New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-09
BY BALLOON TO THE POLE
ANDREEs PREPARATIONS FOR HIS PER-
ftOtg JOURNEY
From The London Daily News.

| From The London Daily News.
| Pixies House. Danes Island Spitzbergen. July Is
small steamer Express. which we he'd towed behind
us from Hammerfest, and were soon out or signt
thai III have VET her beadalarers at Advent Bay once
outside The 9rd ana ssr o. s ZEE o we haar
the ice stll blocked the sound We had rising
gale behind us and small boat rolled and
there were seven Of as IN her small two-berthed
cabn-so adrif Next aay the seq wPs -, 50 hign
gut but stsercd on TO Dhneogat where We ran into
Sheltered water, A few minutes steaming and We
eSpe Ss "d to- find mn Kim at fkss House
Saturday June 90 he found no sufficiently sheltered
place there for his balloon house, 40 decided 10 stay
Soon after our arrival We went On board I Nth
his mails lie received US mos, kindly od pd s,aS
here II was cherry sigh, Watching mn ~, give ro
So a doud Be more SoS SaSn this @
built swede. with his CHEEKY smile and ever ready
petition almost convnces one OF It's success. Ger
tainly his men seem sure OF II They are all yo.
loon house in Sweden. Men, too, Of eyery Walk Of
among s5set their number Hard WORKERS every q
AVIAN at the balloon house boiling the vasens
for the guide ropes. or putting the gas machine
81. Andree has been most kind in explaining to us
all his preparations. $780, 49,. oo,.xo,,,
structure some eighty feet high sheltered from
the north by a mountain. and placed on rising
ground some sixteen feet above the gas machines
10 enable the gas 10 Ill the balloon quicker. AT
present there is scarcely more than the skeleton OF
the balloon house but it IS rapidly being boarded
with pine with windows OF wire-wove transparent
gauze at intervals. On one side Is small shed 10
enable the car to be hung up from ring ju-t as
f. viii be from the balloon so that 1t can be fully
stored and then weighed before being aitached 70
the inflated balloon. To release the balloon v
Sha Xyil shed.
ranged that directly the word IL given the whole
piece can be pulled out and the balloon VIII STAR,
thing that Andree has not yet tried. Everything
else has been fully tested.
Below the house lies the balloon, but still wrapped
up However, NJ Lachambre the manutacturer,
has given me piece Of IT, II IS Of threefold SIX
with gutta percha exceedingly strong. The netting
is of best Italian hemp. Indeed there is scarcely a
country that has not furnished something for the
expedition. England has sent the compressed steel
Carboys for the sulphuric acid and some Of the In
struments: other instruments come from Germany.
America When the house is boarded and. II very
bad weather. tarpaulin roof put on IT, the bal.
feit' and in three days from then-that is within
fourteen days from to-day-M. Andree hopes to
have It fully inflated.
diameter and fcur end one-haf feet deep made o
half Of it is fitted with baskets for stores of all
sorts. and these there Is one bed the plan being
for two Of the three always TO be on deck, while
the third turns IN below for his hours of duty.
A second bed can be made up should the weather
looking forward, for I should say that NJ Andree
expects TO be able 70 steer his balloon. keeping the
ear always In one position. Above the car and at
tached TO IT, by brass pillars ball bearings, 20
insure horizontal position. IS ring. TO which the
cameras and instruments are fastened on lI'er-
changeabe fastenings.
Three guide ropes to hang behind the balloon,
trailing yards OF their length on the ice or
sea Each of these has weak place, some MY
yards up made by making the rope thinner at ina I
point 50 that. should they catch. they may part
and cause no accident Again. by having three Ok
them should one part. the balloon. freed or the
ropes weight. does not rise to such height as II
naturally would, but lifts a corresponding weight
OF the o her two ropes. There Is, too, a second
weak place some fifty yards higher up, where the
rope Is freed by a swivel worked from the balloon
The ropes are now being coated with vaselne. 20
enable them to bear friction better. Yesterday the
Vasaline boiled over. and blaze ensued Tor rev
minutes but luckily. the rope was not In the pot
and D harm done
The balloon house is well sheltered by mountains
on the SOUTH so much SO that 1t Is hard 20 deter
mine what the true wind Ia Andree intends 70
overcome this difficulty by sending up several piot
bsIloo1s lover forty Of which he has. and watch
ing how they steer between the Islands TO the
north As he intends only 10 float some 90 iest up
the steering out among the islands Will be difncuu
However he is confident of being able 70 steer
thirty degrees either side of the wind ana so ne
can easily do 1t. -. .
The weather for the last few days has been Wet
and c)d-the worst weather they have yet nau
hore-yet the wind has been In the right direction
and the aeronaut's hrat words TO me were; II
the balloon were ready. should have started TO-
day with this wind