Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-22
ANDREE AT THE POLE
Carrie Pigeons Found With Mes
sages Indicating His Success.
NOT GENERALLY CREDITED as FACT
Views of Various Arctic Explorers
as to Its CredibiIity.
REPORTS FROM TWO SOURCES

LONDON, July pa special dispatch
from Copenhagen says that a carrier pig
con has been caught in the vicinity of
Tromsoe Islard. near the north point OF
its wing:
North pole passed. Fifteenth"
A keen interest is felt in geographical
circles here to the result of Andrees
polar expedition, and this is greatly in
creased by the arrival of the pigeons at
SoeIje and at Tromsoe Island, though
there is some doubt to whether either
birds came from Andree
1t is a curious fact that the inscription
"142 W. 1850 agrees exactly with the
geographical location from which the Lon
don experts believe they might hear from
Andree at about this time.
1. Scott Kettles Views.
/. Scott Kettle, secretary of the Royal
Geographical Society, who is about leaving
to attend the meetings of the British as
sociation at Toronto. said to the corre-
spondent of the Associated Press today:
II would not wish to speak officially for
the society in this matter, but it is certain
that if the wind were souther.y when he
aScended Ardree would crCSS the polar
basin and come out near the Pering straits.
'142 W. means the coast of North Amer
lea, and if such wind prevailed under the
most favorable circumstances Andree
would arrive there. If the inscription means
this. it means also that Andree has passed
right across the pole.
The inscription is the only thing leading
to the supposition that the pigeon may
have come from Andree; but it cannot be
doubted that ne will first be heard of on the
extreme north of America the Siberian
coast. SuppoSing him to have arrived at
AZ west with a disabled balloon ne can
easily ascend the Mackenzie river and
reach the HUDSON bay settlements. Of
course, If the balloon is not damaged there
Is no reason why he should descend until
he reaches comfortable quarters"
Anxiety ns to Andree'c Fate.
There is TO special anxiety felt here as
to Andree's fate. because even if the bal
Icon comes to grief Andree will be no
worse on than Nansen was after leaving
the Fran.
STOCKHOLM. July 22.-Dr Ekhola who
was associated with Andree in the projected
balloon expedition of last year. does not
believe that the carrier pigeon caught on
tuesday In the neighborhood Of Soevde in
Rifylke, with a silver ring on one of it's
feet and the message, North pole 142 w.
4i-62. on it's wings, is one of Andrees pig
cons.
He says that Andree's pigeons do not
wear SILVER rings on their legs and they
nave Andree' stamped their WINGS
!. moreover, he is confident that Andree
would not send such an obscure message
A dispatch from Christiania, Norway
INST night said: Sverdrup A. Andree. the
piucky Swedish balloonist has apparently
FOUND the north pole.
A telegram from Stayanper on tho ,-os.
coast OF Norway states that carrier Dig
con mas been caught in the neishborhoood
OF Soevke. in Rifylke
Upon one of its feet was silver ring
Whlie stamped on its wings was the fol-
lowing brief but significant message.
North pole, 142 W. 1852"
Prof. Moore Interested.
F1ot- Willis l.. Moore. chief of the
"e& ther bureau was very much interested
IN the report cabled from Christiania. Nor
way that carrier pigeon arrived yester-
oay bearing this significant message
47.Gai' e" 'i It's wings; North pole 142 W..
The pigeon was supposed to have heen
ioosed by Andree. the daring Swedish bal
loonlst, and to be the announcement that
ne nad successfully reached the pole
PROFESSOR Moore, however although he be-
heves sufficient time has elapsed for the re-
ceept or such message, is inclined to look
upon the report as canard. If the bird
had been freed by Andree he thinks The
ring on its foot would have been marked
with his name and the message would have
Teen signed. He also points out the fact
that the message was not dated. Still Il
II should prove TO be true the news will
De especially pleasant for Professor Moore
VINO, on the day after Andree started, af-
ter careful examination of the chart Of
atmospheric conditions and pressure In the
arctic region for this month predicted
that If Andree reached the pole the air
currents would carry him out on almost
the longitude Indicated and land him even
tually near Point Barrow or the north
coast Of Alaska.
How He Would Locate the Pole,
With regard to Andree's means of Iocat-
ing the pole, Professor Bigelow, the mag
netic expert of the weather bureau saws
that he would unquestionably use the nayi-
gators, sextant. The sun is always above
the horizon at this time of year, and there
would be no difficulty in getting observa-
tiors- OF course. at the pole there is no
longitude. but he could know his longitude
until within very short distance of the
theoretical pole.
The magnetic needle would be valueless
practically at such latitude on account of
ithe swaying of the balloon and the dip of
the needle. The magnetic pole Is longitude
0S west and latitude 30 1-2 north. This
would render the of the needle still
more difficult.
Commodore MeIville's Views
Commodore Melville was not disposed to
discredit the story of the news from An
cree. notwithstanding the absence of data
as to the sender of the message on the
pigeons wing, and the date of the polar
discovery. This omission, he said, might
be accounted for by the haste of the sender
and as ii was not known that any other
with carrier pigeons degree of probability
was lent to the report that entitled it to
consideration.
Commodore Melville, however, does not
attach much Importance to the results to
follow such al, expedition as Andrees even
II Is succeeded In crossing the pole. He is
confident that it would not be possible for
Andree to have alighted at the pole and
then have resumed his flight, and thinks the
best that he could have done would have
been TO cross the pole high in the air.
His expedition, however. would solve the
question as to the existence of the tpen
polar sea, which has been The subject of
so much controversy between arctic ex-
plorers. but beyond being able 20 report
upon that fact Andres probably would
have little Of value to contribute to the
present store of knowledge Of the far
north In the opinion of Commodore Mel
Vile, assuming that Inis pigeon message
Is genuine and from Andree, there is grave
reason to fear for the safety of the bold
aeronaut. IT, following the line of the :neri-
dian upon which he reported himself, he
landed on the north coast Of Alaska not too
fsr east of Point Barrow. he probably
would fall in with some of the whaiers
who are still of the coast. or come of the
few natives along the shore. But II the