The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-28
WELLMAN'S AIRSFilP.
I the Balloon in Which He Will Try For the POI.

The greatest interest is being
taken throughout Norway in the air.
ship experiments of Walter Wellman,
the American. who is contemplating
an airship dash to the North Pole. .
Ia Jules Verne. According to the
present plans OF Mr.. Wellman, there
will be trials Of the airship until 1t
Is demonstrated that the latter Is
ready for the voyage. The start for
the pole will be made on the first
favorable opportunity afterward.
The members of the expedition are
Mr.. Walter Wellman, Major Hearsey
Executive officer and scientific OBJ
server), who has been sent over by
the United States Government;
Chief Engineer Vannerman. DR..
Fowler (surgeon), and M. CASTOR
Hervieu. the aeronautical engineer
and the only Frenchman on the staff.
About thirty men constitute the total
expeditionary force, though. Of
course, some of these are sailors and
mechanics and have nothing to do
with the expedition besides aiding in
handling the balloon car, gear, ETC.,
1t Tromso and at Spitzbergen.
Discussing his plans. the American
explorer said: There was no ques-
ton of last years expedition having
been failure. An enormous amount
Of work had to be done at Spitzber-
gen-work which was found to be
too much for one short Arctic sum-
mer.
This year on arriving at Spitzber-
gen there is little work to be done in
the matter of the erecting of build
lngs. We have constructed an en-
tirely new airship, with which we
hope to accomplish the end we have
In view. namely, an aerial journey
from Spitzbergen to the pole and
back.
Zone Of the most important
changes we have effected has been
the enlargement of the balloon of
the airship. This has been made
eighteen feet longer and its lifting
power increased by 5000 pounds.
giving total lifting force OF $4,000
pounds. The balloon is 1874 feet
long and fifty-two feet in its greatest
diameter, its cubic volume being
265,000 feet. With the single excep-
ton Of Count Zeppelin's airship. this
IS the largest ever built. The next
important change in our last years
equipment is that we have built an
entirely new car and mechanical
equipment, all of that used having
been discarded. The new car consists
OF framework Of steel tubing lis
feet long. ten feet high and eight feet
broad. This is suspended close I'M
der the balloon at such distance that
those standing on the top Of tho car
can easily reach the balloon. The
keel or backbone Of the airship con-
sists Of steel tank eighteen inches
in diameter and lis feet in length.
with capacity for holding 1900 gal
Ions Of petrol.
THE top Of this tank will be really
the deck Of our ship. BY this dis
position we make the weight of the
tank, which is about 1000 pounds,
do double duty. for it is not only a
safe reservoir for our petrol, but at
the same time gives rightly to the
structure Of the ship. This tank is
divided into fourteen compartments
to prevent the danger of explosion.
and the petrol can be pumped from
any section of the tank SO as to trim
the ship. The car is inclosed with
tightly-stretched silk the two sides
forming a vertical plane and the
wide roof a horizontal plane, all
for giving stability to the
ship in the air. At the stern of the
vessel IL a rudder of some 900 square
feet in the form Of a bicycle wheel,
which despite its great size only
weighs thirty pounds. A little for
ward Of the centre is placed q very
heavy motor. built for endurance and