Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-11
TRIP TO POLE.
Expert Sees Value In Walter
 Wellman's Voyage.
WILL CROSS VAST UNMAPPED AREA


 Will Explore Northern Seas, Ex-
 poets Important Geographical Re-
 suits Fr0m the Expedition - Mil-
 waukee Weather official Thinks Journalist will Reach North Pole.
 Ernest de Koven Leffingwell, who with former comrade on the first Baldwin-Zicgler expedition will head geographical explorat tion journey to unexplored polar seas north of Alaska next summer, predicted that Walter Wellman's flight in an airship toward the pole would be of great value to the science of geography, says the Chi cago Record-Herald. He believes. how ever, that weeks sailing through the northern air currents will not be long enough to give any comprehensive meteorological results and says that practically no geological, geological and pendulum observations of the kind ordinarily taken by the scientific in vestigators on polar expeditions can be taken from an airship.
 Mir. Lefhngwell who as a research worker in the department of geology at the University of Chicago will go up for his doctors degree with thesis on "The Calculation of Lake Chelan, Washington next spring, was in charge of the scientific work in the first Baldwin-Ziegler expedition and spent the year 19O1-02 in Franz Josef Land.
 On the scientific possibilities of MT. Wellman's expedition he said:
 Even if Mir. Wellman does not reach the pole, he will traverse large un- explored area. That in itself will make the expedition worth all the expendi- ture and risk required. Millions are spent for telescopes with which to make maps of Mars, and there are endless regions of our own sphere which are not mapped One cannot imagine better way to make geo. graphical investigations than from an airship car. Those on the Wellman ex- petition will be able to get birds eye view of the area traversed. Their view will not be obstructed by piles of snow and ice. as is that of men in sledges. The geographical results alone ought to be enuogh to make the Wellman expe- dition truly great.
 Tt is proposed to take meteorolog- ical observer along. l doubt if meteor ological results of any value can be ob- tained in weeks stay in the polar | regions. Observations of wind and weather have to be made for con- siderable period to be of such value as l to cover a regions condition scientific ally"
 | As to the method of transportation to be adopted by Mir Wellman, Mir Letiingwell compared the adventure to starting across the ocean in the first steamboat constructed.
 l If Santos-DumOnt first demonstrates lin the temperate zone that he can, tyaF- el 100 miles to a definite point by means of d dirigible balloon. then MT Wellman will not be taking large chances" sail Mir. Leffingwell. Il am not an expert in aeronautics. but am certain that unless they first demon strate ability to travel long distance they will he taking desperate chances. But if they can do this, then they will have the very best possible method of polar travel If they once get an air ! ship to the pole thyre will be no ques- tion about the return trip. The wind will blow them back to civilization" l On his expedition Mir. Leffingwell will share joint leadership with q Dane, Captain Einar Mikkelsen. The expense will amount to sl0,0O0. Rev. c. w. Leffingwell of St. Mary's school. Knoxville. H.. father of the scientific ! explorer, has provided half the sum. and Captain Mikkelsen has raised the other S5.O00. The Royal Geographical ] society of London has indorsed the | L.effingwell-NIikkclsen plans and offer ed the use of equipment from the out | At of the antarctic expedition made in the Discovery. The expedition will start in the early summer.
 We will explore in the Beaufort sea, north of Alaska, and will go look i ing for land. which it seems certain is there, but which has never been ex- plored by geographers," said Mir. Lef- | fingwell when interviewed on his plans. Vague reports that there is land in the Beaufort sea have been brought | by whalers and Eskimos. and the tidal conditions on the shore of Alaska give f evidence of such land. but 1t has never been seen by those making geograph- ical study. We shall start to look for 1t by the middle of May. There will be four men in the party. all of whom have had arctic experience. We may go down the Mackenzie river. sending out freight by whalers. but it is more likely that We will have our own boat" Mr. Lefiingwell is thirty-oRe years old. strong in physique. having been | prominent in athletics at Trinity and Chicago and having served as q sea- man on the battleship Oregon in the Spanish war. He has spent |, three summers making geological in- vestigations in the mountains of Wy oming. Colorado and Washington. Paft of his graduate study was in physics. Major II. R. Hersey. who succeeds Dr. Wilson in charge of the weather bureau at Milwaukee. believes the Wellman-C Chicago Recori-HeraId expe-