The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-06-09
JULES
YERNE'S
IDEA
Germans Will Make a
Dive for the
Pole
Will 60 Under the Ice and
Come up Every 20 Miles
to Blow Holes la the
Ice for Air

Nbloohlln bAkle,l
Two German explorers. Or. School
and DR.. Anschulz.Kampfe are plan.
ming to reach the North Pole in sub.
marine boat The vessel, which is al |
ready nearing completion at Bremen.
is 20 feet long and &c feet in beam. |
She will have displacement Of about
500 tons, and To prevent rolling will
have her center OF gravity placed as
low as possible The air capacity OF
the Interior win be $500 cubic feet.
which, without replenishing. will sup.
ply FIVE men 10 hours. the carbonic
acid being neutrallzed by combina.
ton withcaustlc soda. The boat will
be propelled by horizontal and verti.
cal screws, the former OF forty aud
the latter OF ave horse power. the yer.
tical screws being considered sunicl
ent 10 cOuuteract the tendency to
rise. The motive power will be sup
piled by petroleum motor with a 22OI
volt accumulator Tanks win be pro
vided 20 carry l5O tons OF petroleum,
which Is estimated TO be more than
ten times the amount required TO take
the submarine boat from Spitzbergen
TO the pole. II Is intended first TO tow
the boat TO spitbergen and thence
start upon the long dive northward.
In the center Of the boat is a liv.
ingroom. around which sleeping cab.
ins are arranged Ceilings. walls and
floors are covered with material cal.
culated TO exclude the deadly cold OF
the Artlc seas. while further protec.
ton will be afforded by layers OF tar.
red felt, cork padding and airtight
linoleum stretched between the side
planking. There viii be one opening
only on the surface OF this peculiar
craft-a turret, which viii project
just one foot and which viii serve as
a ventilator. as the captains bridge
and as a means OF ingress and egress
for thee rev.
When the submarine boat reaches
the Ice pack the direction Of the near
est visible open water will be taken
by compass and. diving beneath the
ice the boat will shape her course for
Il. When the opening Is attained the
vertical screws will be stopped and
the voyagers win rise 10 the surface
and continue tho trip In the open II
the lead Is long enough 20 make the
change worth while. II al any time
no open water appears and IL Is ne.
cessary 90 replenish the air In the
ship before an opening can be found,
holes will be blasted In the pack by
means OF dynamite cartridges The
inventors OF the boat think they will
have no trouble In locating the best
places for blasting. and 10 make this
certain they depend upon a manome-
ter. an instrument which will deter
mine for them the thickness OF the ice.
As they - not propose 10 travel more
than 20 miles without coming 90 the
surface thoy eohtend that Il will al
ways be easy 20 return 10 the last
breathing place II abnormal condi'
tons make Il impossible for them to
find a new one
The scheme Is certainly a daring
one 10 Is unquestionably novel
Nothing approaching II has ever been
known. except Andree's mad balloon
ing trip toward the pole-and 10
death. The builders Of the submarine
are calmly confident that they will
have no trouble in steering their craft
for long distances under water nor
do they seem 10 consider the poeai-
bility Of meeting lee 30 thick ribbed
that IL canot be blasted asunder BY
ordinary methods. Nor do they take
into account the possibility OF some
thing golng wrong win the machinery
and Of being unable either 20 sink or
swim. The Imagination OF Verne
would reyel in the prospects Of such
a climax as would occur In the boat
when Il becomes necessary 10 make
a six-hour trip back 10 the last
breathing place with less than three
hours supply Of air. Naval experts.
who know how hard II 10 10 steer a
submarine half a mile, think that
Herr Kampfe and bis associates have
undertaken the fOolhardiest eKpedi-
tion in the chronicles Of the AFtic, bat
the explorers are snpremely confident
that nothing will 60 wrong with the
machinery and that there VIII BE- no
great difhculty In hndlng Ice tain
enough % be broken.
Herr Kampfe says that hia ship can
dive TO a depth Of 40 feet which y
almost twicea deep - the masimam
depth mar is likely 20 b required %