The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-05
WELLMAN HERE; CONFIDENT
Sure of Reaching the North Pole in
Balloon Next July.
Describes Plans for Final Rush
NOrth-EXpIOrer HOIae TO At
tend Daughters Wedding.

Some men turn their sporting propen-
sites to racing yachts, others TO horses,
and stnI others TO automobiles. Polar ex-
plorers are in the greatest race Of all; "a
race that is scientific. hazardous. and ad-
venturous. 1t is race that has been in
progress for over two centuries. In our
case IL includes navigation of the air.
AS sporting proposition, how can it be
beaten?"
To those skeptics who scon at polar
expeditions as purposeless and of no ma
terial value to mankind. Walter WeIlman,
whose plans for a dash to the pole by the
airship route are nearing their culmina-
ton, gives the above answer. containing
its appeal to the sporting instinct, an
appeal that viii undoubtedly reach many
to whom the purely scientific side OF the
project means but little
Mr. Wellman arrived in Washington
last night. having come from Paris TO
attend the wedding of his daughter, Rose.
with Leroy Chamberlain, of Washington.
When seen at his residence, 2439 Columbia
road. last night. Mr. Wellman talked en-
Enthusiastically Of his plans for attacking
the aerial route 10 the pole this summer
Every detail has been worked out and
theoretically thing remains but to get
the big aerial automobile launched. jump
aboard. steer the course. and discover the
pole.
The air ship is being completed in Paris.
Mallet, known as the greatest OF all bal
loon makers, the man who built almost
all the balloons in the Paris race. and
is building those for the St. Louis race
next fall. is recOnstructing the gas bag of
the Wellman iier. Mr.. Wellman says
there is a general impression that the air
ship in which he and Maj. Hersey are TO
make their attempt to reach 80 degrees
latitude, north. and all degrees OF longi-
tude is one Of those inflated silk bags
with a wicker basket, having just enough
room for the explorers and a couple of
ham sandwiches.
As a matter Of fact the gas bag part
Of the air ship alone would fu Broadway
to the height of a four-story building and
the length Of nearly city block. With
d lifting power OF 1850 pounds, the gas
bag supports a steel car rs feet In length,
Weighing 1900 pounds, including its ap-
puFteneHces, such as rudder, engines, pro
pellers. and tank for gasoline. The gaso-
line tank is a tube running the length Of
the car, and is really part of the struc-
ture. it has a capacity of 100 gallons of
gasoline.
by the middle of May" said Mr.. Well
man. everything will be in readiness to
ship by train to Rotterdam. and thence
by boat 10 TrOmsoe, Norway, where, dur
ing the last days of May. the expedition
VIII assemble and board the FrithiOf and
sail TO our station al SpitzberEen.
lime and of E41lE7 hob he
consumed IN assembling the ship and
making our test flights TO assure US that
everything is as it should be- We have
extensive workshops there, and about
forty men will be employed in making the
final preparations.
Toward the end Of July, or during the
first half of August. we expect to take
our departure from Spitzbergen in the
airship and make for the pole. We will
have everything aboard that would be
necessary for sledging work, including
twenty-five sledge dogs, brought to us
from Arctic Siberia by a special reindeer
caravan over a trail more than Goo miles
IN length.
Our sailing plans are as they were
originally. We can drive the ship fifteen
knots an hour in a calm. We will make
progress in proportion to the force of the
winds and their direction. When the
winds are adverse to US and too strong
10 make Roadway against, we will anchor
to the ice and await more favora bic
breezes. The average arctic winds for
the season that viii find us on our way
to the pole are about ten miles an hour.
Everything has been mathematically
worked out, and, barring accidents, there
seems TO us little chance OF failure"
Mr. Wellman viii be the guest of honor
at farewell dinner given in New York
by the Aero Club next Wednesday. and
on Thursday he will sail for Paris. He
will probably not return 10 this country
again before making the essay at the
pole