1 88 1. 47 Trans. N. Y. Ac. Set. 



seventeen persons all told, including Lieut. Schwatka, U. S. A., the 

 commander of the late American Franklin search expedition, who has 

 most cordially volunteered to accompany this party, on the part of 

 America. 



To attempt to reach the Pole in the usual manner, there would be 

 required six sledging parties of five men each. Each man would have 

 to drag 215 pounds. The Lecturer believed that the journey could be 

 performed by means of sledges, as he had not the most remote idea 

 that there is an open sea about the Pole. Starting in April or early 

 May with the six sledges, they would go fifty or sixty miles on the 

 journey ; and then sledge No. 6 would stop and bury in some safe place 

 all its spare supplies, as a depot for the return journey, and that sledge 

 would return to the ship. After going fifty or sixty miles more, the 

 fifth sledge would stop in the same way, bury its spare provisions, and 

 return to the ship. The first sledge would keep on until the Pole was 

 reached. In this way the journey might be made in 106 days, but 

 would be far more difficult and laborious than that proposed by the 

 following plan. 



On arrival at St. Patrick's Bay, three snow observatories will be 

 established, one situated in the immediate vicinity of the coal mine, at 

 St. Patrick's Bay, another fifty miles further north, and the third the 

 same distance to the south. These observatories will be connected by 

 telegraph wires, and hourly meteorological observations will be taken 

 and transmitted to the central station. Thus accurate information as 

 to the direction and force of the wind, simultaneously over a distance of 

 one hundred miles, will be obtained and immediately plotted at the 

 central station. When the proper wind curve for reaching the Pole is 

 found to exist, the attempt will be made by means of balloons. These 

 will be of large size, and three in number, costing altogether about 

 ;^l 2,000. Each will carry three men, be provided with a boat car, a 

 set of Esquimaux dogs, and provisions for fifty-one days. The total 

 load for each balloon will be between one and one-half and two tons. 

 The gas for inflating the balloons will be generated, at least mainly, 

 from the abundant coal at this harbor, and, to prevent the too rapid 

 diffusion and loss of gas, it is proposed to employ a double envelope 

 of silk with an intermediate layer of gold-beaters' skin. It has not 

 yet been decided whether to use pure hydrogen or a mixture of coal 

 gas and hydrogen. The Commander has convinced himself by experi- 

 ments with balloons, both in polar regions and in England, that they 

 can be satisfactorily used in the way above proposed : and he hopes 

 to cover the distance from St. Patrick's Bay to the Pole, 496 miles, in 

 from eighteen to twenty-four hours. The altitude of the balloons will 

 be regulated at about one thousand feet by means of a trail rope. 



