THE POLAR AIRSHIP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19803, 31 May 1926, Page 8

THE POLAR AIRSHIP.

VISIT TO ENGLAND. ; AN EXCITING LANDING. JOURNEY FROM ROME. iFbom Otjb Own Cobbispondent.) LONDON, April 16. The airship Norge, with the AtnundsenEllsworth Polar Expedition, which left Rom© at 9.25 a.m. last Saturday, landed at Pulham at 5.50 on Sunday afternoon. She was just sighted at 2.35 p.mt, and came over the aerodrome at 3.25 p.m, but owing to the fact that she was passing repeatedly from bright sunshine to cloud and shadow it was difficult to trim her for landing. For this operation it is necessary that an airship should have neither too much nor too little buoyancy, and neglect of precautions may lead to slight mishaps. Naturally, so much depends upon this ship, that no risk should be taken. The conditions were,however, difficult and so email a ship lacks the- temperature protective armour which it is possible to embody in big airships.

The airship having at last got into position to land, another two guy ropes having been actually seized by four or five men, a quantity of water ballast was discharged. Evidently the allowance was excessive, for the shin immediately soared up, the ground men fortunately letting go in time to avoid being carried away. Three more times the airship essayed the landing, but to the onlookers it appeared as if she lacked complete monoeuvring power in the vertical direction. It was not until two more failures had occurred that she was* finally secuied. When the shin had been secured Colonel Nobile, Major G. H. Scott, and Lieutenant Riiser-Larsen shook hands with the Crown Prince of Norway the Norwegian Minister, and'. Sir Samuel Hoare, the British Air Minister, who had all come down especially to await the arrival. Captain Amundsen and Mr Ellsworth have proceeded by land to Oslo, there to await the ship. MAJOR SCOTT’S TRIBUTE. Major G. H. Scott, the famous airship navigator, who piloted the R 34 across the Atlantic, travelled on board the Norge as adviser to Signor Nobile. “She is the best airship that could be designed for the trip to the North Pole,’’ he said in an interview. “I was particularly pleased with the way she behaved, although I had no direct control of the navigation. I was/ simply a visitor giving advice when needed. “Our course from Italy was along the Mediterranean, then to the east of the Pyrenees to escape the thunderstorms of the Rhone Valley, and onwards over western France to England. We crossed the Channel in a slanting lino from Normandy to Brignton, went along the south coast, over Sussex and Kent, to Chatham, crossed the Thames, and so struck a direct homeward route to Pulham. We were at approximately 1000 feet high most of the way. “We had a bad trip during the night over France owing tc the strong easterly wind. We were fighting it the whole time, and that was the reason for the delay in landing in England. At times we were stopped, making no progress, but simply staying there, with our head tucked in the wind. The greatest speed we made it any time was 70 miles an hour; that was when the wind was with us. VERY LITTLE ACCOMMODATION. “We had the food that has been provided for the Polar expedition, and it was excellent. It was all preserved stuff, and the only hot drinks we had were those we brought with us in vacuum flasks. “I like the ship, but there is very little accommodation for the men on board. There are no bunks and few seats. There were only four seats for 21 of us, and wo stood up practically the whole of the 30 hours during which*we were in the air. This. I think, should be remedied. “The wireless apparatus is admirable. We were talking to the British . Air Ministry when we were oyer the Mediterranean, and all the time during the journey over France we were receiving weather reports from the and French authorities. All the wireless messages were by Morse, and not by wireless telephone.’’ DEPARTURE FOR OSLO.. After taking In stores the Norge left Pulham again on the Tuesday night As It left the ground a crowd of at least 1000 strong burst Into cheers, and these were returned in a diminishing volume by Captain Nobile’s little band in their tiny cabin. Before leaving Captain Nobile expressed his warm thanks to the British authorities In a farewell message. He spoke of the great assistance rendered by Major Scott, “your great pilot,” and he added: ”Our enterprise presents difficulties and serious dangers, bnt we hope to be able to face them successfully. If so, we can give fresh demonstration of the great help aeronautics can be to the progress ,of civilisation.” At the last moment the crew were mined by a passenger In the person of Captain • Prestrud, the Norwegian Naval Attache and an old comrade of Amundsen, who is tra.-lling to Oslo. ARCTIC DRESS.

It was a night of perfect calm on the ground when the airship left, but Captain Nobile was prepared to have following winds and a keen frost at an altitude of 1000 ft. As there Is no heating apparatus on board the crew have to rely on their clothing for warmth. Accordingly, before leaving they donned the Polar garments which have been prepared for use within Arctic circles. Perhaps the most Joyful of the whole crew was Captain Nobile’s little dog, whose joyous bark could be heard almost to the last. Captain Nobile, in a final interview, said he felt like a man going into battle. “It may f>e victory; it may not,” he said. “At any rate, I shall have the satisfaction of knowing that I have done all that is humanly possible. It may be that we shall be compelled to land on the ice. In that case we shall have to look about ns for food—there are plenty of teala at this season of the year In the Polar regions. FLEET OP LIGHT BOATS. “Or It may be that we shall come down in the sea. In that case we shall have to roly on a fleet of light boats which I had made In Rome. We are taking eight of these boats with ns, each capable of holding two or three persons. At Oslo we are taking In fresh hydrogen. From Spitsbergen to Alaska it Is, roughly, 22Q0 miles, and, with good luck, there ought to be no difficulty In covering that distance with the rations of food and petrol we are taking with us.”