Attack on the North Pole. Weinman's Bai^oon. The Fate op Andre.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 10, 1 August 1907, Page 361

Attack on the North Pole. Weinman's Bai^oon. The Fate op Andre.

Where Andre died Wellman hopes to reap success. He is not waiting for aeroplane developments, being content with the " Dirigeable " balloon. With this type the French military authorities have just announced a great success. Mr. Wellman believes that his new balloon will easily carry him and a party of four or five men, with twelve dogs, and the necessary provisions and equipment, from Spitzbergen to the Pole in from ten to twenty days. They will never ascend more than 300 to 500 feet, and their guide-rope will trail over the surface of the earth. This guide - rope is absolutely essential to the safety of the balloon's navigation, and is of considerable weight. It is made of leather, 15 inches thick and 130 feet long, weighing about 14001b, and the explorers have hit upon the ingenious notion of packing the inside of that guide rope full of reserve food to the amount of 12001b. The expedition will be able to carry 3000 X) of food, or enough to enable them to subsist on their own stores for a period of ten months. If the airship fails as a true cruiser at, or anywhere near the pole, they will descend upon the ice pack, make a snug hut of the fabric and material and pass the entire winter at or in the vicinity of the Pole, returning by sledge the following year. They will carry dogs, sledges, and small boats and complete sledging equipment with this possibility in view. The Wellman airship ("America ") is at present housed at Spitzbergen in readiness for the start. With the single exception of Count Zeppelin's it is the largest ever built — 184 ft. long and 52ft. at its greatest diameter, giving a total lifting force of 19,5001b. The car consists of a framework of steel tubing, 115 ft. long, 10ft. high and Bft. broad, suspended close under the balloon at such a distance that those standing on the top of the car can easily reach the balloon. The keel or backbone of the airship consists of a steel tank 18ft in diameter and 115 ft in length, with a capacity of holding 1200 gallons of petrol. At the stern of the vessel is a rudder of some 900 square feet, in the form of a bicycle wheel, which, despite its great size, only weighs 301b. A little forward of the centre is placed a very heavy motor, built for endurance and safety, of 70 h.p., and having a weight of 900 lb. In this new airship the propellers are placed in the centre on either side of the vessel. They consist of two blades of steel, lift in diameter, and capable of 380 revolutions per minute. The living quarters of the airship are in triangular bunk-like spaces within the enclosed steel car. These are capable of accommodating ten or twelve men, and twelve dogs, together with provisions and equipment. The total weight of the steel car and tank is 12001b. The motors, screws, and machinery weigh 13501b. The petrol tank carries 68001b of petrol, capable of running the motor for 150 hours at a normal speed of 14 knots per hour. The weight of the cargo diminishes on an average of 6001b per day by the consumption of petrol for the motor, but, deducting gas leakage, the net result is that the airship has on an average day 450 to 5001b of lifting force no longer required. The utilisation of the waste gas as fuel will augment the motoring vitality by 30 hours, increasing the radius of action to 2500 miles, double the distance to be covered. The expedition is now at Spitzbergen and proposes to start in the present month sometime for the Pole.