only
coming into use, and as to its value there
was everything 20 learn by trial. This was
business In which we could afford expert
ments only before entering the field. and
not afterward; il was an enterprise In which
We early decided the very best the arts and
sciences could produce and money could
buy was not too good for us. but in which
nothing Impractical or hazardous could be
ventured.
Accordingly the services of young but
thoroughly competent consulting engineer
We're secured in James c. Mcclure whose
family is well known in Washington, and
who is one of the rising men of his profess
sion. A graduate of the Rensselaer, Poly
technic Institute of Troy having had years
of experience in metals with the Phoenix
bridge works. having seen field service with
the Nicaragua Canal Construction Com
pany. and being of a conservative, cautious
temperament. Mr.. Mcclure was just the
man for such a task as this For many
months he has been hard at work upon the
various features of our equipment and for
whatever merit many of our devices pos
sess ne Is entitled to the credit When the
layman, protector and enthusiast proposed
the impracticable or encroachei too much
upon the factor of safety" which every
true engineer loves well, Mr.. Mcclure
interposed a professional veto, but in the
main he has carried out the plans of the
writer with most admirable results.
What the Boats Must Endure
One of the important questions which we
had to decide was of what material the
boats should be constructed. The boats
must be both light and strong. They must
stand between the members of our party
and death in the ice fields. in the surf
possibly, or on the open ocean to the north
of Spitzbergen. Any one of them must lie
able to carry fourteen men and some sup
plies In an emergency. In weight Of men,
dogs, provisions. etc, two of them must
have an ultimate capacity of 1000 pounds
They must be practically non-sinkable They
must be so strong of frame, especially in
stiffness forward and aft, that they could
be used as bridges over leads or openings in
the ice, or as levers to lift their own weight
ana loads over the hummOckS and irregular
masses of ice which we shall find more than
enough of upon our journey. Their plating
or skins must be tough enough to resist the
blows OF Ice masses floating in the water,
without fracture, splintering, cracking or
perceptible weakening. They must be capa-
bic of easy and quick repair while in the
held They must be fitted with a runner or
sledge continuance upon their bottoms to
facilitate hauling over ice and snow in and
out of water and upon the frozen surface
OF our arctic highway, and to protect the
oottons from injury. They must endure
some degree of cold and be safe from injury
by the salt of the sea. With all these re-
quirements of size and strength, il was
stipulated that their weight should not ex-
coed 800 pounds, with Instructions to make
tnem as much lighter as would be con-
sistent with safety.
Investigating Boat Materials
Then began a laborious series of Inquiries
Into all known materials for boat building.
Wooden boats could be built with light
frames, and with skins a quarter of an
inch thick, within the required limits of
weight. But through the sides of such boats
a man could jam his boot heel, suggesting
dire probabilities after few days encoun-
ter with the Ice. Wooden skins. light
weights and resistance to blows We're found