The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-10-17
WELLMAN SAILS
over The OCEAN.
Aeronaut Starts on Journey
Across the Atlantic.
ENGINES WORKING WELL

Wireless Message From the Big Diri-
gbIe Says Everything Is Doing
Nicely, With an Average Speed Of
Fifteen Knots an Hour-WiII En-
deavor to Keep Within the Course
Taken by Transatlantic Steamers.
Atlantic City, N. j., Oct. 17.-Walter
Wellman's big airship America is on
it's way to Europe.
After weeks of delay, which had
aroused doubt in the minds of all but
the very staunchest supporters of Wal
ter Wellman, aeronaut and explorer,
the start was made in heavy fog.
1t was S:O3 a. m. when the big craft
left the ground. 1t floated right into
the fog off shore and within five mir
utes was lost to sight.
When the big airship left the ground,
Mr.. Wellman did not know whether
only test would be made or if the
trip to Europe would be started at
once. 1t depended on how he found
things when he got into the air, he
said.
When he left here it was his inten-
ton to go north, following the New
Jersey coast as far as New York. If
he found the airship was working to
his satisfaction and that conditions re.
manned right he intended following
the route of steamers up to Nantucket
and then turn eastward and follow
the tracks of the transatlantic liners
across the ocean. He expected to
make every effort to keep in the
steamship tracks, so in case of acct
dent he would be close to steamers
with wireless, with which the airship
is also equipped, and could be quickly
rescued if the crew was compelled to
take to the lifeboat attached to the
America.
For time after the start apprehen-
sion was felt of something going
wrong and the expedition being forced
to return, but as the hours went by,
bringing cheerful messages of prog
ress from the wireless operator on
board the airship, feeling of conf
dence succeeded that of doubt.
Message From WeIman.
At 1 o'clock Wellman himself
flashed message to Joseph w. Salus,
head of the local syndicate backing
the expedition. In it Wellman said
everything was going smoothly and
all on board were doing their best to
repay the loyal support they had re-
ceived.
In reply to the message received by
President Salus of Wellman's COM
pany Operator Miller flashed the fol-
lowing message within his sending
zone, with the request that they pick
up the America as soon as possible:
"Walter Wellman, aboard the air.
ship America: Great work. One of
the achievements of the century.
Plaudits from everybody. Our best
wishes and godspeed to yourself and
Vaniman. With your family and will
stay with them until we hear that you
have reached. Please continue to
fash"
The crew aboard the America when
she left the ground included Walter
Wellman, Melvin Vaniman, chief en-
gineer; F. Murray Simons, navigator
of the expedition; J. K. Irwin, wire
less operator in charge of the Amer
ica's system, and Albert Louis Loud
and John ALBERT, assistant engineers.
The airship's gas bag has some.
thing of the shape of a cigar and is
228 feet long. It's width is about fifty
two feet and it is said to be capable
of lifting about twelve tons. The en-
velope carrying the gas weighs more
than two tons.
Car Is 1856 Feet Long.
Attached to the big gas bag is car
1856 feet long. The floor of this is
really large fiat tank in which the
gasoline is stored for the motors. The
America carries three gasoline en-
gines, one of which is donkey and
the other two are used for motive
power. They are in the center of the
car and are of about eighty-horse-
power A lifeboat twenty-seven feet
long to be used in case the balloon is
wrecked hangs beneath. %-
An equilibrator, $50 feet long, which
takes the place of a drag rope used
on balloons is also carried. It con.
sists of long steel cable, to which
are attached thirty small steel tanks,
each carrying seventy-five pounds of
gasoline, and forty wooden blocks.
The blocks are about twenty inches
long. The equilibrator makes it un-
necessary to carry ballast. It is in
tended that the balloon shall sail at a
height of about 200 feet.
If it. settles close to the water the
wood blocks and the tank would float,
thus relieving the balloon of some Of
it's weight. AS the gasoline is re-
quired the steel cable will be pulled
up into the car Of the balloon and a
tank emptied. Altogether the Amer
lca carries 5000 pounds of gasoline.