The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-17
THE WELLMAN AlRSRIP.
lWa shington starr

The greatest interest is being taken
throughout Norway in the airship expert
mcntS of Walter Wellman. the American.
who is contemplating an airship dash to
the north pole. la jules Verne. Accord
ing to the present plans of Mr.. Wellman.
during the first week of July there will
be trials Of the airship until 1t is demon
Stratcd that the latter is ready for the
voyage The start for the pole will be
made on the first favorable opportunity
afteTwaTd. probably between July ~ and
Aug. 10, but if necessary Mr. Wellman Is
prepared to start as late as Aug. ~ Inc
members of the expedition of Mr.. Walter
! Wellm8n. Major Hearsey Executive Off
Ger and scientific Observer. who has been
Sc IT by the United States government;
Chief Engineer ZIMMERMAN, Dr.. Fowler
(surgeOn). and NJ. 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 moth
ing to do with the expedition besides aid
ing in handling the balloon car, gear, etc,
at TrOmsO and at Sptzbergen.
Discussing his plans. the American eX
plOrer said There was no question of
last years expedition having been a fail
ure An enormous amount of work had to
he done at Spitzbergen-wOrk which was
found to be too much for one short Arctic
summer
This year on arriving d Spitzbergen
there is little work to be done in the mat
constructed an entirely 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.
"One 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 it's
lifting power increased by 1900 pounds,
giving total lifting force of 19. 500 pounds
The balloon is 1874 feet long and fifty-two
feet in its greatest diameter, its cubic vol
ume being 265.0O0 feet. With the single ex-
ception of Count Zeppelins airship. this
is the largest ever built The next i'm
portant change in our last years equip
ment is that we have built an entirely
new car and mechanical equipment, all of
that used having been discarded. The
new car consists of a framework of steel
tubing 115 feet long, ten feet high and
eight feet broad. This is suspended close
under the balloon at such distance that
those standing on the top of the car can
easily reach the balloon. The keel or
backbone of the airshp consists of a
steel tank eighteen inches in diameter
and 115 feet in length. with a capacity for
holding loo gallons of petrol
THE top of this tank will be really the
deck of our ship. BY this disposition We
make the weight of the tank. which is
about LOCO pounds. do double duty for it
is not only a safe reservoir for our petrol
but at the same time gives rigidity-t TO the
structure of the ship. This tank is di-
vided into fourteen compartments to pre-
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 vertical plane and
the wide roof a horizontal plane, all con-
structed for giving stability to the ship
in the air. At tlfe stern of the vessel is
a rudder. of some 900 square feet in the
form of bicycle wheel, which despite it's
great size only weighs thirty pounds. A
little forward of the center is placed a
very heavy motor. built for endurance and
safety, of seventy horsepower and hav-
ing weight of 800 pounds. which is war
ranted to run constantly and steadily for
as many hours as we wish. In this new
airship the propellors. which are of the
same type as those used in French mill
tary airships are placed in the center of
either side of the vessel. They consist
of two blades of steel eleven feet in di-
ameter and capable of $50 revolutions per
minute.
"The living quarters of the airshp are
in triangular bunk-hke spaces within the
inclosed car. These are capable of ac-
commodating ten or twelve men and