The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-05-07
ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL RE-
NEW HIS EFFORT OF LAST
SUMNER.
An INDIVIDUAL ATTEMPT
BY The Daring Aeronaut-Second
Largest Yet BuiIt-Lifts Nearly
Ten Tons.

WASHINGTON, May 5.-Walter
Wellman announced Tuesday that he
will this summer renew his effort to
reach the north pole by means Of a
dirigible balloon or airship. All the
preparations have been made, and Mr..
Wellman will sail next week for Paris
and Norway This expedition, he
said, was under his individual owner
ship, and responsibility, and had no
connection whatever with any news
paper. The capital has been supplied
by Americans interested in the enter
prise solely on scientific and patriotic
grounds. According to the announce
ment, no change has been made in the
general plan of the expedition, which
is to assemble and initiate the airship
at the headquarters station, Danes
Island, Spitzbergen, in June and july
and to start thence northward through
the air in August, provided the wealth.
er conditions make a start practicable
with reasonable chance for success
The airship to be used is the Amer
ica' which had trial in voyage
of about twenty miles at Spitzbergen
year ago last September. The own
ers of the Chicago Record-Herald,
largely interested in the earlier ex-
petitions, have turned over to Mr..
Wellman, free of charge, not only the
airship. but all the plant buildings,
and machinery of the former enter
prise.
The America, which is the second
largest airship yet built, about three
ffths the size of the ZEPPELIN, and
twice as large as the largest French
ships and with a lifting capacity Of
nearly ten tons, has been reconstruct
ed and improved by Engineer Vani-
man, in the expedition workshops in
Paris If the America is able to. start
next August on her long v 700
miles through the air to the pole she
will carry a crew of three men, 5000
pounds of gasoline for the engines,
food for year, sledges, sledge dogs,
lifeboat. and all the requisites of a
party should it be necessary
to resort to that method OF travel.
One member of the crew will be CHIEF
Engineer Vaniman, an American, who
was in charge of the ships engines
during her trial trip in 1907 The
third member has not been selected.
The first section of the expedition
Is scheduled to leave Christiansand,
South Norway, May 81, in the new
motor ship Arctic, launched this
spring. She is a three-masted schoon-
or of $50 tons, built for ice navigation
with great sailing power, and with
4 petroleum motor which gives her
speed of seven knots without sails.
Leaving TromsO, Norway at the end
If May, she will carry to the headquar-
.ers at Danes Island, in addition to
her crew of twelve, men, twenty fore
men and mechanics 100 tons of sui
1huric acid, and seventy-fve tons or
ron turnings, for making hydrogen;
new gas apparatus timber and iron
or repairing the airship hall, supplies,
tic Upon arrival at the base, the
largo will be discharged, and the par
y will at once set to work clearing
way tons OF snow, which covers the
lirship hall, machine shop, gas APP
,aratus, steam pump house, and all
he premises While this work is in
,rogress, the Arctic will return to
'romso for her second cargo, consist
ng OF the airshlp and other machinery
nd supplies. Before the end Of June
he entire party should be assembled
/ the base. ready for the short, but
trenuous campaign of'two months.