Evening journal., 1894-03-14

What the Young Explorer Hopes TO Accom-
plish--Novel Features OF the Expedition.
The Frozen North's Fascinating Mystery
May Soon Use Solved.
NEW YORK, March 14-Mr. Walter Well.
man, the well known journalist, sailed on
the steamer Britannia today en- route for
Spitzbergen, from which point his expedi-
tion will make a summer dash for the
north pole. Mr. Wellman was accom-.
panied by three other Americans-Profess-
or Owen b. French, lato of the United
States coast and geodetic survey and an
experienced and capable scientist; DR..
Thomas B. Mohun a successful Washing
ton physician and Charles @. Dodge, the
artist and photographer of the expedition.
The enterprise is under the leadership OF
Mr.. Wellman. and the three men named
are his lieutenants.
Ten hardy young Norwegians, ambitious
and experienced I'm arctic exploration, will
join the party in Norway, and the expedi-
tion will sail from Tromsoe, Norway for
the islands Of Spitzbergen about the LIST of
May. At Danes island, which Is very near
the cightieth parallel-that point of lati-
tude so far north that many explorers have
never reached and few have ever passed II
headquarters will be established, and
then the party will steam to the edge Of
the great ice pack about a degree farther
north. After u landing IL effected the
steamer will return to Danes island, and
about the 10th or 18th of May the dash for
the pole win begin.
WIN Use Aluminium Boats.
That marvellous new metal, aluminium,
| hns been utilized I'm the construction OF
sledges, boats and other apparatus, and
| thus equipped with far lighter parapher-
MALTA than any previous explorer Mr.. Well.
man expects 70 be- able TO push ON north at
| the rate of from 10 to 90 miles per day. A.
| he will have only about 600 miles TO travel
| before the pole Is reached, he expects 60
/ either reach chat goal or point very near
/ Il in 90 days He will then return to the
| edge of the pack In 90 days more, his
steamer will pick him up, and he will then
| return home
Mr.. WellmRn has carefully studied the
| great problem before him and expects Co
| profit by the knowledge gained by previous
| explorers who have traverssd the pack and
| TO avoid their mistakes. His early start Is
for the purpose OF getting far north before
the pack begins its drift toward the south.
Away back I'm 1897 Sir Edward Parry
pushed ON northward over the pack at the
rate of from i6 to 90 miles per day, but his
heavy equipage compelled him to break
his londs into parts and pass from five TO
seven times over the same road.
Other explorers handicapped with old
time sledges and boats, have been COM
| PEELED to progress I'm the same slow man
ncr. hut Mr.. Wellman believes that with
ii. light aluminium outfit retracing his
steps will he unnecessary, and that every
mile travelled viii take him a mile farther
toward the pole. AZ the start the drift of
the ice pack will not be against him, and
when he returns later IN the season it will
assist him In his homeward journey.
Mr. Wellman carries with him his alu-
minium boats and sledges-.the first ever
built In America-and tests have demon.
strated that they are by far the lightest
and at the same time the very strongest
boats and sledges of their size that the
world has ever seen. The entire equip.
ment of the party of a will be about {, SOC
pounds and as 40 hardy draft dogs will
assist in carrying IL, the average weight
per man and dog will be about 100 pounds
A Newspaper Expedition.
One novel feature of Mr. Wellman'.
scheme of exploration is that IL is strictly
a newspaper expedition, and II Mr. Well
mans plans are carried out the world viii
be npprised of his progress toward the
pole, thing that has never before beer
done I'm the case Of any previous polar ex
peditlon. Members of his party will be
sent back from time to time to the edge o
the ice pack with letters describing the
progress Of the expedition and the discov
cries made by the explorers. At the edge
of the ice pack the dispatches will be taker
/ on board Mr.. Wellman's steamer, which
will return TO Norway, whence the world
will receive the news
Whether Mr. Wellman's dash for th'
, pole will DE successful or not remains {,
I he seen, but if his novel plan is even partly
/ carried out he will succeed in reaching
. degree of latitude farther north than tha
(. reached by any previous explorer. Will
! ! Wellman, Peary, Nansen and possibly
4 jackson in quest of the pole this year, j
= seems highly probable that 1854 will mari
the solution OF the frozen north's fascinat
] Inc saI.fi