The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-05
EXPEDITION WILL LEAVE
 SPITzBERGEN IN AUGUST
All the Necessary Material and Sup. plies Are Ready and Will Be As sembled This Summer in
 Northern Norway.

Washington, May 4.-waIter Welt man said today that he will, this sum- mer, renew his effort to reach the North Pole by means of a dirigible bal. loon or an airship. All the preparations have been made and MT. Wellman will sail next week for Paris and Norway
 fhis expedition will be under MT. Well mans individual ownership and respon- slbility The capital has been supnlied by Americans who are interested in tbe enterprise solely on scientific and patriotic grounds.
 NO change has been made in the gen eral plan of the expedition. which ,s to assemble and in1ate the airshfn at the headquarters station. Danes Island spltzbergen. in June and July. and to start thence northward through the air in August, provided the weather conditions make start practicable with reasonable chance for success. The air snip to be used is the America" which had trial in voyage of about 20 miles at Spitzbergen a year ago.
 The owners of the Chicago Record Herald have turned over to MT. Wel-
 man, free of charge, the airship, plant. buildings and mach inery of MT. We'll mans former enterprise.
 The America Is the second largest ainship yet built, about three f,fths tha size of the Zeppelin, and twice as large as the largest French ships. and with the lifting capacity of nearly 10 tons has been reconstructed and improved in the expedition workshops at Paris. If the America is able to start next August upon her long voyage of TOO miles through the air to the pole sba will carry a crew of three men s00o pounds of gasoline for the engines, food for year. sledge, dogs, life boat and all the requisites of a sledging party should 1t be necessary to resort to sledging Engineer Vaniman, who was l in charge of the ships engines during her trial voyage in 1907. will be one of the crew
 The first section of the expedition Is scheduled te leave Christiansland. South Norway, May 21. in the new motor ship Arctic. launche ed this spring.
 Leaving Tromsoe, North Norway. at the end of May she will carry to the headquarters at Danes Island. Spitz- bergen, in addition to her crew of l2 men, 20 firemen and mechanics; 100 tons of suphuric acid and 75 tons of iron turnings for making hydrogen; new gas apparatus; timber and Iron for repairing the airship; supplies, etc. Upon arrival at the base, the party will set to work clearing away thous- ands of tons of snow which cover the airship hall machine shop and gas ap- paratus Before the end of June the en- tiro party should be assembled at the base
 The difficulty of getting a fair start Is, of course, very great" said MT Wellman today. "The period of effective work is about 10 days. The acre and half of canvas which forms the roof and walls of the airship hall cannot be put in place save in days of light wind Then about 10 days are needed for making the hydrogen which infiates the balloon. Ten days more are required for dozen mechanics to finish the vast number of details about the motors, machinery and rigging. And when all is in order, favorable weather must be awaited"