OF THE ALSATIAN LANDSCAPE UNFOLDS A PANORAMA OF PROSPEROUS CONTENTMENT Despite the wars that have ravaged them and the armies that have foraged here, the fields of Alsace produce bountiful crops of cereals and fruits. The patchwork appearance of these fields is the result of a practice, common in many parts of Europe, of dividing the land of a father equally among his children. There are no fences between these plots but stone markers are placed at the corners, and they are sometimes bordered by rows of red poppies. Periodically the village authorities remeasure them to be sure that no one is encroaching too seriously on his neighbor's land. Autochrome Lumière by Gervais Courtellemont THE IRON-BOUND BUCKET STILL SERVES IN GEISPOLSHEIM Formerly only the wealthier villagers could afford a well, and their less prosperous neighbors all used it. This worked satisfactorily until drought caused a water shortage and then close guard was kept over the well to prevent poaching and wastage. Sometimes a short-tempered dog was tethered where he could perform sentry duty. This village of Geispolsheim is the "sauerkraut capital" of Alsace. TO THE NORTH POLE AND BEYOND The Designer and Pilot of the First Dirigible to Fly Over the Top of the World Describes a Thrilling Voyage of More Than 8,000 Miles BY GENERAL UMBERTO NOBILE Of the Italian Air Force T WAS in May, 1925, while the world was still anxiously awaiting news of the Amundsen-Ellsworth Airplane Expedition, which had come to grief on the Polar ice, that I began to consider the problem of using other aërial means for polar explorations. I was still awaiting news of Heavier-than-air apparatus did not appeal to me. Polar ice is too uneven and, during the good season, too often hidden by fog to permit landing with any considerable degree of safety. Moreover, even if a successful landing is managed, the resumption of flight is problematical, owing to the continuous movements in the formation of ice, caused by winds and tides. On the other hand, with a dirigible, there is the possibility of slowing down and even coming to a full stop in the air without being compelled to land, whether for the purpose of taking observations or repairing damages. As to the discharge of men and materials, the landing maneuver presents some difficulties, but it is free from excessive danger when the necessary preparations have been made, and provided, of course, that atmospheric conditions are not utterly unfavorable. For these reasons I conceived the idea of preparing and effecting an Italian Polar expedition with a dirigible, and by June, 1925, my plan had already taken shape in its main lines. We would start from Spitsbergen in order to explore all that Polar zone within a radius of 600 to 900 land miles. I did not contemplate a mere run to the Pole, but a campaign of exploration, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions prevailing from May to September. We would, in this manner, have effected a fanlike series of explorations from our island base. me. While this Italian project was ripening, Captain Roald Amundsen asked to meet In our interview he explained his idea to use a dirigible to cross the Arctic from Spitsbergen to Alaska. His idea was conceived independently of mine, but after mine. We soon came to an accord, under the terms of which I assumed the whole responsibility for the technical preparation for the expedition. This was effected in Italy under my direction and responsibility. HOW THE AIRSHIP WAS CONSTRUCTED The airship chosen for the expedition was the N-1, belonging to the Italian aërial fleet and built two years previously. Her first trial flight took place in March, 1924. Here it is not necessary to give a detailed description of what we call the Italian semirigid type of airship. It is enough to recall that the body of the ship, having a shape for good penetration, is built of a rubberized triple-ply fabric. This body, filled with hydrogen, which gives the necessary lifting force, is divided into a number of compartments by means of transverse diaphragms. The inferior part of the hull of the ship is stiffened by a metallic framework of a triangular section consisting of a number of beams connected by means of knuckle joints. Each beam is made of tubing steel. This framework is covered with varnished fabric. The room inside of it contains the gasoline tanks (32 in number) and their pipes and also the cables for controlling rudders, elevators, gas valves, air valves, and engines. Photograph from General Umberto Nobile PLASTIC SURGERY FOR A DIRIGIBLE In order to make it possible to secure the Norge to a mooring mast, it was necessary to provide her with a stiffened or rebuilt nose. This was effected by building on to the original N-1 of the Italian aërial fleet a framework of tubing steel shaped somewhat like a cupola. This was then covered with a rubberized fabric (see illustration on opposite page). The nose of the airship is stiffened by means of a metallic frame in the shape of a cupola, which is also made of tubing steel. This cupola is connected with the framework. The surfaces as well as the rudders and the elevators are placed on the tail of the ship in such a way as to form a cross. They are connected by means of ropes and steel rings which run along the parallels of the hull, and are themselves connected by means of other tubing steel lying along the meridians. The commander, his associate officers, the ruddermen, the radioman, and the meteorologist have their places inside the cabin. The metallic frame of this is also made of tubing steel and is connected with the framework of the hull and directly communicating with the inside of it. In the forward part of the cabin are installed the devices for controlling the rudders, the elevators, the valves, and the engines. The engines are three in number, each of 250 horsepower. Two are located about the middle of the hull of the ship, not far from the pilot cabin, one on each side; the third is located in the center, not far from the tail of the ship. Each engine is supported by means of a metallic framework, which externally presents a shape for good penetration. These engine boats are suspended from the framework of the ship by means of metallic ropes and laterally are connected with the framework by two beams, one of which is used also as a catwalk for the engineers when they go from the engine boats to the inside of the hull or vice versa (see page 181). The capacity of the airship is 18.500 cubic meters (about 650,000 cubic feet). Her length is 348 feet, her height 79 feet, and her width 62 feet. We can assume that the average consumption of fuel is about one kilogram for each kilometer (three and a half pounds, or slightly more than half a gal THE REBUILT NOSE OF THE "N-I" (SEE, ALSO, ILLUSTRATION ON OPPOSITE PAGE) REMODELING THE KEEL STRUCTURE OF THE "N-I" FOR ITS POLAR FLIGHT The 32 gasoline tanks, suspended at intervals on either side of the keel (see, also, illustration, page 180), had a capacity of more than seven and a half tons of fuel, capable of driving the airship, at its most economical speed, a distance of 4,350 miles. |