The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-04
AyDREE'S VOYAGE.

NJ Anulet ul'dPlra'"NNNi ~ NH VIC iH-
,s,e,,ing 20 study the result Of a sensa-
,,orol balloon expedition which ne made
On 1893. on that occasion ne made the
ascent unaccompanled, and, after
number Of startling experiences, both
IN sea and land. was driven across the
Rattle and landed by remarkable good
Iuek, in Finland. The daring of the
man on this occasion has never had an
canal IN the history OF aerial flight. II
n1tblng should ever be heard OF Andree
On his last expedition the details OF his
rerIlous voyage across the Baltic win
remain lasting monument TO his
memory.
ARdree, when he made this memoir
oble ascension, expected 10 remain
.laft a few hours only. Being man OF
-1sIom, and recognizing the fact that
balloon voyaging was a pretty meer-
t,In undertaking nj best, he laid In
generous larder OF provisions to last
hin a. least twelve hours, But the per-
Ms and excitement Of the trip spoiled his
annette and the thought OF food never
entered his head for single moment
from the time he shot sl,yward until he
made a famous leap Tor life Ia escape
from his unmanageable and runaway
balloon. lie had been experimenting
on this particular balloon for some
moEths before he finally determined 10
clya her a trial trip. Slowing away an
nerator an altlscope, an thermometer,
nm anemoscope, a barometer. q com
mass, a sextant, a quadrant, panto-
meter, Thermometer, sympiesOmeter
and half a dozen ilrst-class photograph
ic Instruments, the daring engineer be-
nan the ascent al. Sa3 one Tuesday
morning,
Clearing the ground he began tmme-
dlately his scientific observations, chief
among which were those OF taking the
temperature, photographs aud the echo
from the water surface, Stockholm was
lost to view when the balloon had rls-
en- 10 a height of 1850 meters, or more
than 5000 feet above the level of the
earth. At this altitude the balloon ran
INTO an immense white cloud, the inter-
for of which was perfectly light, In the
ascent from the earth to this cloud An
drec noticed that the temperature fell
nine degrees; but inside the white cloud
the reading was one and one-half de-
Crees lower than below the same. One
milo and quarter above the cloud, the
highest point attained by Andree on
this occasion, the temperature fell only
two degrees more. Afterward compar-
Inn these researches with obserVSti tons
made the previous midsummer, Andree
discovered that the difference was only
81 degrees. and from this he became
convinced that the real severe fall OF
temperature in the winter time occur
rcd In the atmosphere quite close to
the surface OF the earth.
As the balloon entered the space
above the giant cloud Andree could see
on this cloud the shadow OF his rapidly
moving balloon. The shadow was sur
rounded by colored rings and the "clr-
rocumuli" clouds that were scudding
across the heavens above him were also
shadowed in the great white cloud. In
relating his experience Immediately af-
Ter these observations the aeronaut. at
q public meeting In Stockholm, said;
AS soon as had Antshed my ohser-
vatlons | made ready to descend was
about to grasp the line to open the ven
tllator. when all at once the balloon
bcrnn falling of itself with terrific speed
until II reached the white cloud when
II suddenly stopped and swan around
on It like n swan on the water. This
phenomenon, which I have noticed be-
fore. Is supposed to depend upon the
circumstance that the cloud this time
threw the warmer air upward, and this
heating the gas In the balloon 1t eX-
handed and regained It's bearing. Then
the cold temperature In the cloud be-
gan to be telt. and the balloon sank
down through the cloud
Andree had been anoat almost three
hours when he burst through the huge
white cloud on his descent. So engaged
in making observations had he been
that he had not noticed a sudden shift
in the direction and an increase in the
velocity OF the wind: so that when the
balloon came through the cloud on It's
way earthward II was with horror the
rnval engineer discovered that the di-
rection OF the wind was such as to car
rg the balloon out over the Baltic. The
balloon had sailed for half hour or so
heading owe. the open sea when An
dree. glueing his binoculersto his eyes,
made out steamer crossing the path
in which the balloon was to sail Sud-
denly tho steamer stopped directly In
the balloons path and the horror OF
the situation was multiplied when the
aeronaut realized that there was every
chance In the world for the sparks from
thn steamers smokestaeks ignitlng the
gas III the balloon
This ras was Of about 10000 cubic feet
ord. for brief spell that seemed inter
mInablc, Andree. with closed eyes and
heart beating like trip hammer, walt
Cd for the explosion that he felt certain
must occtIrs He afterward said that he
was satisfied 10 die but the explosion,
he knew would kill many on tine steam.
cr The balloon was then not more
tbnu three hundred feet In the air and
several cables length to wlndward Of