Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-31
ANDREE'S FATAL GAS BAG
the Swedish Scientist Had Started Fly Poll
Dirgible Balloon He Might Have Succeeded-Stories
of His Wreck in Upper Canada
By JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS

TNHE most daring aeronautical scheme
l. ever conceived by man was that of
the eminent Swedish savant, Solomon
Andree. He planned to travel In a bal
loon to the North Pole ITSELF then undis-
covered.
Oscar III. King of the Swedes. was
his patron In the venture. and his father
lands academy of science indofsed the
scheme. Nobel. donor of prizes. started
the subscription list with a gift of $17,5oo.
and men of note raised the purse to
snug fortune OF s35,O00. Small wonder,
then. that all Sweden was imbued with
hope that this son OF their soil might
nail their national banner to the tip.top
Of earth.
Andree was chief examiner Of the Swed-
ish Patent ONCE and was in his early
forties when he supervised the completion
Of the Eagle, a balloon that lowered 100
feet from its basket floor to the top of
its bulging envelope. In the summer OF
1897 he had II pumped full of gas upon
the shore of Dane Island. Spitzbergen,
where a group of scientists gathered
round TO admire the ingenious equip.
ment. The dirigible balloon had not then
been perfected.
There was a closed canvas car, with
windows, through which Andree and his
two companions were TO peer out over
the polar landscape. Everything inside
was snug, even to n sleeping compart-
ment with warm night-bags of reindeer
skin. and in cleverly provided places were
textbooks. charts. ammunition, guns. sex
tants, thermometers. cameras and sur
veying instruments.
In canvas sacks were stored all sorts
of preserved food-chocolate. compressed
bread. concentrated milk. even the best
Bordeaux wines and champagne. There
were also anchors. buoys and carrier
pigeons to bring back news; while be-
hind was long tail. whose function was
TO trail over the ice and assist In gliding
the balloon whittier the aeronaut willed.
Four hundred miles a day were to be
told on as the good ship sailed over the
Arctic wastes, and the North Pole was
to be reached in fortythree hours, while
at the end OF the sixth day Bering Sea
was to be crossed, on the other side Of
the Arctic Circle. As forty TO fifty days
supply OF gas and food was taken along,
II would surely be an easy matter TO sail
down into some civilized region OF the
American or Asiatic Continent.
Andree called for volunteers, and a
goodly list OF adventure-loving young
swedes applied for a share OF the honors
Of the most daring cruise yet attempted
by man. From among these he selected
fla Gfrfn
twenty-five years old, meteorologist,
aeronaut. photographer and devotee OF
outdoor sports, and Knut Frankel, TWEEN
ty.seven years old. civil engineer, Arctic
hunter, champion skater and snowshoe
runner.
Small trial balloons were sent up on
the morning of July IL. 1897. and they
sailed rapidly 10 the north. thus setting
the poleward pace. Prayers were next
said upon the deck OF a supply vessel In
the harbor. and then the balloon was in
fiated and it's shed unroofed TO let it
out.
II was restless 70 get under way when
the three adventurers climbed In at 1880
In the afternoon. and. when the line
was cut. IL leaped impatiently into the
air. After It had gone part way out
over the harbor a contrary wind drove II
back for while. but after barely miss
ing some high cliffs Il found a friendly
current. which. catching u just in time
waited II out over the sea Then the
wind pressed Il down until the car dipped
into the water; but Il soon rose again,
cleared the rocks Of an i4|e aeross the
herbor. settled down TO STEADY progress
northvero ana vanished from zisht a. :