TO THE NORTH POLE BY SUBMARINE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 22 June 1901, Page 3

TO THE NORTH POLE BY SUBMARINE.

A Daring Scheme.

Still “ w’aiting to he won,” as in Tcnniel’s cartoon, the North Pole is to be wooed in a novel manner. In short, Herr Auscoultz-Kampe, a German savant, proposes to reach the Pole by means of a submarine boat. Not only has Herr Kampe conceived the idea, but he intends putting it into practice, and a vessel is now being built to his order at Wilhelmshaven.

The apparent impossibility of an ordinary steamer forcing its way through the ice pack, and the equally improbable event of a sledge party being able to reach the Pole led Herr Kampe (who has made preliminary investigations within the Arctic circles) to turn his thoughts to another method of progress. To repeat Andree’s experiment with a balloon did not seem a promising undertaking. On the other hand, Nansen had clearly demonstrated the existence of a Polar sea, with here and there stretches of open water. The surface ice, it is believed, descends to no very great depth, and beneath the sea there should be—hidden rocks apart—a clear course for navigation. That submarine boats can be successfully navigated and remain below tho surface for hours has now bean proved. Taking all these things into consideration. Herr Kampe convinced himself that by means of a submarine boat the North Pole might be reached.

At a recent meeting of the Vienna Geographical Society, Herr Kampe gave an account of his boat and an outline of his plans. To deal with the boat first; Its form will be ellipsoid with a major axis of 70ft and a breadth of 26ft, giving a displacement of 800 tons. It will be big enough to contain sufficient air for five persons for a period of fifteen hours, the carbonic acid gas being removed by combination with caustic soda. It will be provided with horizontal and vertical screws, the latter being used to raise or depress the boat. The motive power will be petroleum, of which 150 tons will be taken —or more than five times the quantity needed for the double journey from Spitzbergen to the Pole. During the fifteen hours the boat can remain below water a distance of fifty miles can be covered at a very low rate of speed.

It is intended to make the venture from the edge of the land ice surrounding Spitzbergen. At this point the boat will be submerged and steered towards the nearest open water north. Herr Kampe does not think the ice pack is of a greater depth than twenty feet, and as his boat can descend 160 ft it will be entirely removed from the influence of ice-pressure, cold, or storms, and the way to the North Pole be opened. If after a six hours’ journey beneath the surface no opening in the ice can be found the boat will have to retrace its way to the last opening loft; but should the ice pack then attempts will be made to effect an opening (and thus gain fresh air) by blasting. However, Herr Kampe does not think that in any direction the ice pack continues unbroken more than four or five miles.

The scheme is certainly a very ingenious one, and its development will be eagerly watched by scientific men as well as by all intei’ested in Arctic exploration.