The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
MESSAGES FROM ANDREE.

! Explorer Andree.' The person who made
| the assertion was James Mcdonald, OF
New York city, but more recently from
| Alaska. He said he was a miner and his
! appearance did not belle his words. Nc
| Donald was poorly yet warmly dressed.
! wearing heavy big black storm coat and
heavy wooden cap. His face was red and
| chapped, as were his large, hard bands.
! He appeared to he about fifty years Of
/ age.
! 1t was upon a day when the newspapers
were spreading columns in reporting the
| supposed finding of Andree and his party
| of Polar explorers in Siberia and the con
1 versatiOn Of two men who were discussing
with interest the report, occasoned Nc
I Donalds remark, as he unwound the
/ string from the parchment roll.
| The newspaper man. to whom Mcdonald
| directed his words had been sitting at a
| dining table in a Pennsylvania Avenue
eating house some few minutes when the
miner entered and seated himself at the
same table. They said nothing to each
| ether until Mcdonald. who had been lis
| tCning to the Andree discussion behind
/ him. slowly pulled out an old wallet from
/ an inside pocket. saying as he did so that
he'd heard tell of Andree.' Then he eX
hibited the small parchment package which
he claimed was a message from the miss
ing Arctic explorer. and naturally the
newspaper man was much interested.
4 found this a long time ago" said Nc
! Donald. Found it up near Juneau and
this is the second time I have had the thing
out OF my pocket since the day | picked il
up. II was on a day when l was returning
to the city after visiting a friend, who
Hoo.
within a mile Of the city when l saw pig
con turned W in the snow, only few
feet to my left. The bird was frozen stiff.
but as l picked it w I noticed this little
roll Under its tail feathers. I pulled it
loose and left the pigeon where had found
it,
Presume Andrees folks would Ike to
see this message" Mcdonald continued
He was the teller that started out to look
for the North Pole. wasn't he? Wonder
where he hves2 I tried to read it. but
wasn't able to make anything out Of it. for
it's written in some foreign Language"
According to his own story Mcdonald
left New York about two years ago with
the intention Of going to the gold fields
OF the kiCudike TO seek his fortune. But
things didn't 20 my way" he explained
and one day / found myself dead broke in
san Francisco. When | finally scraped to-
gether enough money to reach Juneau ii
was too late in the fall TO get passage fur
Their North and l was obliged TO remain
there Until January when / became dis
couraged and decided to return to New
York.
4 was on my way 10 that city when I
struck Chicago" he Continued but once
more fell short of funds. Sc had to stay
there for a while before coming to Wash
ington."
When questioned closer about the find
ing OF the message Mcdonald said that as
well as he could recall the bird which he
picked up was entirely white. except that /
il had a dark grey spot. either on its |
breast CT back he could not remember !
which, for ne did net examine it closely /
took the message merely as souvenir. 90 /
he said. but I have no particular use for /
Il and YOU are welcome TO it,
Then Mcdonald, who. If truthful. is thu /
finder of message that may prove Of great |
interest to the world which had watched .
with great interest The departure Of Elk /
ploTer Audree slung a huge muller about .
his neck and went cut into the street. II /
was then l O'Clock in the afternoon and /
Mcdonald arranged to meet the newspa /
per man Two hours later. but the miner
did not appear at the appointed time to
fulill his engagement.
The message, coming as 1t does at this
late day to the public is Of more interest
than Of vital Importance for the reason
that Andree and his party have long since
been given up as lost by their friends and
the scientific world that walled so pa
tiently for their return. There is little or
no doubt but that Andree is dead The
was found to contain a message
supposedly from Andree. written on trans
parent paper. and also one from Knut
FTaenkel, Andree's assistant The latter
is Of greater length and gives the details
Of latitude and longitude. while the one
over the name 'Andree" is Of less inter-
est to those who have made a study of the
fight Of the Andree balloon 'Ornen.' The
message signed "Andree" is written in
Swedish and reads, when translated as
follows.
At Berlin without doubt in summer.
lS99. Salute Old Sweden Andree"
The Fraenkel message is written in
French and reads Latitude - degrees.
p minutes. longitude 1874 degrees. min
5tes west After last message Gthi north
to latitude So degrees. longitude IS de-
grees. IS minutes east. We lost car here /
Passed The Pole July a. II % a. m. eight /
kilometres south on longitude IS west
The 'Oruen" fell August 4. latitude 81 de-
srees - minutes. longitude 1872 degrees 1
west. Winter camp, latitude 81 degrees. {
. minutes, longitude l32 degrees. 8 min
ltes South over ice by boat and sledge
Andree somewhat snowblind. We hope 10
meet with whalers in the spring. All we'll
lnut Frsenkel."
Andree and his two companions cut tie
guy ropes Of their balloon on July L
s97. and sailed away to the northward in
gale blowing twenty miles an hour That
vas the last time they were seen. nearly
hree years ago. While the aeronauts took
With them thiTty-two pigeons the only
me found and positively identified as gen I
lire. was discovered two days after their
departure. This message was found by a ]
swedish whaling vessels, near Spitzberg Il 9
nd read J
Latitude. 50 degrees ) minutes; longi- q
ude Is degrees minutes east. Good prog {
ess eastward. All well on board. This is {
he first pigeon despatch" The two pig a
,ons released previous to that time have
lever been found. j
Walter wellman, who organized the {
NeIlman polar expedition in 1851 and
vent TO the latitude 81 degrees Is min a
ties north of Spitzbergen. in a magazine q
rticie shortly after AHdrees departure S
vas of the opinion that the explorer had S
allied in his attempt to cross the Pole d
"Andree made his ascent" said Mr. G
Nellman. at a distance of over six hun L
red miles from the North Pole He sailed I
loft in wind that was blowing from TWEEN 4 4
Y TO twenty-fv miles an hour and il he d
.ad Travelled in that wind little east OF /
.orth at a speed Of twenty miles an hour / +
{ noon of The second day he would have q
ound himself 250 miles on the other side
t the Pole. which he would have passed
L a distance perhaps Of 100 miles The
OnclusiOn was drawn, however from the q
Message that instead OF being 800 miles to
he northWard Andree was then only 1i5
niles north of the point Of departure
hat summer the Swedish Government
Tt..F .Br#r- -.