TO THE POLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 193, 16 August 1928, Page 7

TO THE POLE

ITALIAN AIRSHIP’S FATEFUL FLIGHT

PROFESSOR’S STORY { By Telegraph—Per Press Assn.—Copyright J [ Tinies Cables. ] Received Aug. 15. 11 p.m. LONDON. Aug. 14. Describing the .final disastrous flight of the Italia, Professor Francis Bell ounek, the Czccho-JSlovakian scientist, savs:—

“Within a quarter of an hour of the start of our tragic voyage, we were over the sea, flying in a north-west direction on the north-eastern coast of Greenland, which had not previously been explored. Genera] Nob? e supervised the steering, in which Mariano, Zappi, Viglieri, and Ceccioni took turns. “The cabin was crowded with technical equipment, and I pitied Lago, the Italian journalist, who was scarcely allowed to move for fear he might knock st i nothing over or interfere with the observations. It must have been very monotonous for anyone not concentrating on navigation or scientific observations. “For ten hours we were sailing over a fog with the blue sky of the unceasing Polar day above us. There was nothing to break the monotony. About five pjn. on May 23 we approached the coast of Greenland and the fog thinned and disappeared. Before us rose the •• uistal icebergs of Greenland, which did not exceed 1000 feet. We flew /■•ng the coast for about half an hour, ’••king photographs and observing. Off for the Pole “Shortly before six o’clock (Greenwich time) we started towards the Pole. At nine o’clock it snowed but we rose above it and at 11.30 p.m. we reached ♦he Pole, where we descended below the fog to obtain a clear view. Bc’ow us spread the grey, sad, endless expanse of Polar ice, cleft by long winding channels appearing from above like d :rk-coloured bands on the monotonous surface. The spot where all meridians , :vet, which has claimed the sacrifice of s) many inquiring and adventurous ~ < n. presented a melancholy, depressing scene, but we had no time for meditation and dreaming. We had to concentrate on our instruments, while others prepared to drop the Italian flag and the Pope’s cross. “It was originally intended to drop men on the ice in a small pneumatic boat suspended from the cabin floor. The boat would hold one at a time. Descent Impossible It was intended that Mariano, Malmgren and Pontremoli should descend, raking instruments for oceanographic observations. A tent, sleeping bags, food and other necessaries were prepared in readiness, but the wind, although not dangerous to the airship, made a descent impossible and we had to con line ourselves to observations from the ship, Pontremoli observing the earth’s magnetic field, and I the atmospheric electricity.

“Pontremoli handed his notes to Nobile, and these have been preserved, but all the rest of his work was lost when he was killed in the crash. We circled the Pole for two hours and the gramophone played the Fascist hymn. The crew shouted “Viva Italia,” and cheered. General Nobile emptied out a bottle of brandy before leaving.”