The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-27
TO SEARCH
FOR ANDREE
Another Expedition Soon to be Sent
Out by the Kin. OF Sweden.


polar wilderness? On July II three years
will have passed since the daring explorer
set out with two equally fearless COIL
panions in a balloon that was proVlsloheo
for four months. Since that day pEacti-
cally nothing has been heard OF MIN
It is true that on July 10 a pigeon that
had been killed was found TO De me
bearer of message from the exploring
party, but this letter had. been written
several days before and gave put nttie
informant ton. AS the result OIL thlS loiiS
silence scientists in general have come 70
the conclusion that the three men nav
persisted in the Arctic wilds, ana that
their bones are buried beneath the eterhai
SHOWS.
While this is the opinion that IS sen
orally accepted, however, there are ~"
persons who are still able TO 1eei thae
there is a possibility that the members Oh
this party may be alive. Among these IS
Herr Ernst Andree, the brother OIL tle
explorer, and he mas recently prepared
an elaborate article setting forth LOT the
world the reasons why ne IS SO coili'ue.it
that his brother will return before the
end of the present summer. lie s1oliii.>'
however that if the summer months pass
without tidings from him. even ne VIII
The publication Of this article mas cone
much to revive interest in the fate OF
this famous explorer, and the klhg Oh
Sweden who is extremely 'nterestea III
all efforts to penetrate the polar anEstel-
les. has announced his intention OF send
ing out another expedition to search LOT
the missing men.
In addition to this he mas had d iai Sc
sum of money set aside for reward 10
l>,;p ir0 "
Dtoring party or any objects that may
tend to east any light upon the mystery
Of the fate of its members. AS the result
it is believed that it is quite possible
that some informa ton may be obtained
within a year: and it is to be hoped tnat
such a prediction may be reallzed' LOT
Il is Enthusiastically the last chance tha'
will be. presented. If another winter passes
in silence the explorers must be given
up as lost. - II
FOR FIFTY YEARS.
For more than half a century explorers
have been striving their utmost TO reach
the Pole across sea, snow and ice. EacE
explorer has had a different plan. anu
each has failed but not one devised d
more daring project than that OF ,. a
Andree, the Swedish engineer ana anna
teur aeronaut, who announced tiiaI M
was prepared to solve the century-o!d
nroblem with the rapidity Of the wind.
He would sail to the Pole in q balloon
For a time the scientific world laughed
at the yould-be explorer, but he was SO
persistent in his assertions that TINS was
the only way in which the wilderness
of ice could be overcome that the sclenu-
tc world finally decided to listen 10 alnl.
AS soon as he had obtained their SOBER at
tention he unfoded his plan IN detali.
For years he had been making most
| thorough study of all known observations
! Of Arctic air currents. These observations
| had been supplemented by two years OF
| expelimenting with trial balloon Whlch
| was constructed as no air ship had ever
| bafore been built. All this was explained
| with infinite care by the young engineer
| and he was so eloquent that ne hnaiiS
| actually succeeded in persuading the
scientific world that he had solved the
l. problem OF Polar investigation On July
! 11tb. 1897. therefore, the start was made
| from Danes Island, an island in the Arc
| tic circle north of the Scandinavian coast,
| and since that time the friends OF the
| exnlorer have been waiting anXlously to
| hear from him.
That they have not lost courage during
| the many months that have passed Is
| one of the remarkable features Of the
| ,,,vsterv. but the fact that they still be-
lieve in Andree's ability to find MS way
| back to civilization is too we'll attested to
| be questioned According to their opinion
| the balloon reached the Pole in safety, but
| on the return trip, encountered zlszas
/ current that forced the party to lana 4
| this had occurred, they say, it would
| not be at all strange if it required two or
three years for the party to Teacn a
| point where they could communicate with
| civilization
BROTHERS THEORY.
Sc theory heartily SUD-
| ported by Ernst Andree. and he considers
f. 1t a most reasonable one. He also insists
that it Twas impossible that anything
should have happened to<the balloon. / MS
balloon which, he says, was as safe
as a railway train, was constructed VIII
a reservoir, having a double GOVERNS:
which made it perfectly impervlous to
hydrogen, or at least suinclehtly SO -
keep the balloon afoat for thirty days
II had a capacity of $500 cubic feet
and a lifting power, when inflated Wit
nydrogen, of about 400 pounds. pc.
| Sides the three persons the palloon car
ried provisions for four months as wen a
a large stock of scientific instruments ant
three Benton collapsible boats. Inc ca
was capable OF instant detachment IRON
the reservoir, and was provided with
.i: ne we'll as drag and guide ropes
which were intended to retard the progress
) If the balloon by trailing along the sur
face. In this way the balloon made
rate of speed about % per cent. less tnal
that of the wind, and was, therefore
. more capable Of being steerd thah
would otherwise have been.
During the many trial trips that ma
preceded the final experiment andre
tested his apparatus thoroughly; and' o
several occasions. he found that ne wa
able to sail at an angle of q to 40 de
srees from the direction of the Wlna
8 When all these facts are taken into con
sheraton 1t does not SEEM strange ina
the most conservative scientists IN Europ
wers fascinated by the plan as OUTFITS
by the Swedish engineer, and II IS nc
impossible that the theory that Erns
Andree upho!ds SO tenaciously may are
5 all be correct Herr julius Won Payer,
$ Vienna, an experienced explorer ana T.
Z leader of the party that discovered fran
: Josef Land, does not hesitate TO assel
that there ie no possibly that Anare
viii ever return, -