The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-08-09

Z
practical triaA at the hands of an expe-
#rienced explorer-He Anschatz-K ampfe
of Munich. Herr Kampfe has devoted the
last two or three years to a study of the
special problems involved in this very
dangerous undertaking and is now having
constructed at Wilhelmshaven a submar-
Inc vessel with which he confidently ex-
poets to be able to reach the pole. He
lately described his plans at meeting
sof the Vienna. Geographical society. 3
The main features affecting the practI-
Scabi1ity OF thesscheme are: The extent
II the separate ice fields in the Polar sea
the ice reaches. From extensive, study
and personal observation Herr Anschatz-.
Kampfe has arrived at the conclusion
that the average maximum depth Of the
ice pack may be, taken to be eighty feet,
while the mean thickness does not exceed
4ixteen to twenty feet. Land ice in the
form Of tcebergs may, he thinks, owing
to It's virtual absence from the seas in
question, be left ont of considerations
While our present knowledge of the
depths attained by the polar basin justi-
ties the opinion that reefs of rocks rising
to anywhere near the surface of the
ocean are not to be expected.
The proposed vessel will be able TO de-
.scend to a depth Of 16O feet, at which
point it will, Of course, be entirely re-
moved from the influence Of cold, storm,
.and ice pressure, the three most formid-
able forces with which the polar explorer
has to cope. .7: +: %zz-E
The length Of time during which the
will ha a13 To i'm f. he
surface is calculated at a maximum of fif
teen hours, which at the modest speed OF
three knots allows her to cover distance
of some fifty miles, whereas the combined
experience Of Arctic explorers indicates
hat continuous fields of ice pack never
exceed maximum diameter of about
three miles. In the improbable case of no
opening being met with within the fifteen
hours there remains the possibility of
opening a way to the surface by blast
ing, .s q. weak point in the ice, toSbe in
dicated without possibility of mistake
by the help of the manometer. The risk
OF injury by collision will be minimized
not only by the slow rate of motion but
by the great strength to be possessed by
the. new ship, on account of the high
pressure she will be subjected to by the
water. 80
Her form will be that of an elipsoid OF
rotation. with a major axis Gength) OF
20 feet. and a breadth of IS feet, giving
displacement of about 800 tons. To
avoid rolling the center Of gravity will
be placed as low as possible The capac-
fly OF the interior will be $500 cubic feet,
which allows sufficient air for Ave men
for fifteen hours-the carbonic acid gas
being continuously renovRd nv the nse
of caustic soda, and possibly supply of
highly compressed oxygen being also car
ried. r.! -
Propulsion will be effected by horizon
tai and vertical screws, the former of
forty, the latter of five horse power The
engine is to be a petroleum motor work
ing through a 22O-volt accumulation. One
hundred and fifty tons of petroleum will
be carried-a quantity more than ter
times. that needed for the G0O-mile' voy-
age to the pole from Spitzbergen; to
which, or rather to the edge of the ice,
the submarine boat will be, ltowed. On
arrival at the pack the direction Of the
first open water will be taken by com
lass, and esthes< boat, being Submerged. a
scoarse VIII be steered for It IF after%an
.hourfSer two the light shows that there
is water overhead, the vertical screw
will be stopped ind the boat will rise of
its own buoyaney; s.zld IN case an Open
channel leading northward is found The
voyage will be continued on the surface.
#. on the other hand, no opening is
reached when six hours have elapsed, IN
ascent to the lower SUFFICE Of the ice
Will ne made and the Yea cc- -. ing,