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Show THE ACCESSOFS OF THE WELLMAN POLAR EXPEDITION Some of the Wonders of Science That Are to Be Vied in the Attempt to Reach the Pole. What may be called tho accessories ot the equipment of the Wellman polar expedition are by no means least In point ot interest In the novel undertaking to reach the north polo In an airship. The way In which tho explorer has utilized the latest scientific sci-entific discoveries nd Inventions fn his coming battle with tho elements ot tho north form one of the most Interesting chapters In tho story ot preparation. With tho exception of tho airship Itself the wireless telegraph tele-graph and the motor sledge, or, as Mr. Wellman calls It, "tho mechanical dog," stand out as of peculiar Interest. Should Mr. Wellman and his companions com-panions be successful In reaching the pole the wireless telegraph instrument Is expected to Inform the world of the act of pluclng the Amerlcnn flag on that Important point of the world's surface within a few minutes after It has occurred. Should nnythlng happen hap-pen to tho airship tho "mechanical In this respect, as In all other ways, tho Wellman expedition will differ from all others, for direct communication, communica-tion, dot only with tho base on Dane's Island, but with the commercial cable ca-ble of the world, Is expected to be maintained through the Do Forest wireless telegraph apparatus that forms an Important part of the Impedimenta Im-pedimenta ot tho expedition. Tho wireless telegraph service, llko the airship, air-ship, whllo not having been brought to tho highest stage of perfection or certainty of successful operation, nevertheless has become commercially practicable and reasonably reliable Recent tests at sen have lengthened the possible communication distance to moro than 1,000 miles without relay. re-lay. A complete wireless outfit forms a part of the expedition's apparatus, and ono of tho flvo men who will make the trip In the airship la an expert wireless telegraph operator and mechanician. ONE OF THE "MECHANICAL DOGS." Drawings Made from a Photograph taken In France, where the Machlnea Were Tested. dogs" offer tho possibility of motoring 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 "stnylng" powers of the airship, tho promoters of this epoch-making expedition would not undertnke It, yet this confidence has not been ot tho blind sort thnt has caused them to hurl caution to tho winds. Two supplemental provisions havo been mado for Insuring tho success suc-cess of tho expedition and the Uvea of tho explorers. Tho most Important of theso Is tho motor sledgo which Is to be cnrrled In tho car of tho airship air-ship and which, it Is confidently believed, be-lieved, will prove of tho utmost valuu In tho event of accident to tho airship at any stage of tho voyage. Thero aro two of these sledges, propelled by gas-ollno gas-ollno motors. They have slx-horso-power each. Tho motor Is mounted on runners, like those of tho ordinary sled, and the power Is transmitted by chain to a largo front wheel which has breadth enough to servo tho pur-poso pur-poso of a snowshoe and the periphery ot which Is studded with projecting Bplkcs to furnish the gripping power. Theso "mechanical dogs" weigh 225 pounds each and can bo carried by two men. Thoy nro so constructed that thoy can ho knocked down and assembled quickly and when such obstacles ob-stacles aro met as they cannot over-some over-some they can be taken apart and hauled by the explorers over the hard places. In all previous explorations tho Eskimo dog has been tho traction mainstay of tho explorers. Whllo tho lanlno of the north hns proved of tho MR. WELLMAN AND COMPANIONS IN AIRSHIP CAR. Made from a Photograph Taken In France at the Testing of the Machine. greatest assistance In reaching high altitudes ho has many drawbacks; but from his mechanical successor Mr. Wellman expects, If compelled to forsake for-sake his ship, to dcrlvo all the advantages ad-vantages of tho real dog and nono of tho dlsndvantnges, Tho motors used In theso novel sledges nro air cooled, of tho ojdlnnry motor-cyclo typo. The Wireless Telegraph. Heretofore urctlc oxploreru, after leaving their baso of supplies, hnvo been cut oft from all communication with tho more southerly world. Hundreds Hun-dreds of them havo perished In places not so remote but that thoy might have been succored had thoy been able to communicate with their base. At Hammerfest, Norway, a point in touch with tho Atlantic cable, the first wireless station has been established. Station No. 2 will bo at tho base of tho expedition on Dane's island, and wireless station No. 3 will be In tho airship. Tho "aerial," which on land and on sea-going ships Is a mast, In this case will be a wlro suspended from tho airship, and which can he colled up out of tho way when not In use. The experts In wireless telegraphy teleg-raphy have gone over the situation In tho light of conditions as they nro likely to find them In the arctic region, re-gion, nnd havo given It as their opinion opin-ion that there Is nothing In theso conditions con-ditions to prevent tho maintenance of virtually constant communication between' be-tween' tho airship and tho Dane Island MAP OF THE POLAR REGIONS. Showing Route of the Wellman Expedition Ex-pedition and the Location of the Wireless Telegraph Stations. A Hammerfest wireless station No. 1, where connection Is made with cable line. D Dane's Island wireless station and baso of expedition. station. In Its present use nt sea thero aro often atmospheric disturbances disturb-ances which temporarily destroy tho usefulness of tho wireless npparntus, but theso periods have been brief. It Is believed thoroughly by the experts In wireless telegraphy thut nothing short of a catastrophe which wrecks tho ship anil renders all apparatus useless will prevent tho publishing dally or dlspatchcB rrom tho explorers explor-ers sailing poleward In the monster airship. As the magnetic polo or the earth has been found 1,200 miles from tho mathematical pole, on tho const of North America, It Is reasonably certain that at the mathematical polo there will be encountered no magnetic disturbances which will destroy tho usefuness of the wireless npparntus. Moving Pictures Provided. Tho Importance of tho expedition Ms reflected significantly In tho fact that a Iyonilon firm hns sent cinematograph cinemato-graph operators to Spitsbergen for the purposo of catching on moving films all tho trlnl work dnno beforo tho sorloiia flight Is undertaken. Already theso operators havo been In Norway photographing the trials of tho "mechanical "me-chanical dogs" nnd theso films hnvo been shown In London with great success. suc-cess. Spitsbergen Is ns far as tho moving picture men will ho nblo to follow the expedition, but ample provision pro-vision has been mado for tho securing secur-ing of still pictures after tho alrshlr. leaves Dane's Island for tho polo Tho experiments with tho "mechanical dogs" woro made In Norwny, and the results, as shown by tho moving pictures pic-tures shown In London, were eminently eminent-ly satisfactory. |
