Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-23
CAPTAIN ANDERSEN.
The Man Who Built the Viking
Ship is Here.
OF THE SHIP AND CRUISE
An Offer for 1t to Remain in This
City.
HIS LECTURE TONIGHT.

f0Ae a NalAs lut-lOOkluk DlOnQe~
haired man walked up to the desk at the
Arlington and in a full. free hand wrote
the name Magnus Andersen, Chrfstiania.
In some respects this man is the most in
teresting person who has come to WASH
ington in many a day. He is the man who
conceived the idea of building a Viking shin
In exact reproduction of the one that was
unearthed some time ago In Norway, He In
the man who carried the idea into sue
cessful completion, assisted in raising the
FUNDS Tor the purpose and finally sailed this
curious open ship across the Atlantic.
Man of Varied Attafnmeuts.
II one were looking for a man to do this
very work he would go far before he would
hnd a man better equipped in every way
Tor the purpose. Capt Andersen is a man
OF standing In the capital OF Norway; he IN
a newspaper man. editor and manager at
the same time. and is withal a seaman. who
has had a most adventurous career. He in
a man who would inspire respect and ad-
miration in the editorial sanctum or on the
quarter deck. albeit this particular ship has
no such place Of honor. He is a brave and
considerate man as well. When the scheme
OF building and sailing the Viking ap-
preached fruition he came to the conciu-
sion that he had better come across the
anything should happen to the dozen sail
ors who manned her it would not be pleas
ant for him to sit back In his editorial chair
and realize that he had shirixed a respon-
sibility that really might be construed an
belonging to him. So he came along. and
the result is that the people Of this coun-
try have had an opportunity to make the
acquaintance of q man who might be .
counterpart Of the one who sailed the orig
inal Viking across the Atlantic q thousand
years ago.
A TwO-Fold Mission.
In a way Capt Andersen has had two
fold mission N coming to Washington at
the present time. Tonight he is 10 deliver .
1 .ture upon his work before the National
Geographical Society at the Builders Ex-
change. In addition. he is here to talk over
the future Of his ship. 1t Is not yet certain.
all statements to the contrary uotwfth-
that the Viking will make her per-
manent home in this country. She may yet
go back to Norway. although II is the hope
final home in this city. the capital OF q
friendly nation He does not want her to
stay In Chicago, and he has already declin-
ed the offer OF the Secretary OF the Navy
he says that she is no more to the Norwe-
gtans than any other American city, even
II she is bigger and more enterprising than
some others. As to the latter proposition.
he thinks that IL would be better for the
ship to remain here as a national object OF
interest than to serve a mere model for
budding naval officers.
A Star reporter found Capt. Andersen
after his arrival. The meeting was a very
pleasant one, as the Norwegian sailor re-
marked that he was quite as much a
newspaper man as he was a seaman and
he ,s.xnt Ao1x, IN, Of tn
terview. Capt. Andersen is the editor OF
the Norges Sjafartsfidende. a daily. weekly
and Sunday paper that is devoted to the In
terests of the maritime trade Literally
interpreted the name of his paper Ii the
Norway Commercial Gazette. He complied
most agreeably to a request for an inter-
view. Fortunately, II may be remarked by
way of parenthesis. IL was not necessary to
carry on the talk In Morse. Capt. Andersen
talks English better than a good many
Americans.
The Building of the viking.
'It is a mistake" said Capt Andersen.
ito think that the building of the Viking
was a national affair and that consequent
ly, she is to be given over as q present
from one nation to another. IL was rather
a popular affair. for the funds necessary
for the purpose were raised by a general
in which all classes of peo-
pie participated and in which sn sorts Of
sand subscribers and the expenses 10 far
have amounted to about $1,000. The cost
of building the bare ship was about 10000
kroners, or a trif1e more than 5000. The
fitting out and the cost of maintenance and
of the cruise has used up the balance.
My own paper is an independent one,
but the proposition to fit ont and send over
the ship was taken up enthusiastically by
the conservative journals. The first idea
was that it would be impossible to send
over such a vessel. and that IL would be
necessary to send her as freight on q
steamer. This wouldn't do at all, for more
than half Of the subscribers were sailors,
and they were more interested in the at
tempt to prove the seaworthiness Of such q
ship than they were in the matter OF send
ing over an Interesting exhibit TO the fair.
They wanted to show that the viking
could cross the ocean In Just such a way
as a similar ship might have done a dozen
centuries ago, as thus they would, IN q
way, vindicate their claims that the thing
could have been done then. when sailors
were educated to man just such a craft.
The matter was placed in the hands OF .
committee Of seven. of which ex-Afinister
of Public Works Estrup is chairman, and
the then admiral of the feet, Prof Gustav
Storm. Messrs. Rolf Andvurd and Schet slig.
Zernichow and myself are the members.
An Interesting Legal Question
"Then an Interesting legal question arose
as to what would be done with the pro-
ceeds IL the Viking should be sold or any
money be raised from her In any way, or
with the insurance in case she might b
lost at sea. Norway with all her sailors
has no home for aged and disabled sailors
like the Sailors Snug Harbor in New York,
and Ii was decided to turn over any funds
for the endowment of such an institution.
In Chicago movement was started to
raise fund to send over to Norway for
this purpose, not as purchase money at
all, but as an expression of friendship from
the Norwegfans on this side of the water
for their mother country. i want you to
understand this point ciearly-there has
never been the question of purchase for the
Viking is not for sale. The Norwegfans In
the northwest simply wanted to reciprocate
I'm this expression of kindly feeling and
then wanted to have the ship left in Wash
ington as a permanent exhibit, where all
might have an opportunity to see her. My
own opinion is that IL would be fitting that
the Smithsonian Institution should receive
and care for her. The Norwegians are too
proud OF her ever TO think Of leaving her
anywhere without the assurance that she
would be well taken care of. From a finau-
cial standpoint, IL that were TO be cons,d-
cred at ALL IL would he better 10 take her
back to Christiana and put her on exhibi-
tion there, the proceeds TO go to the sailors
home"
Has she been offered to this cityg"
offered to This City.
Yes. Some time ago ] wrote TO the Off
cials of the Smithsonian on the matter, but
they replied that they could not assume
charge of her. as they had no appropriation