The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-06
/ IS ANDREE' 5 BUOY
Late Find in Northern Seas
Is Authenticated
BY SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS
Constituting Proof That He
Passed the North Pole.

Stockholm, Oct 5.-The buoy marked
"Andree's Polar Expedition" which, with
! an anchor attached, was found Septem-
Der 9, on the north coast of King Charles
Island, by the master of the Norwegian
cutter Martha Larsaak,, has been opened
in the presence of number Of experts
! and members Of the cabinet 1t was
found to be the so-called north pole buoy
which Andree had arranged to drop if he
| succeeded in passing the pole. This re-
! covery Of the Andree buoy is the most
| tangible evidence yet obtained that the
| Swedish explorer accomplished his pur-
pose, and it will doubtless raise the hopes
of Andrees family and friends.
Professor Andree assembled in a bal
| loon July II, 1897, from Danes Island on
| the northwest coast of Spitzbergen. in
the hope that breezes would watt him
across the north pole and to some place
in Siberia or North America He was
accompanied by DR.. Strindberg and M.
4dChSLCly anu OCLOTS gong ne express
ed confidence of his success The bal
loon, when seen at 2:4o p. M, that day,
was going rapidly to the north north
west. A homing pigeon picked up by the
captain of the Aiken, had a message
which read:
July 10. noon, s2.2 N, 1915 E. Good
passage E, 10 s. All we'll. This is my
third pigeon post. ANDREE."
Thus, in the course of two days the
progress made amounted only to 100
miles.
On September % a reddish-bro OBJ
ject was sighted floating in the water
of Prince Charles Foreland, which, it |
was thought, might be the balloon, but |
an expedition which left Tromsoe No |
vember on the Victoria, returned with
out any news.
Since Andree and his party started /
from Danes Island, which is 700 miles |
south of the north pole, they have never
been seen, but reports of messages from
them have been frequent. Only two au-
One was picked up several months after
Andree had started. 1t was wrapped in
straw paper roll, made waterproof by
wax covering. On the roll was written
roll from the side and take out two let
ters. The letter written in regular
script please wire at once to Aftonbladt
The shorthand letter, mail by earliest
post to the paDer."
The letter was not found The other
communication was: From Andres
polar expedition to Aftonbladt, Stock
holm, July 10, 1890 p. M, 50 degrees 2
minutes north latitude, 10 degrees min
utes east longitude-Fine trip to the east,
10 degrees south. Everything well on
board. This is my third message by car
rier pigeon
A message that looked like an authen-
tic one, though doubt has been cast upon
it, was reported to have been taken from
the wing of a pigeon shot by a seal hun
ter to the west of Phipps Island, north
of Spitzbergen, three days after the bal
loon started. 1t said: North Pole, 142
w. 1852"
On July % message from Copenhag-
en- oLondOn reported that stamped on
the wing of carrier pigeon caught at
Tromsoe Island was this: North Pole
passed. Fifteenth"
Reports from various points south of
the North Pole have come from time to
time as to the balloon having been sight
ed and messages discovered, and in
February of the present year came a
message from northern Siberia giving in
detail the account of the discovery of
a cabin constructed of cloth and cordage
believed to have been a part of a bal
loon, with the bodies of three men lying
beside. The Russians sent an expedition
70 h. rla aIy nd +bo
was found to be false.
In the latter part of 1898 an expedition
to search for the missing aeronaut and
his companions was sent out from Swe-
den, headed by Dr. A. G. Northorst. The ;
search proved futile. Nothing was heard
of Andree. Scientists. however, have not
given up hope. Andree and his two COM
panions were provlsioned for three years
and word that they are safe somewhere
in the northern regions may come at any
moment
Dr. Andree was well known aeronaut |
and engineer of the Stockholm patent
Office. For twenty years he had been
figuring on the project of attempting TO
reach the North Pole in a balloon. He
first preached the subject at the Geo
graphical Congress in London In 1925.
A big discussion followed. Finally a
French delegate asked Andree what he +,
would do If his balloon collapsed and
he had no time to adjust his boat before
ne fell into the water. Drown" was
the quick response. Applause followed,
and from that time the scheme was taken
u enthusiastically. Andree's fellow
countrymen contributed the $4,000 that
the expedition cost. without hesitation.
after experiments at the cost of the gov
eminent had proved successful. The
most careful preparations We're uadetl
The balloon was made in France. It co.,
sisted of a balloon sack made of var
nisheG silk. the height Of the spha-e he
ing seventy-five feet. The upper rart
was protected by a strong wat=- proof
covering. extending twenty-five feet tc-
low the wicker-work car aud obs1-va-
ton platform. The car was Hnai VIII
vanished silk 10 keep out the wind The
bottom Of the car was used fo~ 4 sleep
ing apartment. enc &C the parry using
a q time. Three feet above the oose-va-
ton platform was 4 wooden ing to
which were attached theexn.o 81 . scion
tifIc apparatus. and stu higher n ise
netting. were so canvass pockets 20 con-
tain provisions for the trjo. 10 -he nct-
ting was also attached ooIIapsi5.e
boat. the sledges aud the harness for
them 4 unique cooking = -. - Sei
slung twenty-five feet bel Nv the car when
in use. was another fea -urp of The equiv
ment- The steering e0ptratGs consisted
OF sails and guide ropes. Besides oTdi-
nary ballast, there was long hemozn ca
b,es. designed "a drag the ground or