The National tribune., 1910-10-27
WALTER wI:LLMAN's FLIGHT.

widows ev .rywhere.
WALTER WI.LLNiAN'S FLIGHT.
The attempt of Walter Wellman tc
cross the Atlantic in a dirigible balloon
is an epoch in the history of aviation
1t was a splendid effort, full of hero
ism, enterprise and the highest devel-
opment along that line of aeronautic:
| in science. mechanical ingenuity an6
structural work. 1t deserved to succeed
and its, lack of success brings no dis
credit, but rather honor, to Mr.. Well
man and his associates. The Concep.
ton was heroic. 1t is one thing tc
sail in a balloon over land, where the
Experienced aviator can hope to make
a safe landing on solid ground if any
thing goes wrong; ii is quite another
thing to dare to fly across the Atlantic
where the probability of drowning or
account of any breakdown was an i'm
minent danger. We say this, even while
we believe that the principle of the
Wellman balloon was wrong and the
practice inviting disaster. 1t was the
same which brought destruction to
Count Zeppelins balloons. Zeppelin's
balloons were about 500 feet long by
80 feet in diameter. This made the
wind pressure upon them enormous
and when any unusual stiffness came
into the breeze they could not help but
be unmanageable. Mr.. Wellman's bal
loon was only about half the size of
ciple obtained. The balloon must in
evitably drift with the current of wind
when that was at all strong. 1t was
as much in the power of air currents
as the raft on the Mississippi is of the
currents of the stream. The motor
could only give direction when the
air was still or nearly so. 1t could not
be made big enough to contend with
wind of any power.
Mr.. Wellman has been criticised for
not starting at the season of the year
when the winds blow off shore from this
country toward Europe. This is de-
ceptive, because no matter how strong
the wind may be off shore from New
York or Atlantic City, it's influence can
not extend across the Atlantic, and be-
fore the balloon would arrive on the
other side it would have to contend
with the winds blowing off shore from
Great Britain and France. with pos
sibly strong winds in the middle of
the Atlantic blowing in entirely differ
ent directions. The eccentric course
that. Wellman's balloon pursued shows
this. He started from Atlantic City
at q. m. Saturday, Oct. Is. He was
next heard from off Nantucket, and
then was rescued off Cape Hatteras
This would indicate that he was able
to pursue the course which he had
mapped out for himself only a very
short distance. when he became the
sport of the winds, and he and his
party were rescued by a lucky chance
from almost certain destruction.
The effort was made at the instance
Of four great newspapers, the New York
cago iRecord-Herald and the London
Daily Telegraph, which jointly sub
scribed ss5.000 to equip Mr.. weIlman
for the attempt. Mr.. Wellman took the
irst moments after his rescue to send
by wireless a well-written and thrill
ng story of his experience, which was
published exclusively in the papers
,n Wednesday morning.
Mr.. Weliman was born in Mentor,
ohio, Nov. 3, 1858, and began work
1n Nebraska newspaper He has been
l prominent newspaper man for years,
and began his record as an explorer
1y locating the place where Columbus
irst landed. He secured evidence which
las been accepted by the geographical
of the world that this was on
Waiting Island, and erected a monu-
nent to mark the spot. He began
Arctic explorations in 1894 by Sum
ner dash for the Pole" when
lie reached 81 degrees north. Five
years later he succeeded in reaching
S2 degrees. but fell into a crevice in the
ce by which one of his legs was crush
ID and Iamed for life.