The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-02

Important Expedition TO be Under
taken by Walter Wellman. Washing
ton Corresponding Of The Chicago
Record rd-Herald-Dumont VIII Assist
i'm the Preparations for the Journey.

i'm the Preparations for the Journey.
Chicago. December 3o-.BuiId an
air ship. go. find the north pole and
report By wireless telegraphy and sub
marine cables the progress of your
Efforts
This was tho assignment given a
few days ago to Walter wellman,
Washington correspondent Of the Chi
cago Record-Herald by Frank Il.
Noy yes. editor-in-chief of the paper,
and the commission has been accept
ed by Mr.. Wellman, it was announced.
AS an assistant in this expedition. Mr..
WellInan viii have the services of AL
berto santos Dumont, Of Paris, who
will have charge of the construction
OF air ship and will act as areonautic
director and pilot of the ship on its
voyage toward the north pole.
The air ship. the order which has
been given, will be built by Louis God
ard of Paris under the supervision of
N. Santos-Dumont and will be COM
pleted By the end of next April No
definite date has been set for the start
on the journey, but it is expected that
everything will be in readiness to get
away next July or early in August
After completion. the airship will
have several trials at Paris, and in
June all the paraphernalia for the
journey Will be assembled in Norway.
Early in July. headquarters will be ss-
tabllshed in SpitZbergen, where the cX-
plorers will await favorable oppor-
tunity for the trip toward the pole,
which. according TO Mr.. WellmaI:,
should the expedition meet with Il
good run of luck. should be reached in
less than week.
In announcing his acceptance to-
night of the proposed expedition. Mr.
Wellman said:
THE airship in which the propose
to attain the North Pole will be largest
practicable airship ever built. 1t will
be 1876 feet long and it's greatest diam
eter will be forty-five feet. It's sur
face will measure $4,000 square feet.
and its vo:lme will be 226. 900 cubic
feet. Inflated with hydrogen, it will
have total ascensionai force of Is, 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 a
If the wind hinders no more than they
help and there are no delays. this ship
can motor from North Spitzbergen to
the Pole in As hours
The airship will have an endurance
capacity in buoyancy sufficient to en-
able it to remain 25 to 80 days in the
air. 1t will carry $500 pounds of gas
oline, and its distance capacity during
calm weather will be 1900 miles more
than the distance from Spitzelbergen
across the Pole and the whole
Arctic ocean to Alaska.
The ship will be equipped for safe
III the highest winds ever
known in the Arctic region. In fact
the ship will be subject to the will and
hand of the navigator just like
steamship upon the ocean. Besides
the $500 pounds of fuel mentioned,
the ship will carry five men, COM
Portable car to live in (Which is also a
boat III case of NEEDY food and sup
plies for IS days. and a complete
sledging outfit ready for use should it
be necessary to abandon the airship
and take to the ice.
AT no time will our airship be out
Of touch with the surface of the earth
Our guide rope, sO-called but in our
case a smooth, tapering line of steel
is to drag its lower end over the ice,
to keen the ship at a fairly stable
height G50 to 200 fee). the altitude
most favorable to wireless teIegraphy
and to maintain under ordinary condi-
tons the vertical stability of the craft
Wireless telegraph stations will be
established at Spitzbergen and Ham
merfest. Norway. 500 miles distant
Further than this a wireless equipment
will be carried in our airship, and it
will be our effort to send frequent, IL
possible daily, dispatches to the out
side world throughout all the time the
from the Pole itself. should we reach
If"