Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-05-14
AMuhDSE MA PlERCE q
ARCTIC I'm AER0PLANE.
Chrlstoterson Craft Is Tested BY
Explorer. Thrilling Flight Over
Bay lit Filler Is Practicable
Over Frozen Wastes.
San Francisco Examiner,
March 26, 1913.

tOTy " q SeIlcS VI eApolluouIS Wn1CA
in all probability will result in the
addition of flying boat to the Cap
tain's equipment when he sails from
San Francisco in the Fran, in June,
1914, for his further conquest of the
North. -. =. - 8. -~~ (
"Meget Behagelit" is Norwegian
expletive, used only on rare occas
ions, such as discovering poles and
applauding a new Hedda Gabler.
QUESTIONS PEPPER Filler:
It carries charge of super-en-
thusiasm which would make Colonel
Roosevelt's "bully" sound like faint
praise.
The Captain said it fervently as
he grasped Christohersen's hand and
began a bombardment Of questions
about air and water displacement,
centers Of gravity and aerial TRAN
gulation..
The two had a long confab in the
fiier's factory, which resulted in a
tentative decision by the Captain to
send two men to the factory to study
the feasibility Of air craft in polar
expeditions.
The flight was made from Chris
toffersen's hangar beside the trans
port docks, at the foot of Laguna
street. AS the nose Of the pontoon
was in the water, the two seats of
the machine could be reached only
by some agile footwork in ducking
under the lower plane and timing
the pulse of the little waves which
Tapped the shore. The Captains,
ramrod figure unbent astonishingly,
revealing in a flash Of action the dyn-
annie reserve of the man-only sug-
gested in his attitude Of repose-and
he reached the seat without so much
as decking his respondent new shine.
AS a bit of wind was putting from the
heads, Christoffersen rode the waves
for quarter Of mile before veer-
ing into the face Of the breeze and
taking the air. The Golden Gate
stood out like an intaglio cut in jade.
The rim Of the Sausalito hills was
fluffed with clouds, as if sketched in
by some giant post-impressionist.
AMUNDSEN TAKES NOTES
IN AIR.
1dlers on the beach had seen Chris
Jefferson fly almost every day for the
last few weeks, and they showed on
ly casual interest in the swerving,
swooping, soaring, aircraft. They
could not see the rigid figure, note
book in hand, watching with the
alertness of disembodied intelli~
gence every move Of the aviator's
hand. Perhaps the intent, penetrat-
ing eyes did not see the green, lap
ping waves below. The bay might
have been a desolate ice foe. The
cur dog, gamboling on the beach was
a Sinking malamute, the tumbled
Marin county hills were a formida-
able out-work Of glaciers, to be con-
quered by this strange new device of
mans ingenuity.
Christofferson went through his
entire repertoire. He jockeyed his
big bird up and down and across the
bay, climbed into the higher reaches
of sunlight and shot down periously
near the tumbling waves which tried
to catch him and couldn't and then
fitted gayly out Of reach. Then he
sank brazenly down to sea. The big
waves slapped the pontoon until the
craft rocked like an old channel boat,
but it tilted up its nose again and
skinned along like toe dancer.
When Captain Amundsen climbed
out Of the machine, the salt wind had
whipped him in the face until the
tears ran down his cheeks. He quiz
zed Christoffersen closely as to the
question of portability, adaptation OF
the machine to ice travel, carrying
power and fuel. The answers seem
ed satisfactory, for he nodded assent
to every reply and his interest reach
ed a crescendo Of enthusiasm with
his visit to the aviator's factory.
The best uses Of the hydro-aero-
plane in the Arctic," said Captain
Amundsen, "would, it seems to me
be in spying out the land ahead, al
though it should prove invaluable fo1
the exact purposes Of my next ex-
pedltion-a study Of meteorological
conditions. -.
CROWSNEST OUTLOOK LIMITED
when we climb to the crows nest
the best we can do is to get an out
look Of perhaps twelve miles. This
is not enough. The aeroplane should
prevent all that. If we can get an
outlook from an altitude of a few
hundred feet, we can spy out the
course ahead for many miles, with
the aid OLA strong glass, and fee
reasonably sure that we are on the
right track. =: ~, r ss .E>=
! am not prepared, Of course, tc
make any positive declarations about
the value Of the machine in scientific
work, but it seems to me that il
should be useful in triangulatior
work, and in taking observations 81