The herald., 1897-09-19
Not Considered Worthy of
Belief
NATIVES OF ARCTIC REGIONS
WOULDN'T KNOW A BALLOON IF
THEY SAW ONE
The Explorer May Be Alive, but His
Balloon Has Long Since
Come Down

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1s.-A special to
the Herald from Washington says:
Arctic explorers and scientists here are
much interested in the report that bal
loon supposed to have been that of
Andre. the explorer. has been seen over
the village of Antzifirowskoje. in the
province Of Inenizisk. Prof. William
Harkness Of the naval observatory was
asked as to the location Of this village,
and the significance of the report, and
said that he had not been able to locate
the village exactly on the maps at his
command, but he found on one of the
maps place marked Aniziferovsk.
which he assumed was different SPELL
ing Of the name of the same village This
place is in north latitude about fifty
seven degrees. and is about 200 miles
west of north from Krasno oiask, the town
from which the telegraphic dispatch was
sent announcing that the balloon had
been seen. Prof. Hardness said that as
Andre had started in his balloon from
Danes Island to the north Of Spitzber-
gen. 1t was clear that If it was his balloon
he did not succeed in crossing the polar
region. Instead Of going north from his
point of departure. his general direction
since he left Tromsoe has been toward
the east and south.
Commodore George W. Melville, u s.
A., the Arctic explorer. said: 1T il pos
sible that Andree's balloon may have
been seen and reported from the Yeni-
seeisk district Of Siberia but I am in
clined to doubt if the explorer ever has
been in the vicinity or that the news Of
his being there could be communicated
at this time Of the year to the outside
world. I am OF the opinion that the bal
loon never went very far from Spitzber-
gen, and I have for some time feared
that Andree has met his death in the
Arctic, though even If he came down on
the land In the far north the chances are
he never would be heard from.
''The region whence the news Of the
sighting Of the balloon comes Is little
Travelled from April to October, and i.
would be difficult for the, news to, bel car
ried to the nearest telegraph station at
this season, and the natives would not
know what the balloon was If they saw it
in the air."
Walter Wellman, the newspaper cor
respondent. who has made a special in
vestigation OF the practicability Of
Arctic ballooning, discredits the Siber-
ian story. though he does not coincide
with the prevailing belief that Andree
is lost. In his opinion Andree's chances
of safety are about one to two.
Concerning the latest tidings via ST.
Petersburg, he said: "There is nothing
improbable in the story 30 far as the
geographical situation Of the Siberian
village is concerned and the distance the
balloon must have Travelled to get there.
The distance the balloon would have
Travelled from Spitzbergen to the Siber-
ian village, assuming that it crossed
Franz Josef Land and then over the
Arctic sea, Is something like $500 miles
This he might have done In much less
time than nine weeks. Until further
evidence comes to hand the Siberian
story must be disbelieved, not because
Of the distance, but because of the time
which has elapsed. 1t would be miracu-
lous if Andree's balloon had retained the
power to float in air sixty-four days.
Andree himself did not reckon upon his
ability to remain in the air more than
forty days, and twenty or thirty days at
the outside is the estimate Of others
familiar both with aeronautics and
Arctics."