The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-19

THE SIBERIAN BALLOON.
sctcnfiss- Discr~dit the story of u.
Being Andree'..

NEW YORK. Sept. ia special 70 the
Herald from Washington says:
Explorers and scientists here are much
Interested In the report that a balloon.
supposed 20 have been that % Audrse. the
explorer. has been seen over the village ~
Antzihrowskoie. IN the province OF Vent
selsk
Prof. William Hardness. OF the naval
observatory. was asked a. 20 the location
of this village. and the significance - the
report, and said that be had not been able
20 locate the village exactly on the maps
~ his command. hut be found on one OF
the mans q place marked AniziferOvsk
which he assumed was a different spelling
81 the same name. This place Is in north
latitude about 81 degrees and Is about 81
miles west Of north from Krasuoiask. the
town from which the telegraphic dispatch
was sent announcing that the balloon had
been seen. Prof Hardness said that "a
Andree had started In his balloon from
Danes island 10 the Spitzhergen. II was
clear that. If II was his balloon he did not
succeed In crossing the polar region In
stead Of going north from his point Of de-
parture. his general direction since ne left
Tromsoe has been toward the east and
south
Commodore George W. Melville. the
Arctic explorer said: 1T is possible that
Andree's balloon may have been seen and
reported from the Yeniseisk district Of
Siberia. but am Inclined TO doubt II the
explorer ever had been in the vicinity or
that the news of his being there could he
communicated at this time Of the year 10
the outside world. I am Of the opinion
that the balloon never went very far from
Spitzbergen. and I have for some time
feared that Audree has met his death I'm
the Arctic. though even II ne came down
on land IN the far North the chances are
he would be heard from.
THE region whence the news II the
sighting OF the balloon comes is little trav-
eled from Anril To October. and II would
be difficult for the news TO be carried 10
the nearest telegraph station At this sea
son. and the natives would not Know what
the balloon was II thew saw II in the air
Walter Weilman, the newspap per CORE
snondeut who has made a special inVest-
cation 81 the Dractleabilitv OF Arctic bal
looming discredits the Siberian story
though he does not coincide with the pre-
valIing belief that Andre l. lost In his
opinion. Andree's chances ~ safety are
about one IN twe. Concerning the latest
tidings via st. Petersburg. ~ said
There is nothing improbable in the
story 50 far as the geoEFa phical position
Of the siberian village Is concerned. and
the distance the ussuCOn must have trav-
eier from Splfxbergeu - get there TIE
distance the balloon would have Travelled
from Spitzbergen "a the Siberian village,
assuming that 20 crossed Franz Josef land
and then ont the Arctic sea. = something
IKE g - miles. Tntu further evidence
comes 20 hand. the siberian story must
To- diSbei3eved- not because Of the distance
hut because 81 the time which has elapsed.
Il would b. miraculous II Andree's hal
loon had retained the poRer to foaf IN the
air siXtv-four DAYS Aneree himself did
rot reckon uDon MS ability 20 remain IN
tire AIR more than forty days and twenty.
OF at the outside thirty days is the sSti-
mate q others familiar both with aero
usutics and the Arctic"