Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-28

| tiOnal stores put in. He then fervently
SiiIb ys SoTs MIs ~ dDouo ma into
| the basket. Or. Strindberger and Dr.
Fraenkel, his two daring companions. fol
lowed IN through the ropes. The ropes
were cut and, with shout to Sweden and
| King Oscar. the Eagle" rose 200 feet.
Then it was dashed nearly into the sea:
| but SCARED up high and was soon out OF
sight. 1t was the most daring trip ever
begun.
ADdree's Forecast of His Trip.
Just before Andree left ne dictated a
message to the Copenhagen Denmarkl
AitOub!dtet. In which he said: We shall
probably be carried in a nOrtheasterly di-
TeCtion.' He had figured out his probable
| course to nicely. He had about 700 miles
TO go 70 reach the pole. and about l,2D
more before he would be where 1t would be
advisable to land His balloon left Spitz-
| bergen, going at the rate OF twenty-five
miles an hour which would mean his ar
| rival at the pole in thirty-tWO hours, or
about 10 o'clock Monday night. July T.
| Ihls would not interfere with OBSERVE
TONS. however, as there Is no night at the
pole Just at this time Of the year, so that
the explorer had daylight.
lie said himself as 10 his time: we
snail be three weeks or even more. l would
rather not DO it so quick because Of our
In the beginning of July. two years ago,
Nansen,s Fran had in the polar basin the
IDENTICAL winds with which Andree left
SpltHDeTgen. Dr. NanSen also confirmed
another important fact for Andree. and
that was that there are no highlands up
70 70 the SGth degree Of latitude. so the ex-
Dlorers viii not have 70 consume any great
amount OF gas to lift them over any
mountain ranges.
Probable Points of Landing.
The explorers had decided that they
would 20 in one of four directions:
First-That the balloon will land IN ST.
IBERIA in about latitude 20 north and lonsi-
tude 135 east
second-It may land on the samogedan
peninsula; In latitude 20 north, longitude 20
east. This IS in the vicinity of the Gulf
or OBJ; IN the northeastern part of Russia.
Third-It may land IN the vicinity of Point
Barrow. Alaska. in latitude 20 north. and
longitude 10 west. where there IS United
states government station. Point Barrow
l. about 600 miles northwest of 'he new
klondike gold regions. and about the same
distance from the mouth of the Yukon
river or about 900 miles from Bering strait
IL IS almost opposite to Spitzbergen.
Hoped to Land in Alaska.
This direction is what Andree character
lied. in his address before the Society Of
AnthrOpOlOgy and Geography. in Stock
holm, Sweden, on March 20, 1897, as the
desired way. lie gave his reasons In sub
This part of the world is not now so
nearly desolate and uninhabited as IL was
when the Franklin expedition perished.
Ever since 1889. American vessels have been
stationed about the mouth of the Macken-
zie river for hunting purposes, and twelve
400 or 800 persons aboard Along the coast
OF Alaska are TO be found more or less civ
terror OF Alaska there are great number
OF gold diggers."
AEdree had fourth possible route. viz:
That the balloon may land i'm British North
America in latitude 81 north. longitude 100
west. which is in the vicinity of Melville
sound.
FIckIeness of the Wind.
Landing at the points at an angle 10 the
pole would not necessarily mean that An
dTee did not cross the pole because the to-
biographical and astronomical charts of the
Arctic show that he might be carried from
Spitzbergen. across the pole and LANDED IN
British America because the winds blow in
a circle much after the fashion of the Gulf
stream of the Atlantic ocean.
In estimating the value Of the winds that
bore Andree away two facts must be taken
into consideration. in the first instance
because a south wind was registered at
SpitZbergen it does not follow that the
wind will continue in a straight northerly
Andree to the pole. At a distance Of 300
miles (to be generously the direction and
force of the wind may both change. This
seems to have proof in the cyClonic systems
OF the middle ldtitudes. with which are
Conversant, where a marked alteration in
the course is the rule for 200 to 900 miles.
Some have queried. What If Andree is cast
~ the Arctic region, how will he ever re-
turn alive? OF course, this Is one Of the
chances that all explorers have taken. II
he and his two companions perish IL will
men who have braved Arctic perils to find
the Polar sea. But Andree has provisions
for four and half months with him. and
even If his balloon should let him down. he
and his companions have a good fighting
chance for life.