New Britain herald., 1930-09-26
.ANDREE EXPEDITION.
 RELICS PRESERVED.
National Geographic Society
 Made Collection in 1898

washington, U. Sa, Sept. &o- HSolutioin Of one of the most dra- matic mysteries of the arctic during ithe four centuries of polar explora ftion, by the discovery after 3S years sof the frozen remains of the Swed- -ish explorer and aeronaut, Solomon ~.Auguste Andree, has aroused keen Interest at the headquarters of the National Geographic Society here. Through Dr. J. Howard Gore, of this city, one of the founders of the society, relics of the expedition were collected at Danes Island in 1898, the year after Andree began from there his ill-fated air voyage; and in the same year the society contribute ed to the expedition of Walter We'll man whose trip to Fridtjof Nansen Land (then Franz Josef Land) had as one of it's most important aims a search for the missing explorer and his two companions.
 Occupied Andree's House
 "Dr. Gore with an assistant went to Danes Island of the Spitsbergen group in July 1893, just a year after Andree's ascent, to conduct some gravitational experiments, The un- inhabited island had been left by Andree's supporting party less than a year before. The little house oc- cupied by the balloonist was stand ing, and in it Dr. Gore and his companion established themselves.
 Tn the house Dr Gore found a wooden replica of the old Swedish Norwegian Union flag, left by An dree, and this he brought with him to Washington together with a sec tion of the crate that had held the | balloon and an envelope bearing | the official insignia of the eXpedi- tion. At the time of Dr. Cores visit | the balloon house was standing as 1t had been left on the day of the ascent, and the long wooden run- way over the jagged rocks was still coated with the axle grease that had been smeared on to facilitate the takeoff.
 An unfortunate down gust of wind at the time of ascent may have had much to do with the tragic 1 erding of the flight. in the opinion or Dr. Gore after his careful exam ! ipation of the situation of the bal | Icon house.
 Air Current Caught Balloon
 T am convinced" he says, that i 1t was a current of descending air. | sweeping down from the top of the | hill, rather than any fouling of the | drag lines, as has been recently sug- gested, that caused the balloon to | dip toward the water just after il was launched. I was told that An dree and his companions quickly l threw over considerable ballast, | with the result that the bag rose to | is great height, lifting the drag lines | out of the water. With the lines out | of the sea, steering was impossible | lso Andree released some of the hy- l ,drogen that he had sought to pre- serve so carefully. The balloon linen settled down again and when the craft disappeared on the horr- xon it was progressing favorably in . wind blowing from the south.'
 The Wellman expedition of 1898, b which the National Geographic Society contributed funds, expect ed to find Andree and his compan- lens at Cape Flora near the south ernmost point of Franz Josef Land, which was recognized as a meeting place for arctic explorers Failing to find the party. Wellman concluo- sed-erroneously. it now appears that the balloonists had perished in the polar waters.
 Records of the National Geo. graphic Society dated 1907 refer to Andree's flight-the first effort to conduct polar exploration through the air-as the most daring of all schemes of polar exploration Out lining the Swedish balloonist's scheme. the account continues:
 Elaborate Steering Apparatus 5 The plan looked to the Notation Of the balloon some 500 feet above the sea by means of three attached heavy guide ropes, each 900 feet -lcng. to which in turn were attached eight ballast lines, 25O feet long, with which it was expected by shift ing the position of the guide ropes to change the direction of the bal Icon. On July | the wind was favorable in strength and direc- ton and everything was ready. The balloon, named the Ornen (Eagle). had its load of about five tons of food, ballast, and freight and men, and from measurements of escaping gas had Notation life of about 30 days. The wind carried the balloon across the mountainous is- land Of Vogelsang, making it neces- sary to rise some 1,500 feet, whence It passed out of sight in an hour, below the northeast horizon. AS the balloon had at it's best a flota- tion life of 30 days. it is obvious