Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-25
ANDEEE'S FATE DISCUSSED.
some Think He May Emerge Yet From
Franz JOSEF Land

From the London Standard.
Notwithstanding recurrent rumors. n,
tidings have yet been received of Andre,
and his companions, but Herr Julius vor
Payer of Vienna has expressed himself il
terms very far from sanguine as to tn,
prospects Of their safety. This was no,
the opinion of an armchair critic. but O.
an experienced explorer for he was on,
of the leaders of the party who discovered
Franz Josef Land. Their ship, the Teset
hoff, was hopelessly beset in the ice. anc
had to be abandoned, and il was only afte.
great perils that the Adventures founl
their way home. Herr Won Payers theory
is that Andree, after leaving Spitzbergen
may have fallen into a strong air curren
which carried the balloon for several days
toward the northeast, and then drove It ir
southeasterly direction. That, he be
lieves, would bring them to tie east coas
of Franz Josef Land. From that place
the little party would have to make its wa
over dangerous ice not always continuous.
and with open sea in places TO the coas
of Siberia. But even when they arriveL
there-if. indeed, they have been so for
tunate-their work would not be nearly
over. 1t Is still a long and difficult jour
ney to reach the more inhabited parts -,
that Herr Won Payer thinks there is not
the least chance of the Adventures, sup
posing them to be alive, being heard of be
fore next autumn. Obviously, the route
which he suggests as possible involves
n any grave contingencies.
The evidence, however, in favor of the
supposed path CT the balloon is of The
slightest character. 1t may not have takeL
that return course toward the southeast
and, in any case, the Franz Josef group OF
islands is not SO large that unmanage-
able apparatus like balloon might not
easily miss them all. If it did, and par
ticularly il it Were involved in those Vaiia-
BILE drifts of which Nansen had experience
it might float about until from exhaustion
of its gas il settled down upon the sea. L..
this case, think the explorers chance
of reaching lar d, though they had en-
deavored to provide for this contingency
would not be worth very much. Even il
they have aighted on firm ground, ana
have saved their weapons and a fair sun
ply of ammunition-and without these thu
would have little hope Of initiating Nansen
and surviving a winter in Franz Josef
Land-there would still remain the journey
to Siberia. Possibly, however, they woulG
try for SpitzberSen, as Nansen would have
done. if he had rot fallen in with the Jack
sonHarmsworth party. But a sec0nL
winter, with the imperfect appliances o!
Andree's expedition, would be most for
midable trial, unless they could manage 10
reach the home from which they started il
July, 1897, or some other well-provisionea
shelter elsewhere That they should sue
coed in this, or fall in with some tribe OF
Siberian natives before the present winter
has fully set in, seems the one remaining
hope AT present, no doubt, it would still
be premature to declare them lost, but We
are inclined to share Herr Won Payer
opinion that, until some one has succeeded
in constructing balloon which can be
steered like ship, the plan adopted by
Andree is about the most desperate-we had
almost said Suicidal-method of undertaking
polar exploration yet devised.