| Show THE accessories OF THE WELLMAN POLAR expedition some of the wonders of science 1 hat are to be used in the attempt to reach the pole what may be called the accessories it the equipment of th wellman polar expedition are by no means least in point of interest in the novel undertaking to reach tl e north pole in an airship the way in which the explorer has utilized the latest acl discoveries and inventions in bis coming battle with the elements of the north form one of the most interesting chapters in the story of preparation with the exception of the airship itself the wireless tele graph and the motor sledge or as mr wellman calls it the mechanical dog stand out as of peculiar interest should mr wellman and hia corn be successful in reaching the pole the wireless telegraph instrument Is expected to inform the world of the act of placing the american flag on that important point of the world s surface within a few minutes after it has occurred should anything hap pen to the airship the mechanical the possible comm distance to more than 1 miles without re lay A complete outfit forms a part of the expedition a apparatus and one ot the five men who wll make the trip in the airship Is an expert telegraph operator andi alician at norway a point ir touch with the atlantic cable the first ft idea station has atea estable heu station no 2 will be t the base 0 the expedition on danes island and wireless station no 3 will be in the airship the aerial which on land and on sea going ships Is a mast in this case will be a wire ns from tre airship and which can be colled up it 0 the way when not in use the experts in wireless heleg raphy have gone oer the situation in the light of conditions as they ar likely to find them in the arctic re glon and have given it as their ion that there is nothing in thee con ONE OF THE mechanical DOGS drawings made from a photograph taken in france where the machines were tested logs offer the possibility of motor ing over the ice and snow to safety the mechanical dog while it is unnecessary to point out that without the utmost confidence in the efficiency and staying powers of he airship the promoters of this making expedition would not undertake it yet this confidence has not been of the blind sort that has caused them to hurl caution to the winds two supplemental provisions have been made or insuring the sue cess 0 the expedition and the lives of the explorers the moat important of these is the motor sledge which la to be carried in the car of the air ship and which it is confidently be lieveld will prove of the utmost value in the event of accident to the airship at any stage of the voyage there are two of these sledges propelled by gas allne motors they lave six horse power each the motor is mounted on runners like those of the ordinary sled and the power Is transmitted by chain to a large front wheel which has breadth enough to serve the pur pose of a snowshoe and the periphery of which Is studded with projecting spikes to furnish the gripping power these mechanical dogs weigh pounds each and can be carried by MR WELLMAN AND companions IN AIRSHIP CAR made from a photograph taken in france at the testing of the machine two men they are so constructed that they can be knocked down and assembled quickly and when such ob stables are met as they cannot over come they can be taken apart and hauled by the explorers over the hard places in all previous explorations the eskimo dog has been the traction mainstay of the explorers while the anine of the north has proved of the greatest assistance in reaching high altitudes he has many drawback but from his mechanical successor mr wellman expects if compelled to for sake his ship to derive al the ad vantages of th real dog and none of the disadvantages the motors used in these novel sledges are air cooled of the ordinary motor cycle type the wireless telegraph heretofore arctic explorers after leaving their base of supplies have been cut off from all communication with the more southerly world hun deeds of them have perished in places not so remote but that they might have been succored had they been able to communicate with their base in this respect as in all other ways the wellman expedition will differ from all others for direct tion not only with the base on dane s island but with the commercial ca bles of the world is expected to be maintained through the de forest wireless telegraph apparatus that forms an important part of the am of the expedition the wireless telegraph service like the air ship while not having been brought to the highest stage of perfection or of successful operation nevertheless has become commercially practicable and reasonably reliable recent tests at sea have lengthened editions to prevent the maintenance ot virtually constant communication be tween the airship and the dane island station la its present use at sea there are often atmospheric disturb ances watch temporarily destroy the usefulness ot the wireless apparatus but these periods have been briel it Is believed thoroughly by the experts MAP OF THE POLAR REGIONS showing route of the wellman ex lon and the location of the wireless telegraph stations A hammerfest Hammer fest wireless station no 1 where connection is made with cable line danes island wireless station and base of expedition in wireless telegraphy that nothing short of a catastrophe which wrecks the ship and renders all apparatus useless will prevent the publishing dally of dispatches from the evilor era sailing in the monster airship As the magnetic pole ol 01 the earth has been found 1 miles from the mathematical pole on the coast of north america it Is reasonably certain that at the mathematical pole there will be encountered no magnetic disturbances which will destroy the use of the wireless apparatus moving pictures provided the importance of the expedition Is reflected significantly in the fact that a london firm has sent cine mato graph operators to for the purpose of catching on moving films all the work done before the serious flight Is undertaken already these operators have been in norway photographing the trials of the me dogs and these films have been shown in london with great sue cess spitzbergen Spitz bergen is as tar as the moving picture men will be able to one of the powerful motors of the wellman airship follow the expedition but ample pro vision has been made for the cecur ing of still pictures after the airship leaves dane s island for th pole the experiments with the dogs were made in norway and the results as shown by the moving pic tures shown in london were eminent ly satisfactory |
