The Bismarck tribune., 1929-03-14
tofilcial city. state and County Newspaper,

rover BLDG. Kresge Bldg
(Olelcial City. State and County Newspaper)
MOBILES VANITY PENALlZED
General Umberto Nobie-as Christopher Columbus was
lis an italian and his life is identified like that OF the
great Genoese who uncovered new world. with prof.
ecs geographical discovery Instead OF gaining him.
Se renown after career marked BY hazardous
expeditions of adventure he reres in humiliation ana
under oensure because Of the tragic failure OF MS
second north polar air flight in which the lives OF out
standing scientists and explorers sacrificed to the
panicky temperaments Of his aiship and his own
inability to exercise effective leadership.
This attempt to circle the north pole IN the airshp
ITALIA it will be remembered, ended with the crash Of
the drgibe as 1t neared Kings bay spitzbergen. on
its return from the pole Weighted down by ice. the
airship began to sink toward the frozen arctic sea
surface as it neared the base from which It had set
out panic ensued aboard, according to the testimony
given at the official investigation The upsho was that
che crew. throwing out ballast and opening the valves
Of the hydrogen tanks brought the drgibe down with
crash on the ice.
Mobiles leg was broken. One Swedish scientist was
abandoned In grave to die his mates essayed to
reach shore Mobile allowed himself to be rescued first
when finally the group Of survivors located in the
Ice floes by aviator.
Meanwhile Roald Amundsen the great Morse explorer
sacrificed his life In effort to find and rescue the
man who had made venomous attacks him as q
result Of to the flight the dgibe Norge
the pole to Alaska year before. Amundsen had
! Get his iron will against the leadership Of Mobile in
that flight and had finally after eudng the great pers
of the icy wastes and Of storm, brought the expedition
safely to an Eskimo village and trading post in Alaska
Quite different story Is Mobiles i-fated air exped-
tion from that Of Christopher Columbus, with mutny
his the f1eet NJ three
caraves sailed the trackless Atlantic the voyage that
was discover the Indies but ended instead, with the
discovery Of America! Christopher Columbus had the
gen. Of leadership and he able to enforce his will
the who feared their ships would sail off the
edge Of the world II they continued Mobile did not
ave this gift the opinion Of the official board which
A9nvestigated his ifated flight At any rate. the board
laid the blame for the Italia disaster Mobile and
censured him for allowing himself to be rescued first.
The Italian government must have been Of the same
temper to Mobiles responsibility when he offered
his resignation from the army and from fascist office
+ was accepted.
Thus once more, the supreme Importance of leader
ship IS emphasized All men-even the meanest-have
IN them great capacities for courage sacrifice. endir
knce and accomplishment Yet these capacities 60 to
Raste unless there is man who draw them out.
q The Italas crew. It Is safe to say better and
ho than other airship crews Individually. the
nen who flew to the North pole with Mobile were Is
food could be asked But-most fatal thing possible
u enterprise lacked confidence their leader
For some reason he unable to draw from them
obedience loyalty and trust that Eckener for instance
<eot from the the Graf Zeppelin when it flew the
Atlantic.
So they came to grief. The tragedy was inevitable
When leadership fails there is remedy whatever.
Set against the historical background OF Columbus
Ind even of that forcefu Italian who dictates the policies
Ind acts Of all Itay-Mussolini- is figure Of
pstiable failure BY the tragedy Of this failure he
emphasizes the fact that usually determined
"a thu choice Of leader chief. It is not always that
ehis choice rests on hero, Of daring and judg
nent. The who undertakes hazardous projects out
sb pique Mobile apparently affected. is hardly
the man to subject other lives to risk for his own
4 ngerandizement.
Z, And Mobile wanted to make polar flight In which
~ the authority should rest in him. The Joint expedi-
zion With Amundsen had too much divided the glory Of
The thrilling air voyage the pole and the Antarctic
Abcean to the shores Of Alaska It irked him. then q
two explorers quarreled exasperated him into the
st expedition that brought tragedy and the sacrifice
- tbs arctc hero he had attacked so unnecessarily
Now Mobile pays the penalty Of his rashness and in
efficient Leadership in the oboquy Of censre and Of
hlams for the loss Of the noble lives sacrificed in the
wreck Of the Italia