Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-12-17
THE SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
THEORIES ABOUT ANDREe.

THEORIES ABOUl RNDhEEs
Weeks have heightened into months
since Andree disappeared, and months
are growing toward the half-year mark,
and still no news of him comes from the
vast unknown. In such case the old
rule, no news is good news, scarcely can
amply. The contrary is true. Absence
of news is ominOus, and every day that
passes without some tidings narrows the
margin of reasonable hope. 1t is too
soon yet to give him up as lost. But
It is certain that he has not Jared as well
as he expected to, and the chances
are that he has fallen at least into
serious distress. 50 much even his
most optimistic friends concede' while
those who always reckoned his venture
foolhardy consider their worst fore
holdings fully verified.
These are the data on which all reckon
ings of hope or fear are to be made
Androe and his two companions set sail
in their balloon from Danes Island on
July 1l-five months ago yesterday
bound for the pole and across it to the
other side of the Arctic basin. The
balloon contained l,SOO cubic metres of
Gas. and was made of threefOld silk and
gutta-percha, with netting of Italian
hemp. 1t had a wicker, canvas covered
car feet in diameter and IL feet deep.
The equipment included a coollstove,
provisions for four months and plenty of
water IN aluminium cans, sledge, a
boat big enough to carry eleven men and
plenty of arms and ammunition. The
start was made under favorable condi-
lions. straight toward the pole. At
the initial rate of progress the pole
should have been reached in couple OF
DAYS at most. The balloon, barring ac-
cidents. was able to keep afloat for at
least two weeks. The weather for some
days after the start was favorable to the
prosecution of the enterprise.
Thus far the facts. All else in specu-
lation, excepting that the balloon can
surely not now be afloat, and that the
voyagers, if they still survive. must have
exhausted the store of provisions with
which they started, unless they have
found means of replenishing their larder
The latter is probable. We know from
Nansen's experience that men with arms
and ammunition can get food in even the
remotest North. The serious problem is
in what circumstances did they part
company with the balloon? If by any
mishap it collapsed or exploded in mid
air, and precpitated them suddenly from
a great height upon either ice or open
sea. their fate is not doubtful. If
/ on the contrary, the balloon gradually
| failed, and they took their departure
from it deliberately and with ample
preparation. all may yet be well will
them. Where they are, supposing thi;
| favorable theory to be correct, is o.
course mystery. Any point on all the
vast circumference of the Polar basin Il
possible. If they were landed on the
Siberian coast or the North American
coast or the upper part of Greenland. j
would take months for them to worl
their way down to civilization. If. a
some suspect from observation of thu
meteorological conditions prevailing
since their stalt, they were carried bacl
to Franz Josef Land they would proba
bly, build camp and remain there TO
the winter.
There is no occasion to wonder tina
nothing has been seen of the forty carrie
pigeons and dozens of cork buoys whicl
Andree took with him as means of com
municating with the world he had lef
behind him. The experiments of tn
Prince of Monaco have shown hoy
slowly some ocean currents carry waits
and indicate that it may be months We
before any of these drift into region
where they are likely to be seen. a
for the pigeons, there i little reason t
suppose that they could survive for eve
hundred miles of flight in that inclC
ment climate, not to mention the man
hundreds they would have to traverse
reach civilized regions. There is littl
use in sending out search expedition!
excepting to Spitzbergen, Franz JOSE
Land and one or two other such point
: The general sweep of the Arctic basin
far too vast for any scrutiny of it to
: made. For the rest, there is only hop
New y orll Tribune.