The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-01-06
BY AIRSHIP TO POLE
vALTER WELLMAN RECEIVES HTS
ORDERS.
wIr Sc Accompanied BY Sauios Du-
mont In Largest Ariel Vessel
Ever OnSfruCte0-Expected That
Start VIII Be flade carlN IN
August Next.

August NSAts
Chicago, Jan. 2.-s'Build an air.
ship. 60 find the orth pole and report
by wireless telegraph and submarine
cabless the progress of your efforts.''
This was the startling assignment
given a few days ago to Walter Well
man. Washington correspondent for
the Chicago Record Herald, by Frank
3 Noyes, editor in chief of the paper.
and the commission has been accepted
bv Mr. Wellman. As an assistant on
this daring expedition Mr.. Wellman
will have the services of Santos Du-
mont, ofP arts, who will have charge
of the construction of the airship and
will act as aeronautic director and pi-
lot of the ship on its voyage toward
the North pole.
The ai1ship, the order for which
has been given, will be built by Louis
Goddard, of Paris, under the super
vision of M. Santos Dumont, and will
he completed by the end of next April.
No definite date has yet been decided
upon when the explorers will start on
their journey, but it is expected that
everything will be in readiness to get
away by next July or early in August.
After copmletion the airship will be
given several trials, and in June all
the paraphernalia for the journey will
be assebmled in Spitzbergen, where
the explorers will await a favorable
opportunity for the dash to the pole,
which, according to Mr.. Wellman,
should the expedition meet with a
good run of luck, should be reached
in less thana week
Believes In Chances Tor Success.
In announcing his acceptance of the
proposed expedition, Mr.. Wellman
said:
IF 1 did not believe that the
chances of success were greater than
those of failure, 1 would not accept
the commission.
Mr.. Noyes acted upon no sudden
whim OF impulse when he gave me
the order to try to locate the much
sought North Pole, as he hadb efore
him report which 1 had submitted
to him as the outcome of two visits to
the ineer polar regions; of years of
studyof the problem of the pole Of
many months of special investigation
of airship construction and naviga-
ton, the wind and climatic conditions
to be encountered, and all the multi
tudinous mechanical and meteorolog
ical factors involved. In this investt-
igation scores of eminent experts and
SPECIALISTS we're consulted, voluimnous
reports were received i, and finally a
complete, symmetrical and at least
promising project was evolved by me
as representing seemingly practicable
combination of the latest development
of many of the arts for accomplishing
the result in view.
The problem of reaching the pole
by means of an airship does not re-
quire high speed, and the present rate
of the art of aerial navigation by gas
buoyed and motor-driven ships is am
pie for that purpose. From an easily
reached base of operations in North
ern Spitzbergen we have but $50 geo.
graphical miles to go to the pole, and
like distance for the retrun voyage.
If we take the whole at 1900 miles, it
means but 100 hours of motoring at IL
miles an hour. Santos DumOnt has
repeatedly made from nineteen to
twenty three miles an hour with small
airships equipped with relatively small
motors.
Largest AIrship Ever Built.
The airship in which we propose
to attain the North pole will be the
largest practicable airship ever built.
1t will be 1876 feet long, and its great
face will measure $4,000 square feet
and its volume will be 1850, 90 cubic
feet. Inflated with hydrogen it will
have total occasional force of 10,
800 pounds. Seven thousand pounds
will be the weight of the ship and its
equipment complete, leaving 5000
pounds for cargo. The ship will be
provided with three motors with q
combined energy of 20 horsepower.
II the winds hinder no more than
they help and there are no delays this
ship can motor from North Spitzber-
gen in IS hours. The airship will have
an endurance capacity in buoyancy
sufficient to enable it to remain % to
80 days in the air. It will carry 5, 500
pounds of gasoline, and its distance
: capacity during calm weather will be
eighteen miles more than equal to the
distance from Spitzbergen straight
across the pole and the whole arctic
ocean to Alaska.