Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25
Some of the Difficulties Encountered
in a Balloon Voyage.
DR.. EKHOLM'S IDEA OF THE RESULT
The Balloonist Not Likely to Be
Heard From Till Next Summer.
I'll E PROBABLE RISE
From the Pittsburg Press.


DIR. Ekholm recently lectured on Andree's
polar expedition before the Stockholm Ath-
rcpological Society, and L submit in trans
lation a brief resume of his lecture, which
think may prove readable even to the
American public:
The greatest difficulty during a balloon
voyage is to keep the balloon at a proper
altitude. The temperature Of the hydrogen
gas increases materially when the balloon
Is exposed TO The sun. an increase which
may, in some cases, amount TO 30 degrees
Celsius above the temperature of surround
ing air. The balloon thus will expand to
the greatest possible extent, ascending to 4
great altitude, which entails loss of gas.
When the balloon again slightly cools off,
1t descends even clear down to the ground
To make it rise again ballast must be con-
stunned. One way to regulate uneven mo-
Hons OF the balloon and loss of gas is to
provide the balloon with drag ropes a way
proposed in France already fifty years ago.
but first practically realized by Andree
(Thls Is Herr Ekholm's statement English
authors seem to credit MIR. Charles Green,
dead lSiU, with the nrst use of drag ropes)
Herr Andree figured ON possible tempera-
ture difference between the hydrogen and
AIR OF ~ degrees Celsius, although 30 de-
grees very likely would be sufficient, and
arranged the drag ropes accordingly.
Drag Rope Navigation.
The drag rope system seems to be the
only practical system of balancing a bal
LOOM But 1t has several drawbacks, chief
OF which Is that the weight and friction of
the ropes retard the speed of the balloon,
particularly when the atmosphere is humid
and the balloon travels low, the ropes drag
ging on the ground to considerable ex-
tent To travel as fast the public i'm
AGNES, the Eagle should go about two q
three kilometers above the ground, but the
loss OF gas then would be great enough to
prevent the balloon from floating more than
three OF four days. AS it actually may be
expected to travel, it would require about
ten or twelve days to reach the pole, going
as the crow flies" But as the balloon is
only partially divergible and thus only
slightly can deviate from the wind curves.
this time may easily be extended to three
or four weeks.
When the balloon assembled above the
shed, the photographs show that the grid
TO which the rudder was fastened had been
loosened and pulled out of place, likely by
violent contact with the remaining wall of
the balloon shed.
The balloon, after that proceeds maies-
ideally above the sea, the broken rudder
showing Itself in the next photograph, and
the remaining part of the drag ropes part
OF which was lost during the ascent as we
know leaving wide ripple on the waters
surface. The damage to the rudder ap-
paratus may have been reparable But
through the partial loss of drag ropes and
consequent high altitude to which the bal
loon rose from the start, about 500 klo-
grams of gas may have been lost In q few
hours, an amount which should have been
suH1cient for several days.
In a Cyclonic Gale.
The balloon journey during the following
two days, until the date of the pigeon mes
sage. may be explained considering the
wind conditions in arctic regions, as Herr
Ekholn had been able to observe and cal
cu!ate those conditions. Herr Ekholm ex-
hibited a meteorological chart which he
explained The balloon had followed a cy-
cIonlc gale from west TO east. In few
hours, possibly. the balloon had passed into
the storm center, where slow and change
able winds existed and remained there for
about twenty-four hours. between 81 and
% degrees north of Spitzbergen. This
should therefore explain the remarkable
lact mat the pigeon message was not dated
at higher latitude During this lul in the
voyage, Herr Andrce may have had time to
repair the balloon rudder, which we also
may INFER from his words, ''All well on
beard After that the balloon likely had
passed into another storm center close to
the other, and finally travelled eastward.
but ms cannot nave lasted long, according
10 Herr Ekholms chart. fresh SOUTH
western must have got hold of the balloon
and thrown IL very near the pole or possi-
ply rlght to the pole At any rate, the bal
loon Adventures no doubt have had favor
able winds even If the voyage has been
comparatively slow
According 10 the speed of the balloon dur
ing the Two Gays preceding the pigeon mes
sage. IL would take thirty days to cross the
north pole. In this connection Herr Elk
holm would have to touch upon a tender
subJect-the permeability of Andrees bal
loom As known, the balloon never had
been entirely satisfactory in this res,ect
neither had the measures adopted FOR i'm
proEement rendered satisfactory results.
Leakage of Gas.
Among the different statements regard
Ing loss. of gas during the balloon storage
in the shed. Herr Ekholm- would consider
only the records made by Gas Manager
Stoke According to these records the bal
loon, during nearly eighteen days storage
before the voyage commenced. had lost $50
cuDlc meters gas, or average of ~ II
CUBIC meters in tUenty-four hours But
toward the close of this time the leakage
was lar IN excess of the average During
the first twelve days the balloon lost an
average of II cubic meters and during tha
last hye days even up to 40 cubic meters a
cay; Ihls latter figure. which at least
ought not 10 decrease after the ascension
corresponds TO a loss of 50 Kilograms car
rying power each day. Thus after the as
cension. the balloon could float for eight
days without sacrifice of necessary 81 n
phes, weighing 43o Kilograms and calciI-
tated 10 last the explorers six months
Sacrihctng these supplies and everything
else, the balloon could float 15Ia DAYS. RUt
Ah9ree would likely be wary of mourning
sUch risks II he found himself above the
polar ice Having found that the gas sun
Ply would not carry him 20 Siberia or
Alaska, he probably descended in time ia
save ms supplies. continuing the tourney
on foot. 'e'
THIS is Herr Ekholm's explanation of the
1act that We, as Yet. know nothing of An
dreeS tate. Herr EkhoIm thinks the de-
scent occurred somewhere between the mole
anu franz Joseph Land. In Franz Joseph
Land provision depot had been estabIish-
Cd, and thither Andree would likely make
MS way. AT any rate, there would be no
enahce OF receiving communication from
Andree until next summer or fall
ELDER DICK Ir~uuS ~ ,r-. 49,