The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-15
Wind and Snow Cur
 tailed Expedition.
INTERESTING ADVENTURES
Explorer is Convinced That He Can
 Reach Pole.
The Balloon And Entire outfit uaw Been Made Ready For winfer
 With Three Men Left .
 On Guard.

Berlin. Sept 14-Walter WelIman. head of the Wellman- Chicago Record- Herald polar expedition. has sent thes following cablegram to The Lokaf Anzeiger from Tromsoe:
 After the steamer Express cast off the cable. the balloon America did ex- cellently. but an increasing wind soon gave us a hard struggle and the storm drove us toward some high jagged mountains near the coast where tha airship would have been destroyed if she had struck. There then ensued A hard fight between the storm and the motor. The latter triumphed and we slowly rounded the north end of Tout Island in the teeth of the wind.
 Our confidence in the America had so Increased in the meanwhile that T gave the order to start for the north pole. The wind however, Increased to twelve miles an hour and the snovf fell so thlckly that We could not aeak a quarteE of mile. Just then the compass failed to act. owing to defec-. tive construction. We were eom-l pletely lost in a snow storm aboves struction. After. brief deiiberations we decided to try to get back te tho Express to rectify our compass and start again. ks4
 It was impossible. however, to keep in one direction and we were agatn
 
 the mountains vaniman, the engineer. then made the motor run at top speed and the America moved a second tixnn against the wind which probably wam blowing fifteen miles an hour. Sha circled three times in the teeth of the wind. We saw the Express for a mo~ msnt but immediately lost her again. We could have returned to the Exprssa if we could have seen where to steer. but under the circumstances the only thing possible was to try to land. With this Idea we stopped the motor aua let the America drift over fhe Glanfeks
 ssAt aha cad of Foul Bay we used trailer haied with pfovialouA and brake rope Both acted wsii and drag gea ovar an lee Wail 100 faet ni8h with nm& dainaH8nN the progiatQna AHfer ernsaln@ fH8 EIauler we oparea sate xAfSS &sa EnHed on tlie upper BiAelefs half fs1ise iflstlar4. 1sns 1AndinN weA hNsesed so nueeessfullS that material weigh&ag nine tone degeendAd 300 feet and touched the ice with no shock or damage whatever excepting several bent tubes and broken wires. The nn- merous delicate instruments were not injured The aeif-registering baro- graphs. meteorographs'a stand manoEneters continued running after the landing. The mantle of the balloon can easily De repaired.
 
 three hours and fifteen minutes and covered about fifteen miles with her own machinery She made three loops against the wind. proving her power and capability of being steered Tho ascent was successful fin every respect. The America is from every standpoine the strongest airship and the most du- rable for 6 long journey that ever nas been built. She held the gas splendid- ly.
 Later in the same day the Express found us and fetched the steamer Frithjof with men and siedGes from the camp The crew of the America lived for three days comfortably in the Eondola while the work of rescuing the balloon was in progress. They could have lived there for nine months had 1t been necessary. The entire air- ship including even a part of the gae~ oline. was returned to camp in three
 'rhe balloon hall and the entire out At has been made ready for the winreE and three men have been left on guard
 "After this successful attempt we are all convinced that the America m normal summer weather. can make her way to the pole We all regard thus nlan as rational, practicable and feaAt- ble The thing can be done and wna1 can be done shall be done.
 Major H. B. Hersey of the Uniteo States weather bureau, Washingtons who was a member of the Wellman- Chicago Record Herald Arctic expedl- tion, arrived here today from spttzoer- gen on board the fishing boat Cot srted waiter Wellman sailed today for Germany, whence he will go 70 France and begin preparations Tor an other attempt to reach the North foio in 1908. .-