The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05
STEVENS TO RESCUE ANDREE.
THE BALLOONIST IN CONFESSION
DENCE WITH KING OSCAR.

Wants 10 Recover His Pet Scientist.
VIII Take with Him n Gas Gener-
RtOr-Stnrting From AInska, lie
VIII Visit sperm Island, Then GO
East to Sweden-OnIy Twenty
Spots Where Andrea Cnn BE.
New York, Sept. 4.-By a cable dated
Stockholm, July "a, see that King Oscar
of Sweden, and the royal academy are Sc
riously debating the employment Of bal
loonist to go to the rescue of Andree, and
that they suggest that your humble SER
want be the balloonlst to whom shall be
entrusted the perilous task.
In my correspondence with King Oscar
Il pointed out to him the one and only
cause Of Andree's long absence, and 1t is
this: Andree was either caught In gale
or his balloon harness became strained
and he had to descend and so pulled his
safety valve wide open and made for a
safe landing, which we must presume he
reached After landing, and without a
gas generator, he could not make another
ascension, and Is therefore upon one of the
small or floating islands with the finest
balloon ever built, but no gas.
The proposition of an Andree rescue
came originally from America, and is
perfectly rational scheme, as any prac-
teal balloonlst will testify. The circle
around the pole, as all know, is small
one, growing gradually smaller as the
pole Is reached until the whole world is
only tiny affair across which the eye
could easily travel
If Andree when he sailed in his balloon
July ii went directly north he must have
crossed the pole, and necessarily must
now be either on his way down the other
side OF the world, If may use such non
geographical description, or he Is stranded
upon some island or point in the polar re-
gions.
The latter Is, / believe. the case. Andree
has dropped down. after making his Voy-
age, and is now waiting to be rescued.
The locality in which he lies is an uncer-
tain one; but l am positive that can ma
him.
When Andree started away he expected
to return next day. He told his family
that he would not say good-by to them,
but only au revoir The trip to the pole
would take twelve hours and its return
no longer. His Instruments would regis
ter the latitude, so that he could know by
his observations when that mystic point
had been reached and then, reversing his
machines, he would sail back TO tell the
good news to his king and the Swedish
government But Andree miscalculated.
That much only is certain. He must have
seriously mistaken his way.
INV proposition is to fill q balloon with
gas and set sail from our most northern
point, preferably from Alaska, 70 look
for him. | shall take with me the one
thing Andree.did not have. a gas gener-
ator. and / shall make use Of 1t II need
It, or If find Andree. In case l locate
him / shall need 1t at once.
A gas generator is a thing no balloonlst
should make a journey without The one
| use looks like an iron box. 1t Is flVe by
four feet and II can manufacture hydrogen
gas at the rate of 10000 cubic feet an hour,
"a that IN an hour can get ready to rise
and make an ascension, after being down
on the ground. The cost Is only from 0 TO
10 cents per LOCO feet.
No balloon that has yet been made VIII
STAY in the air more than few hours,
perhaps q day or so. The gas gradually
escapes. and the baLoonist must come
down All experimenters know this, ana
so implicitly is this followed That, in case
of a runaway balloon a balloonist Will Cd
serve the direction in which 1t is travel
ing and advertise for IL in that section OF
tha country towards which it is going.
He calculates upon the distance II can
travel over by tomorrow this
time and cables for 1t accord
inglv. positive that it must come down.
So with Andree. Msgnlhcently equippee
AZ he was with money from the Swedish
crown and with instruments provided by
the scientific societies and owning a bal
loon that had been In course of construc'
ton two years, he yet must descend. NC
balloon can stay up more than day OF
so.
Andree came down about July 16 at tht
latest, and is now somewhere north, look
ing anxiously each day for rescuer.
The point at which j shall aim is 9
little island that has been located bS
Arctic explorers. 1t Is between the ex
trene northern point of Alaska and the
visionary site of the pole. 1t has beer
known as Sperm or Spermati, Island
This Is the most likely spot for Andres
should he have turned his course arlgn
| and have passed over the pole.
The opinion was expressed to me by
balloonist the other day that Andree wa
probably "laying low" This, to a bal
loonist means that, the ascension prov
| ing failure the operator has decided
| to descend and wait for few days. III
| drops his anchors, releases his vino ant
| comes down gradually, tdklhB Soou Cal
| of the balloon. As soon as he is on dr.!
land he makes himself comfortable ant
| lives as well as he can on his provisions
| taking care not to be seen. After weel
or so he comes out of his hiding place
raises his signals and allows himself t
be rescued" after a ''perilous balloon
trip" which excites the sympathies o
everybody. That Is a common trick will
those who make balloon journeys an'
| find 1t impossible TO accomplish wha
! they planned for themselves.
! But / do not hold any such opinion O.
Andree. ! think II he Is laying low" i
is because he Is compelled to do SO, anS
| not OF his own volition. OF course, h
should have taken a generator with him
but this is machine no balloonist abroat
| has ever been able to make and operate
| but carry mine in the center of my bas
| ket, always ready for use. invented Thu
| generator in 1895 and have used it sue
| cessfully ever since.
| In case / do not find Andree on Sperm
Island 1 shall sail towards Sweden, which
will be more easily reached by the east
ern than by the western route. TIL
probabilities are that / shall find a warn
| wind blowing towards the east, and Ii
| that wind / can sail to some other point
| Ae all will he covered with ice and snow