Gilpin observer., 1906-01-04
FOR NORTH POLE
AIRSHlP PLAN OF WALTER WELL.
MAN AND SANTOS pUMoNT.
ALL MODERN APPLIANCES
Chicago Record-Herald Correspondent
Has Orders to Go Ahead With the
scheme-To Start Next Summer
From Snitzheroen

SCneme-Io start Next summer
From Spitzbergen.
Chicago-"Build an airship, go find
the north pole and report by wireless
telegraphy and submarine cables the
progress of your efforts"
This was the startling assignment
given a few days ago to Walter Well
man, the Washington correspondent of
the Chicago Record-H Herald, by Frank
b. Noyes, editor-in-chief of the paper
and the commission has been accepted
by Mr.. Wellman. AS an assistant on
this daring expedition Mr.. Wellman
will have the services of Alberto San
tos-Dumont of Paris, who will have
charge of the construction of the air.
ship and will act as aeronautic director
and pilot for the ship on it's voyage to-
ward the north pole.
The airship, the order for which has
been given, will be built by Louis God
ard of Paris under the supervision of
M. Santos-Dumont, and will be com.
pleted by the end of next April. No
definite date has been decided upon
when the explorers will start on their
journey, but it is expected that every
thing will be in readiness to get away
next July or early August. After COM
pletion the airship will have several
trials in or about Paris, and in June
all the paraphernalia will be assembled
in SpitZbergen, where the explorers
will await a favorable opportunity for
the dash for the pole, which, according
to Mr.. Wellman, should the expedition
meet with good run of luck, should
be reached in less than a week.
In announcing his acceptance to-
night of the proposed expedition, Mr..
Wellman said:
IF did not believe that the chances
of success were greater than those OF
failure, l would not accept the com.
mission. Mr.. Noyes acted on no sud.
den whom or impulse when he gave me
the order TO try and locate the much.
sought north pole, as he had before
him report submitted to him as to
the outcome of two visits to the inner
polar regions.
THE problem of reaching the pole
by means of an airship does not re-
Quire high speed, and the present state
of the art of aerial navigation by gas
buoyed and motordriven ships-is am.
pie for that purpose. From an easily
reached base of operations in northern
Spitzbergen we have but $50 geograph.
ical miles to go to the pole and a like
distance for the return voyage. 1t we
take the whole at 1,200 miles it means
but 100 hours of motoring at twelve
miles an hour. Santos-Dumont has fire..
| Quently made from nineteen to twenty.
, three miles an hour with small air.
ships equipped with relatively small
motors.
1.-The airship in which we propose TO
attain the northpole will be the largest
| practicable airship ever built.
1T will carry $500 pounds of gaso-
| line and its distance capacity during
| calm weather will be eighteen miles
| more than equal to the distance from
| SpitZenbergen straight across the pole
| and the whole Arctic ocean to Alaska.
| AS our airship will be constructed 1t
| will be able to make headway against
| two-thirds of all the winds that blow,
even though squarely adverse, and it is
| part of our project to motor only with
favorable winds and to anchor our ship
to the ice and lie to- in all unfavorable
winds of velocity exceeding one-half
the normal speed of our craft. The
ship will be equipped for safe anchor
age in the highest winds ever known
in the Arctic regions. In fact, the ship
will be subject to the will and hand of
the navigator, just like 4 steamship
upon the ocean.
mentioned the ship will carry also five
men. comfortable car to live in,
(Which is also boat in case of need,
food and supplies for seventy-five days,
sledges to draw them over the ice, and,
in fact. completely organized and
equipped sledging party, ready at any
moment, should it be necessary, to
abandon the airship and take to the
ice.
Wireless telegraph stations will be
established at SpitZbergen and at Ham
merfest, Norway, 600 miles distant.
Further than this, a wireless equip.
ment will be carried in our airship, and
1t will be our effort to send daily dis
patches to the outside world through
out all the time the expedition is in the
Arctic regions, even from the pole 1t.
self should W ebe successful in reach.
ing it."