The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-18

coast of I.apland, bearing a message from
the explorer, addressed to the Aftonbladet.
of Stockholm. which read as follows;
'Eighty-two degrees passed; good jour
ney northward. ANDREE
The date of the message was illegble.
The pigeon carried letter, also addressed
10 the Aftonhladet. but the captain Of the
vessel declined to surrender either. The
captain is familiar with Andree's plans and
is greatly interested In them
The news arrived here indirectly. The
captain OF the Aiken communicated the in
formation 10 the commander of the ship
Inieperd. OF Tromsoe the latter transmit
ting the news 10 the commander OF the
steamer Express. upon which the Lorner
polar expedition was coming home, and the
Express finally passed the news along TO
the steamer Lofoen. which brought IL here.
Prot. Andree's balloon journey to the
north pole is the result OF over twenty
years study, experiment and preparation,
beginning on a trip 10 the Centennial expo
sition az Philadelphia In 1876, says TIE
Philadelphia Record. He was then but y
years old. bat. being struck with the reg
ularity OF the trade winds on the Atlantic,
he conceived the possibility OF balloon
VOYAGE from Europe to America. The idea
was ridicuIed. bat It grew in his mind and
ne pursued his experiments on returning
TO Sweden, He planned the balloon sail
which he IS now using. and he also con-
ceived the drag ropes khich ne Is using
to guide his ship. He sailed along
the Baltic shore and sent his balloon
against the cliffs 10 test lowering ana us
ing.
Four years ago he made his highest
ascent II was at Gothenburg. and his
balloon shot up s0,so feet or a little over
a mile in the first half hour But IL did
not stop there. Up and up it went unt.i
Andree was five miles from the ground.
He struck zero at three miles and would
have tainted. bat for his foresight in TAX
ing along q can of oxygen. which he in
hailed through a rubber tubing.
On October 70. 1898, Andree crossed the
Baltic sea a. a height OF TWO miles from
the water He has had several narrow es-
canes with his life and during a trip
from Gothenburg 70 Gotland had only one
hottie Of beer and TWO sandwiches. whica
he had laughingly said would oe sunic1ent
He suffered greatly from thirst and hua-l
ger. Four times he was nearly drowned.
Twice ne broke a leg, twice should
blade, once an arm and once his nose. This
Is the man who darss an Arctic TIP
A few years $50 he published ms plan
to reach the North pole IN balloon
which he estimated would cost Ssoe and
with the aid OF Baron Nordensktold. in-
tere-sted King Oscar. who subscribed
the greater part ef the cost from state
funds The balloon was bOiit al a COST O
sfowa by Henri La Chambre, an aero
nautical engineer Of London, from An
drce's plans.
II has a diameter q sixty-seFen teet'
and from tep TO bottom OF the oaSA-
81 is nlnety-sevsn feet Its volume =
lsz sss cubic feet and IL is constructed o.
Chinese pongee silk, which VIII stand 4
tensile stress of two tons 70 the square
inch. The upper part ~ the balloon has
three thickreases of this silk. ard the low
er part but two the difference being
thought neces sary 20 protect the big bag
from the suns rays. The Arctic sun
shines unril August - this year TIE
thiexnesses we're glued together and seS-
ed and then thoroughly vaFnis1eo ins~ae
ard out Enclosing the balloon Is the net'
nc strands q which are nearly t"o
inches in thickness The weight OF fae
balloon without accessories i almost one
ton.
Living in the Clouds.
TIE fearless veyssers are travelling m
small suspended house. feur and halt
feet from floor 20 roof. and six feet from
ssss 70 side. constructed oS wicker wcr&-
* hsmpen cords. niue feet long and an
inch and bar thick. suspend the ear
from the baflcon. and ertwtneS with these.
rllnrsnE around IN circular fern are TX
corGs that fo<m . lst work o. p2IASeN