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fore the early days of June. The season is at an end in the last days of August. Actually the period of effective work is confined to about ten weeks. If delay or accident happens, from any cause, it may be necessary to postpone the voyage till another year- quite a different thing from carrying on such an operation in a country where work may continue for nine or ten months. In our care, realizing the magnitude of the task and the shortness of time available, we did everything possible in Europe before going to our headquarters. The first year was spent in the establishment of the base - erecting buildings, machine shop, gas apparatus, etc. We employed 40 and at times 50 men. We worked day and night to the limit of our strength. Four steamship cargoes of lumber, timber and other material were utilized. For making hydrogen gas 110 tons of sulphuric acid and 70 tons of iron were required, as well as boiler house, pumping plant, etc. our establishment in Spitzbergen is now complete and extensive. The London Illustrated News called it "Mr. Wellman's Scientific Village in the Arctics."
The second summer we believed we should be able to try out the airship and get away upon the long voyage northward. This expectation would have been realized but for the unusually unfavorable season, the worst known in the Spitzbergen for thirty years. The first summer the weather was favorable, but we could not get ready. The second summer we were ready, but the weather gave us no chance. Our airship hall was partly destroyed July 4th, causing a loss of four weeks of our precious time. By the time this had been repaired, the airship assembled and inflated and made ready for the voyage, a succession of gales made trials and a start impracticable.
It had been a part of our plan, first, to have as many trials of the ship as might be necessary to demonstrate her efficiency, and to give us the opportunity to make all necessary alterations or improvements. We never thought of starting with an untried ship.