EXPLORATION BY AIRSHIP 425 



paratively small size we flew from Rome to Teller in 165 hours of 

 flight, of which 71 hours constituted a non-stop flight from Kings 

 Bay to Teller — all this through all kinds of adverse weather, snow, fog, 

 wind, ice. 



It is easy to prophesy that other expeditions with dirigibles will 

 follow our own. We have only started a new era in the history of 

 polar exploration. We have shown which is the best way to attain 

 that purpose successfully, and we have given a practical demonstra- 

 tion. 



Although the fog made observation of the ground impossible for 

 hours, we may draw the conclusion from our exploration of the great 

 unknown Arctic area that between the north pole and Alaska there is 

 no great land mass. We explored a zone perhaps 100 kilometers wide 

 and 2400 kilometers long. But portions of this zone could not be seen 

 on account of the fog (see Fig. i). The depth of the sea was not 

 sounded nor were magnetic nor gravitational observations made. 



There is still a great deal of work to be done and a great amount of 

 scientific data to be collected ; and finally there is to be accomplished 

 the exploration of the two great segments into which we divided the 

 unknown area. All this work will be done in the next expeditions 

 that we hope will take place soon. 



Antarctic Exploration by Air 



In the Antarctic, conditions are entirely different. In the Arctic 

 there is a frozen ocean; in the Antarctic there is a great continent, 

 with high lands and mountains. Meteorological conditions are also 

 different, and, so far as we know, they are much less favorable to 

 aerial navigation. The fact alone of the presence of a high land is 

 an unfavorable condition. The violence and frequency of the storms 

 is a further formidable obstacle. An expedition with dirigibles would 

 require a large amount of money. What is needed is a great base on 

 the coast of the continent and a huge airship able to fly a distance of 

 15,000 kilometers at a height of 5000 meters. Certainly the use of 

 airplanes would to some extent be preferable in the Antarctic. But 

 an airplane expedition should also be backed by a strong financial 

 organization, establish many flying stations, and employ a considera- 

 ble number of machines. 



