IN ICE LAND

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1928, Page 2

IN ICE LAND

NOBILE’S OWN STORY

(U.aitcd Set vice.) LONDON, Afay 15. Nobile’s own story has been received by radio from King’s Bay. It states—- “ A week in May elapsed before we could make an unpremeditated attempt to land on tlie North Pole. I believe tlie worst part is over. Since tlie Alilan-Spitzbergen journey the airship's potential Waterloo in landing should not he an insurmountable difficulty in view of the special devices enabling the regaining of the airship even if drilling. We shall entrust the landing party with ropes and a cross, all kneeling and thanking God when it is safely planted in the eternal ice on the top of the world.

“We are sending out letters in the small motor boat Hobby, hitherto imprisoned oil the ice. Ihe supply ship Cittu Lo Milano is endeavouring to find moorings, fighting the ice with bombs and poles and its on n It hopes to moor on Alay 19th. The Italia left .King’s Bay on Alay 10th for Nicholas 11. Land.

According to Nobile’s story, half of which was mapped out, ho intended to follow the coastline and settle the existence of Gillis Land and attempt a landing and study geology. If this, was impracticable an anchor and special cables would have been attached and holts and landing party would have returned to King’s Bay, over a vast, unexplored zone, which was most important geographically and astronomically, but we were driven back after eight hours' adventurous living, trying all the air routes and battling against elements. We then followed the northwest coast of Spitz.bergfcn, reached Amsterdam Island and turned towards North Cape. Cyclones and had visibility precluded altering our course to reach the North Pole or return via Greenland.

The storm hammered our sides and pelted our gondola 'with lumps ol ice. Fog and headwind semi-paralysed us. whereupon wo returned to the hangar on the night of Alay 13th. li was terrible. It seemed impossible to free the Italia front ice through the failing hangars. There was no protecting roof. All the available men furiously swept the snow off, ton tons of which were aboard at midnight. AYe avoided being wrecked by discharging cargo and releasing fifty gas containers into the airship’s body to increase the buoyancy. We placed tarpaulins on top of the envelope, alpine sailors lifting them by main force at intervals and shaking oft the snow. On loth Alay the snow ceased and the sky was azure. AVe refuelled and resupplied,, necessitating strenuous footwork from the supply ship half a mile away. AA J e took rations aboard, intending a three days’ llight to Nicholas Island. The temperature was ten degrees Centigrade below zero, which permits more fuel. r lhe airship was most buoyant. AAe have a radio transmitter, skiis, sledges, and fishingtackle aboard in case of a .forced landing. INTO POLAR AY ILDERNESS. LONDON, Alay 16. Colonel Nobile (Commander of the “ Italia ”) wirelessed on Tuesday night as follows; — “ We have been sailing steady, live hundred feet beneath a thick hank of fog, which has been extending many miles overhead. AAe have passed North Cape, Spitsbergen, and have launched on the great polar wilderness. There are fairly strong head winds, which arc causing the “ Italia ” to pitch slightly as she heads towards the Franz Joseph Archipelago.” “It was glorious, before we encountered the fog, speeding aloft in the wonderful azure of this northernmost sky, especially after the alarms of the last two days, when the “ Italia ” was nearly overwhelmed and crushed in one of the worst storms in my experience. Our anxious experience has proved the axiom thit an -airship is always safer aloft than on land.”

FRANZ JOSEPH LAND SIGHTED. ROAIE, Alay 16.

Colonel Nobile, radioing at 9 o’clock yesterday, says: The Italia has been flying for several hours beneath a tog northwards, in order to penetrate more deeply the unexplored zone between Spitsbergen and Franz Joseph Land. The visibility is ten miles. A head wind has curtailed the speed to thirty miles an hour. Fog lias deposited abundant ice on the Italia’s envelope. Otherwise all is well. There is no trace of land yet. The ice pack seems more compact and more favourable for landing than at North Cape. A further message said: “ Sighted Franz Joseph Land at 2.30. The visibility has improved to twenty miles.”

NOBILE’S MESSAGE. POME, May 15

Nobile has sent a wireless message from the Italia as follows:—‘ Me- flew some hours over pack ice and were befogged for an hour and a half. We emerged live hundred feet above a frozen sea. Visibility was one to ten miles and the view was magnificent-.

WTLKIN.S STATEMENT.

LONDON, May 15

A message from Thpmso (Norway) states Wilkins interviewed said he carried the Australian flag and the Union Jack ns well as the flag of the Explorers Club of New York on the Polar flight. The machine was being sent to the I'nited States where the airmen would make a short tom. Meantime they would visit Oslo, Berlin. Antwerp, Paris and London. During his stay in America Wilkins intends to appeal for lands to finance his Arctic exploration by. Storkerson who accompanied \\ ilkius on his previous Arctic expedition, whom Wilkins is of the opinion .knows more of Arctic travel than any other person. Wilkins said he will carry out meteorological investigations on a big scale in the Antarctic and will take photographs over eighteen hundred miles between Boss Sea and Graham Land for the purpose of finding suitable bases for meteorological' stations enabling important forecasts of weather for Australia, South America and other areas.