Explorer! The Adventures of Walter Wellman, Journalist, Explorer, Aeronaut

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Illustrations are provided via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license and/or under the GNU Free Documentation License. This is done without endorsement by them or the illustrations' authors. Other illustrations are as noted.

Figure 1: Wellman portrait

Source: PD Bain - US Lib. Of Congress (LOC), 1910.

Figure 2: Tromso Norway to Svalbard. Source: TUBS, 9-May-2011, (Wikimedia).

Figure 3: Sextant and features. Source: Joaquim Alves Gaspar, October 2006 (Wikipedia).

Figure 4: Map of Svalbard featuring Spitsbergen. Source: Oona Räisänen (Mysid), 14-February-2008 (Wikimedia).

Figure 5 : Mountains on Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago. Source:Jerzy Strzelecki,2003, (Wikimedia).

Figure 6: Map outlining the Arctic Region. Source: CIA World Fact Book, Unknown/Public Domain, (Wikimedia).

Figure 7: Inspecting a hummock. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 8: Aboard ship ready to depart. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 9: Unloading at the edge of the ice pack. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 10: Men and sledges starting off. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 11: Ship caught on ice. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 12: Arctic sunset. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 13: Free Balloon. Source: Antoine Louis François Sergent, circa 1783 (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)).

Figure 14: Location of Franz Josef Land from Scandinavia and Russia. .Source: Oona Räisänen (Mysid), 26-October-2010, (Wikipedia).

Figure 15: Map of Franz Josef Land. Source: Oona Räisänen (Mysid), 26-October-2010, (Wikipedia).

Figure 16: Arctic sunrise. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 17: Men and dogs push through a hummock. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 18: Various types of balloons. Source: Unknown (Public Domain due to age), between 1890 and 1907, (Wikimedia).

Figure 19: Count von Zeppelin's airship in flight. Source: Peter Scherer in Gute alte Zeit and US Lib. Of Congress (LOC), between 2 July 1900, (Wikimedia).

Figure 20: The airship Lebaudy (nicknamed Le Jaune) Source: Patrie_-Verdun_-Nov 1907, (Wikimedia).

Figure 21: The airship blueprints. Source: Public Domain - Lueger, Otto: Lexikon der gesamten Technik und ihrer Hilfswissenschaften), 1904-1920 (Wikimedia).

Figure 22: Airship emerging from hangar at Camp Wellman Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC),1906.

Figure 23: Airship propeller with worker to show size Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), 1906.

Figure 24: Underside of the airship. Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), 1906.

Figure 25: Glacier near landing point. Source: G. Firth Scott, circa 1909, The Romance of Polar Exploration, Seeley And Co. Limited, London.

Figure 26: Airship nosed in hangar at Camp Wellman Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), 1906.

Figure 27: Louis Blériot flew across the English Channel Source: Unknown (United States Library of Congress), May 1909.

Figure 28: Hansom cab. Source: Unknown, October 1910 (Wikimedia)

Figure 29: Aircrew Member holding ship's cat. Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), October 1910.

Figure 30: America's flight from Atlantic City until rescued by RMS Trent. Source: Public Domain Map, 2016, with local modifications.

Figure 31: America's lifeboat as seen by RMS Trent. Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), October 1910.

Figure 32: Diagram of Akron. Source: Popular Mechanics Magazine, October 1911.

Figure 33: Wellman with crew of the Akron. Source: Bain News Service (US Lib. Of Congress (LOC)), 1906.

Figure 34: Navy-Curtis NC-4 in flight. Source: U S Navy (Public Domain), 1919.

Figure 35: Route of NC-4 across Atlantic. Source: Public Domain Map, 2016 with local modifications.

Introduction

Figure 1: Walter Wellman (November 3, 1858 - January 31, 1934)

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Born in Mentor, Ohio, Walter Wellman was an American journalist, explorer, and aeronaut.

Explorer! is a special book about this American hero and pioneer. I feel his vision is on the verge of being lost in the shuffle of history; however, his dedication, perseverance, and contributions to the success of future generations should not be allowed to go unacknowledged.

Chapter 1: Sea Sick

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As First Officer, one of my duties is to use this device, which is called a sextant, to chart the location of the ship, Nils said. Opening a leather case, he took out an instrument. A delicate looking device, the man handled it gingerly. The covering was worn, the brass of the instrument somewhat tarnished. Mr. Wellman wants me to teach you how to use this. As record keeper, you’re going to chart the expedition’s route across the ice and back.

From the looks of it, Boden could tell the device had been used many times and guessed that it may be older than his own fifteen years.

With the sextant cradled in both hands, the First Officer began his explanation. We determine our location by triangulation using a sextant. For example, the horizon, the sun, and ship’s position are each a part of a triangle, Nils stopped short while Boden made a quick trip to the Ragnvald Jarl’s rail and noisily contributed his breakfast to the depths of the rolling sea.

The ship, a sail and steam powered schooner, plowed through heavy seas and slammed into waves that seemed to shake everything aboard. A gust of wind whipped through the rigging, forcing a puff of coal smoke low over the deck. Sails snapped and crackled as they strained against the wind’s ebb and flow.

Figure 2: Tromso, Norway to Svalbard

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Pale and shaken, none-the-less determined to complete the task, the lanky young man wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve and turned away from the rail. The ship, having reached the summit of the most recent crest, now plunged into the depths of the next trough.

How fast the sea changes, Boden thought; it had been calm when we put to sea from Tromso, ⁵ Norway yesterday. A storm came up before nightfall. It seemed to grow worse through the night. Was it going to be like this for the entire trip? It was never like this when I sailed on the Great Lakes. I don’t know if I can survive the next four days . . . and I'm not sure I want to.

Nils suppressed a smile—the boy was trying his best. It would be unkind to laugh. He watched the lad’s shaky trip across the rolling deck and thought of his own first time at sea. It had been no different for him. Got any experience? He looked at the young man, still white as a ghost.

Experience, sir? Boden braced himself against a ventilator shaft, envious of the First Officer’s ability to stand unaided and unperturbed by the rough seas.

Nils thought the lad sharp enough and he seemed to be familiar with sailing terms, but his current condition didn't support those observations. Possibly this bout of seasickness put the lad off his game, Nils repeated his question in more detail. Yes, experience aboard a ship. Do you have any sailing experience?

Oh, yes sir, Boden replied eagerly. I was a cabin boy aboard a Great Lakes passenger ship. I signed on when I was twelve. Every shipping season, we sailed back and forth between Buffalo and Chicago.

Nils nodded. Signed on when he was twelve, he thought, the lad couldn’t be much more than that now. They don't have rough weather on the Great Lakes?

Yes sir, but never like this. On the ’Lakes, the waves are smaller, but they hit more often, Boden said. I’ve never seen waves this big before, have you? Concern showed in every corner of his pale features as he looked for reassurance.

Nils laughed and tousled the lad’s head. When I was about your age, I went to sea. The first trip out, we ran into a hurricane. Giant waves, much bigger than any of these, swept the deck for three days. I thought I would die … in fact, before it was over, I hoped I’d die, and I vowed that if I ever got back to dry land, I’d never leave again.

What happened?

I saw everyone else going about their jobs and thought if they could do it, so could I. Nils shrugged and added, That was twenty years ago. I've been to sea ever since. He looked at Boden and smiled.

Well, if you can do it, then so can I. Boden smiled back.

Good lad! Nils said and patted the lad on the back. Now, we should get down to business, yes?

Figure 3: Sextant and features

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Boden took out a pencil and notebook. His mentor, Walter Wellman, an experienced newsman, insisted that a good reporter always have these tools at hand. The young man, now all business, waited for Nils to continue.

While it looks pretty complicated, a sextant merely measures the angle the target makes with the visible horizon and a celestial body, the First Officer explained. He held the device out for Boden to inspect and pointed out the parts. You can see that the main parts are a telescope, a half-silvered, horizontal mirror which the telescope looks through, and an index mirror attached to a moving arm. Pointing to the curved metal plate along the bottom of the device, Nils explained, This scored plate, shaped like an arc, is one sixth of a circle. The markings translate to degrees.

How do you choose which object to use as a target? Boden asked.

The First Officer smiled. The boy was sharp, and he was quick. Depending on your situation, you can use the sun, moon, or most major stars as the target. Nils paused to let that sink in and then added, If the sun’s out, use it as your target. The sets of colored filters are used when the object being viewed—such as the sun—is bright. On a clear night locate the Big Dipper and use its pointer stars to find Polaris. Some call this star the Pole Star while others called it the North Star. Nils watched as the lad, engrossed in a careful inspection of the sextant, forgot about the lurching ship and let go of the ventilator shaft. Continuing with his demonstration, the First Officer said, By moving this arm, whichever body chosen as target can be made to appear on the horizon. This small knob here is used to make adjustments. The angle can then be read off the arc scale.

Looking up from his notebook, Boden held up his pencil and interrupted. What happens on days like this, when you can’t see the sun through the clouds?

Good question, Nils said. He pointed to a bright spot in the clouds. The best you can do on this type of day is to look for a hot spot, the place where the clouds seem brighter than those around them. That’s what we’ll use today.

Boden nodded and went back to making notes, looking up when he finished.

Hold the device up and point it toward your target. In our case point, it at the hot spot; sight the horizon through the unsilvered portion of the horizon mirror. Adjust the index arm until the image of the sun, reflected first by the index mirror and second by the silvered portion of the horizon mirror, appears to rest on the horizon. The altitude of the target body can be read from the scale on the arc of the instrument's frame.

Boden looked at the device and made more notes while Nils waited. The ship rocked and shuddered through another wave. Water splashed up on deck. Startled, Boden grabbed the ventilator with his free hand and gave the First Officer a nervous look.

Undisturbed, Nils held the device up to his eye, pointed the telescope at the hot spot, and made some adjustments. The principles of a sextant are easy to master, but its use requires some skill and practice. Timing is critical. You have to work quickly because everything—the ship, the earth, the target—is moving. Small errors make for large discrepancies in one's position. Nils handed the sextant to Boden, Take a look at this and you’ll see what I mean. His action forced the lad to let go of the ventilator and tuck the notebook inside his jacket. The First Officer stood behind the young man and helped position the sextant before stepping back to give Boden time to make his observation. Before giving the device back, the lad moved the sextant around and studied the results. Satisfied, he handed the device back to the First Officer.

Nils moved the index arm and twisted the knob, throwing measurements off, before giving the sextant back. Use the sextant to locate your target and then take a bead to see if you can duplicate my observation, he said.

Boden mimicked the stance he saw Nils use and then pointed the sextant's telescope toward the hot spot and worked the controls.

The trick, Nils advised, is to make the target just brush the horizon. You don’t want it too high or too low. It takes experience to know when you’re just right. This is where practice pays off.

Boden handed the device back and asked, How did I do?

Nils peered through the telescope and made an adjustment. Not bad, especially under these conditions, but you need to set it just a little lower. He handed it back and Boden took another look. Once you’ve made the sightings, record the time—seconds first, then minutes, next hours—the name of the body used as target, and its observed altitude. Move quickly because a delay of four seconds means an error of a nautical mile. Nils paused and watched Boden, notebook in hand, as he scribbled more notes.

Let’s go to the wheelhouse, and I’ll show you some charts and almanacs that will be helpful. We can talk about how to adjust for types of errors and then you can practice what you’ve learned, Nils said. Each day, we’ll do some side-by-side sighting and compare results. That should get you ready.

Chapter 2: Svalbard/Spitsbergen

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Boden stepped on deck and shielded his eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the water. The green Arctic sea, placid now, was unlike the waters they had traveled the last three days.

Late, he hurried toward the stern of the Ragnvald Jarl, following the path he used every day. True to form, the ship’s First Officer was waiting for him, sextant in hand.

Hearing rapid footfalls, Nils looked up and smiled. Another few minutes, and I would have had to start without you, he said as he held up the instrument.

Boden laughed and said, You waited because you didn’t want to ruin my perfect record. Sharing stories and jokes, they had developed a rapport during these few days. Boden thought that this might be what it felt like to have a big brother.

After adjusting the instrument and checking the time against Nils' watch, Boden raised the instrument to his eyes and made his observations. Job complete, he opened a notebook and recorded his findings.

Nils, spread a chart on top of a capstan, and the lad marked the ship’s position with an ‘X’. After staring at the chart for a moment, a panicked look came over his face, and Boden rechecked his notes.

Is there a problem? Nils asked.

Boden pointed at the mark on the chart and said, Something must be wrong because my notes say we should be at Svalbard.

Nils pushed his cap back and scratched his head. I don't know how we could have missed it. The island we were headed for is five or six times the size of that island in the Pacific that's always making the news these days.

You mean Hawaii?

Figure 4: Map of Svalbard featuring Spitsbergen

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Still looking puzzled, Nils scratched his chin. Yes, that's the place. I don't see anything that big here. What do you think is wrong?

Well, yes. If my calculations were correct, we would be right off the place the Dutch called Spitsbergen, but there’s nothing except ocean as far as the eye can see. That's wrong! We should be able to see an island that large, shouldn't we?

Nils titled his head and raised an eyebrow. Spitsbergen? I thought we were going to Svalbard. Stone-faced, Nils shook his head.

Mystified, Boden shrugged. Spitsbergen? Svalbard? I thought they were the same place, but I don't see either one. In fact, I don't see anything but water.

Maybe there’s something wrong with the instruments or my watch might be off, Nils suggested. Help me gather up our equipment. We’ll go up to the wheelhouse and compare our instruments to theirs.

Chapter 3: Smeerenburg

Figure 5: Mountains on Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago

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Nils rolled up the chart and started toward the opposite side of the ship. Boden, sextant and notebook in hand, followed. They rounded the end of the stateroom, and the First Officer came to a halt. Pointing over the rail at a rocky lump protruding from the sea and looming closer, he asked, Do you see anything like that on your chart anywhere?

It was Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. The spring sun drove winter’s white mantle into a slow retreat and allowed the underlying black basalt, peppered by bits of spring greenery, to show through.

Boden gave a sheepish laugh. I guess I should have looked around a little more, maybe, checked both sides of the ship.

Nils smiled and playfully ruffled Boden’s hair. It’s a big ocean. Sometimes you have to look around a little, he said lightheartedly. You should report to Mr. Wellman and the Captain.

Going below, Boden found the newsman in his cabin, journals and notebooks laid out in front of him. Sir, he said, we’re off Spitsbergen and should be dropping anchor soon.

Wellman, glasses resting on the tip of his nose, looked up. Nils tells me you’ve been doing well with the sextant, is that right?

Yes sir, Boden replied. He’s a patient man and a good teacher.

Good, good, Wellman said absently. Have you reported our position to the Captain, yet?

No sir. Since you are the expedition leader, I thought it best to report to you first.

Wellman paused a moment as he thought about the list of tasks that needed to be accomplished. After you report to the Captain, see the leader of the Inuit, Joseph Youngseal. You’ll probably find him and his men below decks tending to the sled dogs. In addition to your other jobs, you’ll be helping him and his son, Ben, with that task during the trek.

Boden nodded. Report our position to the Captain and then see Joseph Youngseal, he parroted back, confirming that Wellman’s instructions were clear.

Wellman nodded and picked up a notebook. Boden knew the meeting was over, and he left quietly.

###

Captain Bottolfsen leaned on the rail and casually inspected his pipe. Not satisfied with his findings, he knocked it against the ship’s handrail. Its burnt contents fluttered through the air to the Arctic waters where it was swallowed by the bow wave. The tall, sinewy, gray-haired man filled his pipe and lit it as he stared absently at the passing water. In many ways, the man reminded Boden of his grandfather.

Sir, Boden said, the First Officer and I confirmed our position. We are near our destination.

In his brusque, matter-of-fact manner, Bottolfsen nodded, acknowledging the lad's report. We’ll be dropping anchor soon. Where is Mr. Wellman?

He’s in his stateroom finishing up his journal entries, Boden explained. He’ll need them when we return and he begins to file his stories. If he feels his notes are in order, I’m sure he’ll be joining us before we drop anchor. Boden trusted his answer satisfied the Captain.

The lad had studied the man since they left Norway, but Bottolfsen, quiet, patient, seemingly emotionless, remained an enigma. Even now, he gave little clue to the motive behind his questions.