The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-03
WELLMAN MADE
START FOR POLE
Scared Through Air and Circled
to Escape Death on Jagged
Mountains.

BERLIN, Sept. 14.-Walter Wellman,
head of the Wellman Chicago Record
Herald Polar expedition, has sent the
following cablegram to the Lokal An
H zeiger, from Tromsoe, showing that he
/ really started on his dash to the pole
in the airship America, but was forced
to desist because his compass broke,
and without it the expedition was help
less.
After the steamer Express cast off
the cable, the balloon, America, did
exeelIently, but an increasing wind soon
gave us hard struggle, and the storm
drove us toward some high, jagged
mountains near the coast, where the
airship would have been destroyed if
she struck. There then ensued hard
fight between the storm and the motor.
The latter triumphed, and we slowly
rounded the north end of Foul island in
the teeth of the wind. Our confidence
in the America had so increased In
the meanwhile that gave the order
"The wind, however, increased to
twelve miles an hour, and the snow
fell so thickly that we could not see
quarter of a mile. just then the
compass failed to work, owing to de-
fective construction. We were lost in
snowstorm above the polar sea, and
thraafaua with abstraction
VOYAGE OF AIRsHIP.
tAfter brief deliberation we de-
cided to try TO get back to the Ex-
press, to rectify our compass and start
again. It was impossible, however, to
keep in one direction, and we were
again carried into dangerous proximity
to the mountains. Vaniman, the en-
gineer, then put the motor to top speed,
and the America moved a second time
against the wind, which probably was
blowing fifteen miles an hour. She
ejTcled three times in the teeth of the
wind,
We saw the Express for moment,
but Immediately lost her again. We
could have returned to the Express 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, and let the |
America drift over the glacier. At
the end of Foul bay we used trailer
filed with provisions and brake rope. |
Both acted well and dragged over the |
Ice wall, 100 feet high, without dam
age.
''After crossing the glacier we open
ed the valve and landed on the upper
glacier, half mile inshore. The |
landing was effected so successfully |
that material weighing nine tons de-
scended 800 feet and touched the ice
with no shock or damage whatever,
excepting several bent tubes and broken
wires. Numerous delicate instruments
were not injured. The self-regjster-
ing Paragraphs, photographs and mano-
meters continued running after the
can easily be repaired.
IN AIR THREE HOURS.
ssThe America was in the air three |
hours and fifteen minutes and covered |
about fifteen miles with her own ma
chinery. She made three loops against |
the wind, proving her power and cap |
ability of being steered. The ascent |
was successful in every respect.
1.-THE America is from every stand
point the strongest airship and the
most durable for long journey that |
ever has been built. She held the gas
splendidly.
"Later in the same day, the Express
found us and fetched the steamer Firth |