Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-14

Henson made their way as far as ~
degrees II minutes north latitude,
northwest OF Cape Hecla, the farthest
point Of Grinnell Land. beyond which
an advance was found to be impossi-
BILE. and the idea of further progress
had ito be recultantly abandoned.
Peary planned to be sixty days on this
Journey, forty In advancing and twen-
ty I'm returning; but 1t occupied only
twenty-nine In all. Peary then made
his way south to Cape Sabine, where
relief ship met him in August and con-
yeyed him back to New York.
His present expedition, which will he
his seventh, Is being made in large
and powerful steamer-the Roosevelt
specially constructed for him the past
winter at Bucksport, Maine. In her he
expects, If favored with an open sea
son, to reach a point near the Polar
ocean itself. or 400 miles farther north
than he usually gets by vessel. Four
pole seeking vessels have already
reached that vicinity, though none of
them was In any way as well fitted for
the task as the Roosevelt.
On her he will transport north a tribe
of EskimOs, among whom he has worked
for twelve years, and with the picked
men of the tribe, each driving a dog team,
he proposes next February to make q
dash for the pole, dropping team after
team to return as its stores are ex-
hausted, and meeting these again on
his backward journey as they come
toward him with renewed supplies of
provisions. A feature of the present
expedition is that he has the ship fitted
with Marconi's wireless telegraphy, and
hopes to be able to communicate with
New York by its agency. an innovation
which. If successful, will enable the world
to learn of his movements from day to
day.
The new ship is not large, but she is of
ample size for the work cut out for her,
and everything has been done to make
her handy and serviceable Her princi-
pal dimensions are: Length on load wa
ter line, between perpendiculars, 16l feet;
length over all, ISL feet; BEAM maximum,
at load water line 80 feet, beam ma ximum
over guard strake "a feet 2 inches: mean
draft, 16 feet; full-load displacement,
about 1900 tons.
The structural get-up of the craft Is
very massive. and the stem, sternpost,
keel. keelsons, and frames will all be Of
very carefully selected white oak, fas-
tened and secured with exceptional thor
oughness- The frames, nodded at heel
l6 inches and at head 10 inches. will be
spaced only "a inches apart, from center
to center. Immediately over the frames
are laid diagonal straps of steel, making
a lattice lacing from bow to stern
and from stern to bow. leaving
openings between six feet
square. Outside. over the straps, is
a double course of 5-inch planking, the
inner course of yellow pine or spruce and
the outer course of well-seasoned white
oak Between the two courses is spread
a sheathing of tarred hemp or tarred
canvas The courses will be secured to
the frames very thoroughly, and the out
er course, after it has been most care
fully caulked. will be overlaid with extra
heavy sheet copper. Inside the frames are
covered with 3-inch yellow pine ceiling,
and the utmost caution will be exercised
during construction to insure thorough
watertightness and to have the vessel
will be of yellow pine. and likewise made
of exceptional stoutness. The main deck
beams will be spaced four feet apart.
from center to center. or on every other
frame. The lower beams will be spaced
directly under the deck beams All of
these beams are well anchored, and most
tied by numerous through
bolts riveted up inside To provide still
greater athwartship strength, each beam
will be supported by heavy diagonal
braces Of yellow pine, likewise we'll an
chored and through bolted. The craft Is
built to withstand very heavy pressures
acting normally to the sides, bilges and
bottom. and the shape of the crossec-
tion Is such as to tend to raise the vessel
out of the water as the ice pack presses
upon her below water.
The vessel will carry two deck houses.
ana the forward one which will be porta-
PIE, Will be large enough to accommodate
Commander Peary. the scientific staff and
The Ofhcers of the ship. When the shin
mas reached as far north as it is possible
to force her, this deck house will be car
ried ashore to serve as winter quarters.
and. upon the departure of the slcdge ex-
petition. as a stOrehOuse for the more
supplies hsss The crew will
castle or aft between decks. where accom- |
modations will be provided for them. II
Is highly likely that the Eskimos and
their dogs, which Commander Peary will
take on at Whale Sound. will be housed
under the forecastle; but this is a detail |
not yet settled.
The living spaces will be comfortably
but very simply finished and the ship will
be heated by steam and lighted both by
and by Oil lamps.
The motive power will consist Of a sin
gle. inverted compound engine. driving a |
single lO-foot screw. and steam will be /
supplied by two water-tube boilers
Under forced draft, the engine will he
able to develop 400 indicated horsepower.
and under natural draft, 100 indica ted
horse power. The bunker capacity is 100
tons Of coal: and at starting, the vessel
will carry deck load, in bags, of 40 tons
more: With this supply. at lO-knot |
cruising speed. she should he able to do
between four and five thousand knots.
There will be steam capstang AMI L
steam steering gear.
That Peary stands a splendid chance Of
making a new record Is admitted by aIII
students Of polar research. for he enjoys
the advantage of the aid of the Eskimos
the best dog drivers and the finest tray,
elers on the frozen Polar Ocean. How
ever. Fiala's expedition may have accom-
plished some substantial work the mast
Two years, and got nearer to the pole than
hr.f n