Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-12-24
A FLIGHT TO THE POLE.


had demonstrated that the vertlca
propeller was capable of raising the
ship to a height far beyond that OF the
highest mountains on the earth. while
the horizontal propeller could easily
drive il ahead at speed of 200 miles an
hour. 1t answered the helm more readi-
1y than any vessel that ever rode tbs
waves, and it's course could be detected
up or down with equal readiness. In
fact, at last had ready to my hand the
means OF accomplishing my great pro-
ject On the evening of the third day
after the trial trip, i drove up 10 my
ranch, near Knights Landing. where
the air-ship had been built. unknown
10 all theworld save James Auchincloss.
the Scotch machinist who had assisted
me in putting the parts together as
they arrived from the foundry in San
Francisco. he had shared with me
the perils and triumphs of the trial trip.
Now. as drove my light wagon up to
the door. after trip TO the ferry, Au-
ehincloss came out to help me TO UNI
load. Having handed out supplies of
bread. crackers and various kinds Of
canned delicacies. together with some
wine and spirits, flung out six buffalo
robes, and the same number of heavy
blankets.
"HaHo, Mr.. Aitken!" exclaimed Au-
chincloss. you've got wraps enough
for the north pole"
-Glad youthink So" replied 1; that's
inst yyhere we're poinp"
"All right, boss" said Auchincloss.
II don't doubt you can do it. A man
that can build an air-ship can go to the
north pole in It. When do we start?"
Tomorrow morning, at daybreal
--hnlf-past four"
Then let's go to bed"
Day broke dim over the hills ana
plains of Stanislaus county as. after 4
hasty breakfast, we slowed into the
vessel the things | had bought on the
previous night. We also carried in our
stove and clamped it securely 10 the
cabin floor, piling in at the same time
half cord of wood for fuel. Two ten
gallon kegs Of water completed the
commissariat. ! secured small, but
beautifully fitted compass. with all
modern appliances. at the forward end
of the cabin. where it would be furthest
removed from the influence of the iron;
and. beside it. very line thermometer.
This latter marked just ~ minutes to
five as Auchincloss. standing by the
engine. turned on the air. and. under
the enormous draught of the horizontal
fans. our vessel with a singing noise
rose vertically into the air.
The moving panorama beneath us
now began TO be beautiful in the eX-
IRENE. | purposed keeping roughly in
the region lying between the 12oth and
I2sd merldians of longitude, deviating |
from strict northerly course where
necessary TO avoid n mountainous coun-
try. We therefore passed in north
westerly direction over Pennington
and Linden; crossed the Calaveras |
river at 5:04; the Mokelumne at $40: |
the Costumes at 5:l4; and were scour- /
ing about five miles to the east of Sac |
at $50. BY six a. M, we had |
passed Red Bluffs and Cottonwood. and |
were abreast of the Black Buttes OF |
Lassen; while far away to the north. |
70 miles across the intervening country
Of Shasta, and in that of Siskiyou. the
white cone which gives it's name to the
aforementioned district pierced the
cloudless ether. Still keeping up the
main watershed Of the Sacramento, AT
$50. we skirted the western base of
urhi oh q r.. /
above us. Ten minutes later we were
just crossing the Oregon line. having
passed over more than four degrees of
istitude. or 300 miles. in an hour and
half. The vessel was answering expec-
tation: the pressure in the receiver was
snly so pounds. and the discharges of
cartridges in the condenser had been
kept to ~ a minute. Auchincloss CON
tinued TO smoke imperturbably. and
went methodically round with his oil
can.
We now and again made divergence
% the northeast to avoid the Cascade
range of mountains. At 7:45 we sight
ID the Columbia river, and crossed into
territory at The Dalles.
still eastward into the valley
II the Yakima. Mount Adams, Mount
Rainier and Mount Axis were success
'uiiy left behind us during the next
salf hour. Here. the mountains be-
,cring more broken. we had 10 rise 10
! height of nearly 5000 feet to avoid
heir ridges. At $3.50 we crossed the
orty-ninth parallel and entered British
erritory. The next three hours were
,assed at great altitude. for we were |
approaching the Rocky
Mountains. These we crossed between
$50 and 1918. at an altitude of s.O0o
Get by the barometer, and entered
'pon region much colder than that
Thich we had left on the other side of
be range. now lit the stove. as it
vas getting sharp and cold. for the
un was no higher in the heavens than
had been two hours earlier, though
had. Of course, swung further to the
outh. i also spread out my charts
pom the table, and at 10 noon took a
extant observation, and determined $
he latitude TO be 81 degrees 40 minutes =
crth, while the river which ran be- 3
cath concluded to be the Mackenzie '
iver. in longitude 121 degrees 20 min
ties west The variation, 90 A. -. | I