The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-03
ABOUT ANDREE' 5 BALLOON
DETAILS OF IT'S CONSTRUCTION
AND ARRANGEMENT
How the Daring Explorer and His
Companions Will Live and Conduct
Their Survey.

Professor Andree's balloon journey
to the north pole is the result of over
twenty years study, experiment and
preparation, beginning on a trip to
the Centennial Exposition at Philadel-
phia in 1876, says the Philadelphia
Record. He was then but % years of
age, but, being struck with the reg
uiarity of the trade winds on the At
lantic he conceived the possibility of
a balloon voyage from Europe to
America. The idea was ridculed, but
it grew in his mind and he pursued
his experiments on returning to Swe-
den. He planned the balloon sail
which he is now using, and he also
conceived the drag ropes which he is
using to guide his ship. He sailed
along the Baltic shore and sent his
balloon against the cliffs to test low
ering and rising.
few years ago he published his
plan to reach the north pole in bal
loon, which he estimated would cost
$4,000, and with the aid of Baron
Nordenskjold, interested King Oscar,
who subscribed the greater part of the
cost from state funds. The balloon
was built at cost of $4,000 by Henri
La Chambre, an aeronautical engineer
of London, from Andree's plans.
1t has diameter of siXty-seven feet,
and from top to bottom of the bas-
ket is ninety-seven feet. It's volume
is 1926 cubic feet, and it is con-
structed of Chinese pongee silk, which
will stand tensile stress of two tons
to the square inch. The upper part of
the balloon has three thicknesses of
this silk, and the lower part but two,
the difference being thought necessa-
ry to protect the big bag from the
suns rays. The thicknesses were
glued together and sewed, and then
thoroughly vanished inside and out.
Enclosing the balloon is a net, the
strands of which are nearly two inch
es in thickness. The weight of the
balloon without accessories is almost
one ton.
The fearless voyagers are travelling
in a small suspended house, four and
a half feet from the floor to the roof,
and six feet from side to side, con-
structed of wicker work. Six hempen
cords, nine feet long and an inch and
a half thick, suspend the car from the
balloon, and entwined with these,
running around in circular form, are
six cords that form a network or par
apet which reaches four feet above
the roof. There were 400 pounds of
weight in this car when it left Spitz-
bergen, 1875 pounds of which was
sand.
The little cottage, about the size of
girls play house, that the three eX-
plorers were to live in, is a marvel of
abbreviated space. In it are stored
provisions. live pigeons, instruments,
ammunition and what not. There Is
also a bedstead for one person, it be-
ing Andree's plan that one shall sleep
while two will be on the watch with
powerful telescopes and instruments
to tell civilization what there is at the
pole. There are little windows in the
side, and "a small hole in the floor.
The observers will stand on the roof
of the car, but will be protected by
the net work parapet. The thermom-
eters, barometers, seXtants, an alta
zimuth, an thermometer, an instru-
ment for determining the direction
and velocity of the clouds, one for re-
cording the intensity of the sunlight
another for showing the true horizon
compasses, a magnetometer, theodo-
lite and two Photographic cameras are
suspended to a ring just above their
heads. From the larger ring hangs a
confusing mesh of rope work, which
contains about 300 pockets, in which
are stored various articles of food and
necessity.
The explorers had arrangements
for warm meals three times day
For cooking an apparatus will bt
dropped down fifteen feet through 6
hole in the floor and a small oil lamp
lamp lighted from above by pull of {
string. After the beefsteak is cooked
a pull on another string will put tn,
fire out. Then the food will be pulled
up and eaten. This precaution is ia
ken to preclude any possibility of tn,
balloon catching fire. The cooking
apparatus was invented by Swedish
engineer purposely for Mr. Andree.
From his experiments Andree sale
he was confident that he could steel
his balloon at an angle of As degrees
go hof o. .