The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-06
ANDREE's RECOGNITION OF THE DANGER OF HIS UNDERTAKING.


 Jonas Stadlings, who accompanied Andree to Danes Island and witnessed his departure towards the North Pole. contributes to the Century an article entitled "Andree's Flight into the Un- known" MT. Stadling says:
 The acronants were impatient to start this year. They had decided to wait for really favorable winds until the 17th of July After that date they were pre- pared to start with less favorable wind @r
 In my talks with them about the risks and dangers of their undertaking, they said at various times:
 ''We have taken all into account. We are prepared to face whatever may happen
 Suppose the balloon should burst" I asked; what then?"
 ''We shall be drowned or crushed"
 Suppose you alight on the pack-ice far away in the desolate polar regions; what will you do.?"
 ''We shall do our best, and work our way back as far as possible. Having during these last years thought, worked and calculated in preparing for this expedition, we have, so to speak, men, tally lived through all possibilities Now we only desire to start and have the thing finished some way or other"
 While talking about home and the loved ones their faces would assume a more serious expression, and a faint quiver of the voice might be noticed; but there was no wavering of purpose.
 When may we begin to hope to hear from you?" I asked.
 "At least not before months; and one year, perhaps two years, may elapse before you hear from us, and you may one day be surprised by news of our arrival somewhere. And if not if you never hear from us-others will follow in our wake until the unknown regions of the north have been sur veyed."
 Those who think the expedition feat of foolhardiness should remember that, hnmanly speaking, all possible pre- cautions were taken toward securing a safe voyage. A new and larger balloon might have been made during the pre- vious winter, but Andree preferred to enlarge the old one; besides, larger balloon would have been still more difficult to handle.
 As the balloon was being cut loose I ran upon the side of the mountain be- hind the balloon-house, from which point I saw it ascending, and took number of pictures of it as it started. With it's weight of about five tons, the gigantic balloon rose majestically to a height of about six hundred feet; then it suddenly descended until the basket touched the surface of the water. This depression was no doubt caused by the great resistance of the three heavy guide-ropes, each measuring more than nine hundred feet, and which in some way or other must have caught upon during the ascension; for it was found that large part of them had been severed from the balloon and left on the shore. Notwithstanding thls nlishap, it is hoped caused no injury, since to the balloon were attached eight ballast-lineS, each two hundred and fifty feet long, which might be used to 1engthen the guide-ropes,-the ascen- sion was accomplished successfully, in spite of the strong wind. When the bal loon and been relieved from the tension of the tangled guide-ropes, it rose again the current of the air between the mountains, first northeast and then north, whereupon it rose to some fir teen hundred feet, enabling it to pass over the mountainous island of Fogel- sang, after an hour finally disappearing in a north-northeast direction.