THE NORTH POLE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2610, 18 September 1909, Page 5

THE NORTH POLE

CABLE NEWS.

MAGNIFICENT RECEPTION FOR DR. COOK.

United Press Association —Copyright LONDON, Sept. 16.

Commander Peary and Mr Bartlett, replying to Sir William McGregor’s felicitations, telegraphed: “Your congratulations are deeply appreciated. Your interest proved .a mascot.” The “Daily Mail’s” New York correspondent says that Dr Cook will get a magnificent reception, largely owing to Commander Peary’s reiterated denunciations. The New York “Herald” is publishing Dr. Cook’s detailed account, which has been graphically written. (Received September 17, 10.50 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 17. The Negro Hansen declares that he personally assisted in hoisting the Stars and 1 Stripes at the Pole. ZEPPELIN’S POLAR FLIGHT. Notwithstanding the statement given out by Professor Hergesell to the effect that the main object of the proposed Zeppelin expedition from Spitzbergen next year would be to explore northern Greenland, there is littlei doubt that, with favorable weather conditions a flight to the North Pole will be attempted. The German papers are unanimous iai urging Count Zeppelin, on patriotic grounds, to plant the German flag iat the pole. Count Zeppelin’s friends favor the scheme and are confident that the attempt will be successful. Dr. Eckner, one of Zeppelin’s intimates, is of the opinion tihat the North Pole will be much more easily attained by dirigible airship than the South Pole, for many reasons, the first being that no such severe gales are anticipated as a.t the South. Pole, which, as Lieutenant Shackleton. discovered, is situated on an elevated plateau. Protuberances on the earth’s surface, such as mountain ranges and forests, offer a resistance to air currents which result in those dangerous gusts that have proved fatal to many. an airship. This friction is non-existent in the arctic regions, always supposing that the icecovered Arctic Ocean extends beyond the Pole itself, for which belief there is every ground. Scores of experiments carried out with kites and register balloons between the 72nd and 82nd degrees northern latitude have shown that wind was only twice observed at heights exceeding 1000 feet, above which, as ia rule, almost complete calm reigned. . The same result has been obtained by Dr Nansen during his Frani expedition. Severe thunderstorms and rains such as were met by Count Zeppelin on land are not believed to occur with frequency around 'the Pole. Assuming that operations would be inadvisable •with ia wind blowing at a rate of more than twelve miles an hour, experiments at sea level have shown that in the month of July this rate is* rarely reached, while in June also there are lengthy periods of comparative calm. Seeing that the sun in Polar regions remains half a year above the horizon, there would he mo great danger of sudden variations in the temperature, which cause loss of gas and ballast. The shortness of the distance between Spitzbergen and the Pole, about 600 miles, ought to make it possible, so Count Zeppelin’s friends .think, for a dirifib'le airship to accomplish the journey uring a period of Polar calm in twenty hours. The new Zeppelin airship, which will have a capacity of 17,000 cubic metres, would carry three 150 horse-power benzine motors, tjv° of which could keep the airship afloat for seventy .hours, or with one working for 140 hours. Thus it would be possible to reach the Pole and come back to Spitzbergen or effect a landing in Eastern Siberia, Greenland, or Northern Alaska, distances of, say, 1800 miles. The return from these inhospitable regions would, however, be an expedition in itself; hence preference is given to the idea of returning to the base on Spitzbergen. Fog is another enemy to be reckoned with, though it is held that it is never so dense in Polar regions as to obstruct the view of the ice beneath, and steering can be effected with the aid of a compass by day and with help of the stars by night. Asked for his opinion, Lieutenant Shackleton says that he is no aeronaut, and knows nothing about the North Pole. This, however, he does know, that it would be impossible, owing to the severe gales .prevailing in the Antarctic, for an airship to conquer the .South Pole. But from a meteorological point of view he thinks it quite within' the bounds of possibility that success would attend Zeppelin’s dash on the North Pole. He advises, however, that sledges be taken on board for use in an emergency. His sledge •motors, he says, never gave him' any trouble, although the sledges' themselves proved useless in hummock-strewn regions.