Aerial Trip to the Nort Pole.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 251, 1 September 1874, Page 7

Aerial Trip to the Nort Pole.

(St. Louis Democrat.)

The failure of all North Pole expeditions to discover the secret of the Arete regions has stimulated the Aeronautic Society of Paris to attempt an Arctic balloor. voyage. Extravagant as the notion may appiar, it is not more extravagant than Professo- Wise's project of crossing the Atlantic in a »alloon. One advantage of the aerial Norti Pole voyage is the temperature of the Arctic regions, which prevents the escape *f gas from the balloon to such a degree thsfc it is supposed to be quite feasible to constrict a balloon which will last a three months voyage. Another advantage is the absence of darkless in the Northern regions. If the balhon leaves in the summer time the sun will ilumine the heavens during the whole trp. Then, again, the permanency in the directim of the wind around the regions of the Nortv Pole would be another point in favour of tin trip to the North Pole over that across the Atlantic. The size of the balloon is fixed at 18,000 cubic metres. It is calculated to carry ten men, three months' provisions* apart from the ballast; a number of instruments, an anchor and dragging rope which will touch the ground should the balloon sink too near the earth. An ingenious arrange men ent has also been made to prevent the balloon from rising higher than 800 metres, or 2500 ft. The boat of the balloon is to be lined with sheepskins and heated with lamps, so that, even if the temperature should fall to 32 deg. below zero outside, it will be 5 deg. above zero inside. A vessel is to carry the men, the balloon, and the ingredients for manufacture of the necessary amount of gas to about the seventeenth degree of latitude. This will leave a trip of about 300 miles to the North Pole for the balloon to accomplish ; and the voyage there and back could be made in twenty days. Everything, however, is to be prepared for a full three months' trip. The enterprise is exciting unusual interest among the scientific men of Europe, and is indeed one of the most wonderful schemes ever 1 Conceived by the human ramd.