Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-12
NOT ANDREE'S BALLOON.
Reported View of 1t by Canadian In
diRns DiscreGftcd.

A telegram has been received by the Ca
madam Indian department from it's agent
at Victoria, B. c., announcing the alleged
sighting by Indians of the balloon of Prof.
Andree. who was to have started on his
trip from Spitzbergen early this month.
The dispatch is as follows:
VICTORIA, B. c., August 11-Creditable
information received by Agent Tomas from
two Indian parties, separated at long dis
tances at the time Of observation, that the
Andree balloon had been sighted at latl-
tude 81. 10, longitude 27.iO pursuing a direct
northerly course.
(signe1 A. w. VOWEL.
In May last the government in Ottawa
sent out proclamation to the Indian
agents and Hudson Bay officials all over
the north and northwest. instructing them
to be on the lookout for the balloon and
Immediately report it's appearance This
Is evidently a bona fide reply.
A W. Vowel, by whom the dispatch to
the deputy superintendent general is sign
ed. Is the Indian superintendent for British
Columbia. and is stationed in Victoria W.
n. Tomas Is the agent in charge Of the
coast Indians of the Cowichan agency
with headquarters in Quamichan, b, c.
These Indians are at this time of year
largely engaged in fishing in the Frazer
and Skeena rivers for the salmon canneries
Could Not Possibly Be Andrce's.
The New York Herald says: The bal
loon which the Indians report they saw
could not under any circumstances be the
Andree balloon, because a dispatch from
NadSe, Norway, dated August s, pm
said that hopes were entertained that by
tomorrow august 81, the atmospheric con-
ditions would be such as to allow of the
departure, from SpitZbergen, of Prof. S. A.
Andree in his balloon on his search for the
north pole If the conditions were favor
able Andree and his party sailed in the
balloon last Sunday.
The balloon reported from the upper far
west could not have been seen by the In
dams under month ago. They We're In
the vicinity of western British Columbia
one party being in the Cariboo mountain
region and the other in the neghborhood
of the Atna mountains of the Rocky noun
tain system.
The two Indian parties had to travel
about three weeks before they reached
post where they could make their reports.
The British Indian agent to whom the re-
ports were made had to make about a ten
days trip on horseback before he could
reach a point from where he could report
to the authorities.
Consequently. this would place that bal
loon out of all possibility of being the An
dree balloon, which did not start until Sun
day last, If the records of its starting are
correct. Since it is settled that the balloon
seen by the Indians is not the Andree bal
loon the question arises-what balloon
could 1t be?
Balloon Over Winnipeg Lake.
A mysterious balloon. with occupants
was reported to have passed over Winni-
peg lake at o'clock on the evening of
July 1 last and those who saw 1t said
that 1t was going due west. The distance
between the points where the Indians saw
their balloon and Winnipeg lake is about
1.SOO miles, and the former is due west of
the lake. Thus allowing for the lapse in
time. the date fixtures and localities 1t is
highly improbable that the balloon viewed
py the Indians is the same one reported
from Winnipeg lake ON July l.
This balloon may have been some lost
one which Is wandering about over British
America.