VNDREE • AND 
 
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 nun 
 
 
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 iililiil 
 
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 HIS • BAL 
 
 illilllillltllllilliltit 
 
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 re, 
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 engineer, was a native of Sweden, born. 
 at Grenna, on Lake Vetter, in 1854 
 and educated at the Stockholm Tech- 
 nical College where he specialized in 
 aeronautics. 
 
 Andree's plan was simple. He would 
 construct a large balloon and makg it 
 partially susceptible of steerage by 
 the use of sails attached to the bas- 
 ket and by ropes which could be trail- 
 ed along the surface of the ice fields. 
 7ik |*He proposed to tpV« -^ ■*-'* 
 
 uaaq aA«q '«qnO Jl" ],^„lr. jo suoi 
 
 «Aa ,M«oT Suomv P»»°"& '"'■'•i 
 
 •pauouiiuna 
 
 „, „»^<!a oq oil pa^oadxa sea aqv -m t' 
 
 u, pauuuoa u1«Se se* oqM. -aapuBUS 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
ANDREE AND 
 HIS BALLOON 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2008 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/andresballooneOOIachrich 
 
ANDREE AND HIS 
 BALLOON 
 
 By HENRI LACHAMBRE 
 and ALEXIS MACHURON 
 
 WITH COLOURED FRONTISPIECE AND 
 FORTY-FOUR FULL-PAGE IL- 
 LUSTRATIONS FROM 
 PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 mceminsta 
 
 ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO 
 
 1898 
 
Butler Sc Tanner, 
 
 The Selwood Printing Works, 
 
 Frome. and London. 
 
G-lOO 
 IS?'? 
 
 TO A. S. ANDREE 
 
 A FERVENT BELIEVER IN THE 
 AERIAL CONQUEST OF THE NORTH 
 POLE WE DEDICATE THIS BOOK 
 
 H. LACHAMBRE 
 A. MACHURON 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Departure of the Balloon, iith of July, 1897 
 
 Frontispiece^ in Colours 
 
 Salomon Auguste Andree 9 
 
 View of the Lower Part of the Balloon . . .21 
 
 Valves for Working the Balloon 27 
 
 The Balloon in the 96 feet Gallery of the 
 
 Champ de Mars Exhibition 35 
 
 Start of the "Virgo" from Gothenburg, 7th of 
 
 June, 1896 41 
 
 Staff-Officers of the Expedition 47 
 
 The First Floating Icebergs 55 
 
 Dane's Island and the Pike House 63 
 
 Dansk-Gatt 69 
 
 Arrival of a Generator 77 
 
 Arrival of a Gas Generator 83- 
 
 The *« Express", the " Erline Jarl", the "Virgo", De- 
 parture of the "Victoria" 91 
 
 Dane's Island 97 
 
 Smeerenburg Glaciers 103 
 
 The "Virgo". Amsterdam Island 109 
 
 Arrival of the Car 115 
 
 An Excursion to Magdaleina Bay 123 
 
 Solar Observations at Magdaleina Bay . . .129 
 
 The "Virgo" decked for the 14TH of July FfriE . 135 
 
 mS.1 0.^80 
 
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Strindberg . .141 
 
 The Cupola of the Balloon (top of the Shed) . • 147 
 The Balloon in the Shed during its Deflation . . 155 
 
 The Shed and the Balloon Case 161 
 
 The Swedish Gunboat "Svensksund" . . . .169 
 
 A Laplanders' Camp -175 
 
 A Whale 181 
 
 Departure for a Hunting Expedition . . . .189 
 
 On the Icebergs 195 
 
 Dane's Island seen by the Midnight Sun . . .203 
 
 Ships among the Ice 209 
 
 The Balloon Case in the Ice 217 
 
 Landing the Car 223 
 
 View of the Apparatus for producing Hydrogen 
 
 Gas for the Balloon 229 
 
 Placing a Generator 235 
 
 The Gas Apparatus 243 
 
 Sketch of the Construction of the Hydrogen Gas- 
 Producing Apparatus 247 
 
 Getting the Balloon Case Ashore 249 
 
 On the Top of the Balloon 257 
 
 The Inflated Balloon in its Shed, the Northern 
 Part of which has been removed in order to 
 
 facilitate its Departure 267 
 
 The Members of the Expedition 275 
 
 On the Bridge of the '* Svensksund," Messrs. 
 
 Fraenkel, Andree, Svedenborg and Strindberg . 283 
 
 K. Fraenkel 291 
 
 View of the Balloon taken immediately after its 
 
 Departure 297 
 
 Facsimile of Andree's Last Message . . •, . 304 
 
SALOMON AUGUSTE ANDREE. 
 
Introduction 
 
 ON the afternoon of Sunday, the nth of 
 July, 1897, the balloon Omen left the 
 port of Virgo, Spltzbergen, carrying in its car 
 Messrs. Andree, Strindberg, and Fraenkel, the 
 bold explorers, starting for the conquest of the 
 North Pole. 
 
 All the papers of the day were immediately 
 filled with discussions in various strains, pessi- 
 mistic or favourable comments and prognosti- 
 cations, articles full of hope or criticism, — each, 
 in short, looking upon this extraordinary ex- 
 pedition from its own point of view. 
 
 The first part of this bold enterprise is 
 accomplished, and now we are confronted with 
 the terrible question : Where are they ? 
 
 The comments took their usual course. 
 However, towards the middle of August we 
 heard that one of the carrier pigeons belonging 
 to Andr^e's expedition had been killed, on the 
 22nd of July, by one of the seamen of the 
 fishing boat Aiken, between the Spitzbergen 
 
 9 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 North Cape and the Seven Isles, in about 80° 
 N. Lat. This pigeon carried a message, which 
 was confirmed, more than a month later, when 
 the whaler Aiken returned to Hammerfest ; it 
 was couched in the following terms : — 
 
 '' \2ith July, 12.30 /.w., 82.2° N. L.y 15.5° 
 E. Long. Good progress towards the north. 
 All goes well on board. This message is the 
 third brought by a pigeon. — Andr^e." 
 
 Andree, therefore, appears to have de- 
 spatched three pigeons in less than three days, 
 and the balloon seems to have covered, during 
 this time, a distance of scarcely i87|- miles — a 
 fact which is accounted for by the calm which 
 reigned on the second day. 
 
 No other trustworthy news has since come 
 to hand. Much noise was made about a 
 telegram originating from Krasnoyarsk in 
 Siberia, which announced that a balloon, be- 
 lieved to be Andree's, had been sighted on 
 the 14th of September, for some minutes, in 
 the province of Jenisseisk. 
 
 This message was rather vague. Supposing 
 that the balloon remained in the air for more 
 than sixty days (which is still within the limits 
 of possibility), it ought to have crossed, in 
 order to arrive at that point, over 625 miles 
 of inhabited land, without being perceived, 
 
 10 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 which is rather doubtful. On the other hand, 
 Andree would not travel such a long way in 
 regions where communications are compara- 
 tively easy and where he would have been in 
 perfect safety, without effecting a landing and 
 stopping on his journey. 
 
 Knowing the temperament of these heroes, 
 who start with high courage towards the un- 
 known, in order to try to lift the veil which 
 still hides those mysterious regions from mortal 
 eyes, and after having read the narrative of the 
 wonderful voyage of Nansen and his com- 
 panions, shall we despair ? 
 
 Has not Andree already been highly favoured 
 by chance and accident ? Has he not already, 
 in his career as an aeronaut, escaped from 
 dangerous situations in which many others, 
 perhaps, would have perished ? Let us hope, 
 then, that his lucky star will not forsake him, 
 and that fortune, which favours the brave, will 
 bring back to us, victorious, the three savants 
 who have a full claim to our unstinted admira- 
 tion. 
 
 I may add that the preparatory stages of the 
 expedition were very troublesome ; obstacles 
 of all kinds, bad weather, and, in particular, 
 contrary winds, made two attempts futile. 
 Only on the third attempt were the explorers 
 
 II 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 able to leave terra firma finally and float In 
 space towards this inaccessible pole, the search 
 for which has already cost science so many 
 Illustrious lives. 
 
 In fact, a first expedition organized in June, 
 1896, went to Spltzbergen, at which place a 
 balloon and all the plant necessary for its 
 inflation were fitted up. But after a long wait 
 for the south wind, which did not come, the 
 explorers were compelled to return to Europe, 
 as the season was too far advanced. 
 
 Now, before narrating the preliminaries 01 
 the second expedition and commencing the 
 story of our voyage across the polar sea, it 
 seems expedient briefly to recapitulate the 
 history of the Swedish expedition to which we 
 have had the honour to belong, and to give 
 some details as to the construction of the aerial 
 ship, and the work accomplished last year on 
 Dane's Island. 
 
 An undertaking bristling with so many diffi- 
 culties could not possibly be carried through in 
 an inhospitable country in a season which lasts 
 barely two months ; and this fact the reader 
 will be able to appreciate later on. 
 
 H. L. 
 
 12 
 
The Engineer Andree 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
 
 SALOMON-AUGUSTE ANDREE was 
 born on the i8th of October, 1854, at 
 Grenna, a little town in the province of 
 Smoiland. His father was a chemist. The 
 rather severe training received at the hands 
 of their father, imbued the children of the 
 Andree family at an early age with the 
 spirit of obedience and punctuality. Their 
 father died some years ago, and their mother, 
 a distinguished lady, died in the spring of 
 1897. 
 
 After finishing his educational course young 
 Andree entered the technical school, an institu- 
 tion exclusively intended for civil engineers, — 
 artillery and army engineers' officers having a 
 separate Higher School. He chose the me- 
 chanical engineering section of the school, and 
 left it an engineer. He thereupon worked for 
 
 13 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 some time (as is frequently the custom In 
 Sweden) as a simple mechanic in a workshop, 
 sharing in every respect the life of an ordinary 
 workman. Later on, he travelled abroad for 
 purposes of study. 
 
 The knowledge he thus acquired, both the- 
 oretical and practical, procured him the dis- 
 tinction of being appointed, at the early 
 age of twenty-six, assistant professor of pure 
 and applied physical science at the technical 
 school. 
 
 At the age of twenty-eight, in 1892, he took 
 part in a Swedish meteorological expedition 
 to Spitzbergen. He wintered there until the 
 next year, directing the experiments and 
 observations on atmospheric electricity. 
 
 In 1884, Andrde was appointed chief 
 engineer to the Patent Office, — being a newly 
 created post, — and from 1886 to 1889 he 
 occupied, at the same time, a professor's 
 chair at the technical school of Stockholm. 
 
 However, his position at the Patent Office, 
 being a post of the highest importance, claimed 
 all his time and energy, and Andree found 
 himself obliged to resign the professorship. 
 
 But he could not give up the idea of 
 14 
 
THE ENGINEER ANDREE 
 
 scientific aerostation, a problem which had 
 always haunted his mind since his early youth. 
 
 The Swedish Academy of Science, which 
 counts among its members famous men like 
 A. Nordensjold, G. Retzius, G. Mittaz-Leffler, 
 the mathematician, H. Hildebran and O. 
 Montelius, the antiquarians, and others known 
 and esteemed by the learned world, turned 
 their attention to Andree's projects, and in 
 1892 he received from the Academy and the 
 " L. J. Hjerta Memorial Foundation," a sub- 
 vention for the purpose of undertaking 
 scientific aerial navigation — an honour which 
 was unprecedented in Sweden. 
 
 From that time Andr^e devoted himself to 
 aerial navigation, and made his first ascent at 
 Stockholm in the summer of 1893. 
 
 He has since made a number of ascents for 
 scientific purposes, some of which were of 
 a most perilous nature — one resulting in a 
 disaster in the Baltic. On another occasion 
 he was carried from Gothenburg over the 
 Baltic, after having traversed the whole of 
 Sweden. The reefs round the Isle of Goe- 
 land presented the greatest difficulties to his 
 landing. This last attempt nearly cost Andr^e 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 his life ; but these *' little accidents " were not 
 calculated to discourage a man of his tempera- 
 ment. 
 
 He made several experiments at steering 
 by means of a guide-rope and a sail, and 
 came to the conclusion that it would be pos- 
 sible to direct the course of the balloon even 
 while keeping it at a low altitude. 
 
 Thereupon, early in 1895, Andrde presented 
 to the Academy of Sciences a well matured 
 project for exploring the regions of the North 
 Pole with the aid of a balloon ; the start was 
 to be made from Spitzbergen, where the 
 inflation of the balloon was to be effected. 
 The estimated cost amounted to about 
 
 A National subscription was opened, which 
 was completed in a few days by four generous 
 donors. 
 
 Mr. A. Nobel, of lamented memory, sub- 
 scribed ^3^588. 
 
 The King of Sweden, wishing to show the 
 interest taken by him in the expedition, gave 
 
 Baron Dickson, well known for his liberality, 
 also gave ;^ 1,656. 
 
 16 
 
THE ENGINEER ANDREE 
 
 The sum was completed by Mr. R. Lamm 
 and some other donors. 
 
 Mr. R. Lamm, moreover, undertook to 
 supply all the mechanical part of the various 
 apparatus. 
 
 Having once settled the financial aspect of 
 the question, Andree made several journeys 
 all over Europe, in order to obtain personal 
 interviews with foreign scientific celebrities 
 and gain them over to his views concerning 
 this bold enterprise. He visited, one by one, 
 the aeronautical establishments, procuring at 
 the same time samples of the tissues employed, 
 and obtaining the opinions of various con- 
 structors. 
 
 Thereupon, on his return to Stockholm, he 
 carefully tested the samples which he had 
 brought with him ; he felt interested in the 
 English and German products, but gave pre- 
 ference to the French industry. Finally his 
 choice fell on Chinese Pongee silk, cemented 
 together in double, threefold, and fourfold 
 layers, and varnished, this tissue having 
 been advocated and experimented with for 
 several years past by M. H. Lachambre, 
 to whom Andree entrusted the construction 
 
 17 B 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of the balloon on condition that M. La- 
 chambre should follow the expedition to 
 Spitzbergen, where the benefit of his ex- 
 perience would be at Andr^e's service. 
 
 * i8 
 
The Aerial Vessel 
 
 Description of the Balloon for Andr£e's 
 Polar Expedition, and the Appliances 
 Constructed at the Aerostatic Workshops 
 of Vaugirard. 
 
 AFTER studying the question for a long 
 time, Andree finally decided to give 
 his balloon the cubical contents of 158,924 feet, 
 and the shape of a sphere terminating in a 
 slightly conical appendage. 
 
 This sphere, fitted with two lateral regulat- 
 ing valves, one lower automatic valve, and a 
 *' rending flap," measures 22 yards in diameter, 
 by 1,431 yards surface; it is enclosed in a 
 net of hemp cord, terminating in systems of 
 ** crow feet," and suspending ropes attached to 
 the car by means of a " load ring." 
 
 The upper part of the balloon is protected 
 against rain and snow by a varnished silk 
 
 19 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 cover, the apex of which is fixed to the upper 
 pole of the envelope, and the lower margin to 
 the meshes of the net. 
 
 The Envelope. — In making up the envel- 
 ope, 600 pieces of best quality Pongee silk, 
 each from 18 to 19 yards long by about 18 
 inches wide, were used. From each of these 
 a piece was cut off which was tried in both 
 directions — that of the chain and that of the 
 weft ; then the pieces were classified according 
 to their strength, in order to be subjected to 
 the operation of cementing or joining to- 
 gether. 
 
 All these pieces, after being cemented to- 
 gether, were tried again before being used. 
 The trials were made by means of a Perreaux 
 dynamometer, with strips about 2 inches wide 
 by 4 inches long, under the control of Messrs. 
 P. de Nordenfeld and Noel, engineers of the 
 Nordenfeld Company, to whom Andree had 
 entrusted the task of testing the materials used 
 in the construction of his balloon. 
 
 The tests gave the following results : — For 
 double tissue, the breaking strains varied from 
 5,291 lbs. to 7,936 lbs. per yard, for threefold 
 tissue from 6,854 to 12,125, and for fourfold 
 
 20 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 tissue, made up of the best single pieces found, 
 from 13,227 to 15,873 lbs. per yard. 
 
 The minimum resistance demanded by An- 
 dr^e was fixed at 2,204 lbs. per yard and per 
 single thickness of Pongee. This minimum 
 was therefore greatly exceeded. 
 
 The cemented pieces were classified accord- 
 ing to their strength, for distribution over the 
 surface of the balloon as the strain demanded. 
 
 The upper part of the envelope is a disc 1 9 
 feet 8 inches in diameter, formed by twenty- 
 four widths of fourfold silk. The adjoining 
 part, consisting of threefold silk up to 13 feet 
 I inch below the equator of the sphere, is 
 composed of forty-one zones made up of forty- 
 eight widths each. 
 
 The remainder of the balloon, down to the 
 lower parallel, having a diameter of 23 feet, is 
 of double material, being made up of twenty- 
 two zones of forty-eight widths ; and finally 
 the lower part, including the appendage, is of 
 threefold silk, and consists of five zones of 
 forty-eight widths, and three zones of twenty- 
 four widths each. 
 
 The portions made up of threefold and 
 double Pongee are joined together by an inter- 
 
 23 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 mediate zone In which the various widths of 
 material are alternately made up, half of three- 
 fold and half of double tissue. 
 
 In each zone the various widths, or pieces 
 of material, are identical In shape ; twenty- 
 seven different templates had to be designed 
 In order to determine the exact shape of the 
 various pieces or widths of material, the total 
 number of which is 3,360. The cutting out 
 of these pieces was effected with the aid of 
 a cutting blade guided by a steel rule, following 
 the outlines of a template. At first those be- 
 longing to one and the same zone were joined 
 together, and the zones were then joined so 
 that the various pieces or widths overlapped each 
 other in such a manner as to give the balloon 
 the aspect of a structure of bricks or freestone. 
 
 The cemented joints of the various pieces 
 are |- Inch wide ; they are then sewn by a 
 machine, with three seams made with fine 
 silk in the double or threefold material, and 
 four rows of stitches in the fourfold material. 
 
 These joints or seams are then covered, out- 
 side and Inside, with a strip of single silk i^ 
 inches wide, cemented on with a special varnish 
 recently discovered by M. Lachambre. 
 
 24 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 The strips cemented by this new process 
 have the double advantage of rendering the 
 seams impermeable and restoring to the joints 
 the resistance of which the stitching deprives 
 them. 
 
 The varnish used for this cementing meets 
 all requirements ; it preserves the natural sup- 
 pleness of the material, is unaffected by the 
 balloon varnish, which has linseed oil for its 
 basis, and is proof against water and changes 
 of temperature. 
 
 The tests made with the joints thus con- 
 stituted, proved that their resistance was greater 
 than that of the adjoining parts, and Andr^e, 
 who only desires an equal strength through- 
 out, naturally was very well satisfied with this 
 result. 
 
 The seams are 4,811 yards long, with three 
 or four rows of stitching, representing a line 
 of single stitching equal to a length of 15,310 
 yards, and the total length of the cemented 
 strips is nearly 9,842 yards. 
 
 The two hemispheres of the balloon were 
 first formed; their weight was 2,116 lbs., and 
 before proceeding to the last equatorial closing 
 seam, they were given three coats of Arnoul's 
 
 25 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 varnish (the best balloon varnish hitherto 
 tried) ; a fourth coat being given after the 
 two halves had been joined together, on the 
 premises of the *' Palais du Champ de Mars," 
 remaining from the 1889 Exhibition. 
 
 Net. — The net of the polar balloon is com- 
 posed of 384 hemp cords, ^ inch thick by 
 2 1 1 feet 7 inches long, each having a breaking 
 strain of not less than Sy;^ lbs. (in the tests 
 made the minimum result was 925 lbs., while 
 the maximum was 1,190 lbs.). 
 
 Each cord is jointless; its two ends are fixed, 
 at the upper pole, to a cordage ring or crown 
 measuring 26 inches in diameter and 2^ inches 
 in thickness. There are no knots in this 
 net, the cords being interwoven at their 
 crossing points, one being passed through the 
 other ; it was in this way that the " Henri 
 Giffard" captive balloon was finished in 1878. 
 
 The crossing points are strengthened by 
 ligatures of fine twine. 
 
 The circumference of the net, all the way 
 up, consists of 192 meshes, the dimensions of 
 which vary according to the area of the zone 
 they are to cover. These meshes, the number 
 of which is no less than 19,000, represent a 
 
 26 
 
VALVES FOR WORKING THE BALLOON. 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 length of twine amounting to nearly 16,404 
 yards. 
 
 The lower part of the net is formed by a 
 system of three zones of crowfeet or cringles, 
 each zone reducing, by one-half, the number 
 of meshes composing the next upper zone. 
 
 The first row of crowfeet is mounted on 
 thimbles of nickeled brass, the second and 
 the third on wooden pulley-blocks, having 
 sheaves of lignum vitae ; and forty-eight sus- 
 pending cords, each fitted at its end with an 
 eye, complete the net and form points for tying 
 it to the retaining ring by means of toggles. 
 These suspending cords have a diameter of 
 TXT inch, and a bearing-strain of no less than 
 6,613 lbs. 
 
 The net thus constituted weighed 776 lbs. 
 In order to preserve the cordage from moisture 
 it w^as impregnated with vaseline, except in 
 the upper part, which was covered with a 
 projecting cover of varnished silk ; after this 
 operation the weight of the net was 974 lbs. 
 
 Eight detachable equatorial cringles were 
 fixed to the equator of the net. They were to 
 serve for holding up the balloon, and prevent- 
 ing it from oscillating, in the shed which was 
 
 . 29 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 to shelter it at Spitzbergen, while awaiting a 
 favourable wind for the departure of the ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 Protecting Cover. — A spherical calotte of 
 single silk, varnished with four coats and 
 vaselined, and having an area of 1,560 square 
 feet, covers the upper part of the balloon. It is 
 finished in the same way as the balloon, being 
 composed of overlapping widths to the number 
 of 720. 
 
 The seams, having a width of \ inch, are 
 hooked together, and sewn with two rows of 
 stitching with silk thread. They are not 
 covered with cemented strips. Their total 
 length is 656 yards. 
 
 The vertex of the protecting cover, of conical 
 shape, is of double silk. It rests on a small 
 wooden structure, likewise of conical shape, the 
 base of which, placed on the material at the 
 upper pole of the balloon, is surrounded and 
 held in place by the crown of the net. 
 
 The lower zone, terminating the protecting 
 cover, is of double silk. Its extreme edge 
 is put round a hemp bolt-rope, t% inch in 
 diameter, which is sewn into the material ; 
 ninety-six eyes made above this bolt-rope are 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 intended to receive thongs for fixing the pro- 
 tecting cover to the meshes of the net. 
 
 This protecting cover weighs 88 lbs. Its 
 object is to protect the top of the balloon 
 against rain, and more especially to prevent 
 incrustation with snow between the meshes of 
 the net. 
 
 Valves. — The balloon has no valve at the 
 top, because its action would probably be 
 affected by snow ; but it is provided with two 
 manipulating valves, of equal dimensions, one 
 being placed at the equator, and the other 
 one metre above the equator. These are at 
 150 degrees angular distance from each other. 
 
 These valves, constructed on a system of 
 Andr^e's, measure 9| inches in external dia- 
 meter. Each is formed by a disc of aluminium 
 bronze, 9 inches in diameter, and under normal 
 conditions rests on a circular piece of walnut 
 wood, but can be withdrawn therefrom by 
 moving it along a screw which occupies the 
 centre. This movement is effected from the 
 car of the balloon by means of two cords for 
 each valve, passing through the interior of the 
 balloon and issuing from it near the appendage 
 through four tubes, arranged in pairs. 
 
 31 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Gas-tightness is obtained by a circular rubber 
 band, against which the outer margin of the 
 valve disc rests. The orifice for the escape of 
 gas measures 7| inches in diameter. In order 
 to fix the valves to the balloon, two openings, 
 71 inches in diameter, are made in the material. 
 The margin around these openings is strength- 
 ened by collars, i9|- inches in diameter, of 
 threefold material, cemented and sewn on ; the 
 seat of each valve is applied internally to the 
 material of the balloon, the margin of which is 
 caught between two rubber bands, and there- 
 upon pressed against the seat by an external 
 wooden hoop and bolts. 
 
 These valves do not present any external 
 projection against which the cord of the net 
 might catch. 
 
 The automatic valve closing the appendage 
 was suggested to Andree by M. Lachambre, 
 and was adopted. It measures 39 inches in 
 external diameter, with a discharge orifice 34 
 inches in diameter. The valve disc, of three- 
 fold Pongee silk, is 35I inches in diameter. It 
 is provided with two glazed windows, in order 
 to enable the aeronauts to inspect the interior 
 of the balloon. This disc, which is slightly 
 
 32 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 conical, is fitted upon a walnut - wood ring, 
 which acts as a seat, in which it is held by 
 the traction of six spiral springs of steel wire, 
 fastened on one side to the end of the wooden 
 spokes of the valve, and on the other side to 
 the top of a small frame fixed on the seat. The 
 frame, mounted on the wooden ring or crown, 
 is formed by twelve nickeled steel tubes. 
 
 The valve is guided in its course by a central 
 steel tube, sliding in another tube, which serves 
 as an axis for the frame. A small cotter limits 
 its action, the length of which is equal to one- 
 half of the radius of the discharge orifice. The 
 joint is rendered gas-tight at the periphery of 
 the valve by means of a brass blade resting on 
 a rubber band stretched in a groove of the seat. 
 
 The valve commences to open under the 
 action of an internal pressure corresponding to 
 ^ inch water column. In order to fix it to the 
 balloon, it is placed in the interior of the appen- 
 dage, the margin of which, held between two 
 rubber bands, is kept tight against the seat by 
 an external belt or ring of brass, fastened by 
 bolts. 
 
 ** Rending Flap." — The rending flap is 4J 
 yards high, and has a surface of 41^ square 
 
 33 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 yards. It is formed of threefold Pongee silk, 
 and is rectangular in shape, terminating in a cur- 
 vilinear triangle, the point of which is turned 
 upwards. Its vertical axis is at an angular dis- 
 tance of 105 degrees from each of the two 
 manipulating valves ; the lower base, which 
 is 351 inches wide, reaches down to 191 inches 
 above the equator. The seams joining the 
 material of the *' rending flap" to that of the 
 balloon are similar to the seams of the various 
 widths, and are likewise covered with cemented 
 strips. 
 
 In the interior of the balloon the upper 
 extremity of the ** rending flap" is of fourfold 
 silk ; its edge is put round a stick of hard 
 wood, to which a rope for pulling is fixed, by 
 means of which the rent is made. This rope 
 descends to the car after having passed through 
 the lower part of the envelope, near the appen- 
 dage, in a tube. 
 
 In order to make the rent with ease, which 
 will require an effort equal to a traction of about 
 220 or 250 pounds, Andrde intends to use a 
 small grapnel, which he will attach to the end 
 of this rope and throw to the ground at the 
 proper moment. 
 
 34 
 
THE BALLOON IN THE 96 FEET GALLERY OF THE CHAMP DE MARS 
 EXHIBITION. 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 Thereupon the balloon will be emptied very 
 rapidly, and all dragging along the ground will 
 be avoided, however violent the wind may be. 
 
 Of course Andree will not make use of the 
 *' rending flap " until he is travelling over 
 hospitable regions and wishes to terminate his 
 aerial voyage and alight definitely. 
 
 Bands for Protection against Water. — 
 Sundry Details. — Above the appendage, at 
 the parallels measuring i6 feet 4 inches and 22 
 feet 1 1 inches respectively in diameter, there 
 are fixed, by one of their edges, two vertical 
 circular bands nearly 4 inches high. 
 
 These bands are of single silk ; their pur- 
 pose is to form gutters for carrying off any 
 water which might run down the material 
 of the balloon, and thus protect the car in 
 which the observers are stationed from rain. 
 In the interior of the appendage there is 
 another band, differently placed, forming a 
 circular trough, intended to receive any water 
 that might result from a strong condensation 
 of the gases contained in the balloon, and 
 thus prevent any accumulation of such water 
 over the automatic valve. Between the ex- 
 ternal band, of 16 feet 4 inches in diameter, 
 
 37 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 and the appendage, and facing the tube through 
 which the rending cord passes, the inflating 
 nozzle, which is 19 feet 8 inches long, is 
 fixed. 
 
 The two cords which control each of the 
 manipulating valves are worked by pulling: 
 one, being that which opens the valve, is 
 painted blue ; the other, which closes it, retains 
 the natural colour of the hemp. 
 
 The cord acting upon the rending flap is 
 coloured red. 
 
 Along a meridian traced on the envelope 
 coloured marks are made, with figures indicat- 
 ing every 546 yards of cubic contents of the 
 segment above each mark. This will admit of 
 the progress of inflation at Spitzbergen being 
 rapidly ascertained. 
 
 On two other meridians, suitably situated, 
 are shown the positions for the straps to 
 support the sails with which the polar balloon 
 is to be provided. 
 
 The Car. — In the construction of the car, 
 the use of iron or steel was prohibited, so as to 
 avoid interfering with the action of the mag- 
 netic instruments. Its form is cylindrical, 
 measuring two metres in diameter, from centre 
 
 38 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 to centre of its sides, which are of cane basket- 
 work mounted on a framework of chestnut- 
 wood ; eight handles of wicker-work are 
 attached to the cylindrical part, at a convenient 
 height, to facilitate the transport. 
 
 The bottom is strengthened by wooden cross- 
 beams placed externally and fastened to the 
 basket-work by bolts and brass plates put on 
 the inside. 
 
 The cylindrical part is truncated on one side, 
 having a plane surface which is to form part 
 of an inclined plane intersecting the lower floor 
 of the car, and extending from this floor to 
 midway up the cylinder, the length of the chord 
 formed by the plane intersecting the base being 
 51 inches. 
 
 When the balloon touches the ground, rolling 
 of the car will be avoided by this flat surface, 
 which will rest and drag on the ground. In- 
 ternally, the upper margin of the side is fitted 
 all round with about 100 cords terminating in 
 buckles or eyes. To these cords, which are 
 passed through the basket-work, instruments 
 and various objects are to be attached. The 
 roof of the car is a disc or cover, likewise of 
 basket-work, slightly convex in order to prevent 
 
 39 c 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 any accumulation of water. The margin of the 
 periphery of this cover forms a cavity into 
 which the margin of the car is Inserted, thus 
 preserving its peculiar shape. Cross-pieces of 
 wood fixed inside the cover or roof impart to 
 it the necessary rigidity to support the observers ; 
 entrance to the car and exit therefrom is 
 effected by means of a trap-door which moves 
 on hinges. 
 
 Above the flattened part, the cylindrical side 
 of the car is fitted with two square windows 
 with glass panes of 5! inches side ; the bottom 
 of the car has two square openings of 7| inches 
 side, closed by wooden trap-doors. 
 
 The car is covered with tarpaulin having 
 openings corresponding to those in the basket- 
 work. 
 
 The tarpaulin of the roof forms a vertical 
 rim 3-j^ inches in width, perforated with 
 holes for draining off rain-water. The car is 
 suspended by six hemp ropes i-jJ^ inch thick. 
 Their respective strength is from 17,636 lbs. to 
 19,841 lbs. They are interwoven with the 
 basket-work, and joined together at the bottom 
 of the car by a hexagon of rope. 
 
 Above the roof they are joined to each other 
 40 
 

 [;:,;».. 
 
 
 "' \' ■F' ^ 
 
 ^'m^J^^PI 
 
 . \'. ■» ' 
 
 
 iii^'P^ 
 
 
 ^^^Hp ^' ' '\^B^P^9^^^^^H 
 
 \ 
 
 w!»>2!y'*««ii»iii«»^,,^^ \ 
 
 
 
 ^^^ -^i^^S^^H 
 
 . 
 
 ^^^bH^H 
 
 i ^ ^il 
 
 liifis^HB 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 by five horizontal ropes placed at equal dis- 
 tances and forming a kind of balustrade 3 feet 3 
 inches high, which was to be covered in later 
 on either with tarpaulin or some other en- 
 closing material. 
 
 The thickness of these horizontal ropes is 
 i inch, except the uppermost rope, which is 
 ^ inch thick. 
 
 About 6 feet 6 inches above the roof, the 
 hexagon formed by the six ropes is drawn 
 together by a hexagon of rope-work measuring 
 3 feet 3 inches inside diameter. 
 
 The upper end of the suspending ropes 
 terminates in an eye or loop joining it to the 
 ropes of the load ring. 
 
 On the circumference of the upper edge 
 of the car six brass balls are fastened, at 
 equal distances from each other, forming the 
 lower part of a system of ball links which are 
 to carry a structure intended to support the 
 scientific instruments. This structure was 
 made at Stockholm under the supervision of 
 Andree. 
 
 The fitting up and equipment of the car was 
 also carried out under his supervision. 
 
 The aeronauts will generally be on the flooring 
 43 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of the roof, for the purpose of observations. 
 The interior of the car forms their sleeping 
 apartment, where they will each rest in turn. 
 
 Marks of the Expedition. — All the 
 articles comprising the aerostatic equipment 
 are marked with the words ''Andr^e's Polar 
 Expedition 1896," which are branded upon 
 wooden articles, engraved on metal articles, and 
 painted with a durable paint on the protecting 
 cover, the envelope, the tarpaulin of the car, 
 and the ballast bags. 
 
 Some ropes of the net and the suspending 
 rope are fitted with small plates strongly fixed 
 to them, on which the above mark is engraved. 
 
 The articles not affording sufficient space for 
 the whole mark bear the abridged mark '* Aee's 
 Exp 1896." 
 
 The following articles were made at Stock- 
 holm ; viz., the " load ring " connecting the 
 balloon with the car, the provision basket, the 
 guide-ropes, sails, etc., as well as the plant for 
 making pure hydrogen gas, a description of 
 which will be found later on. Only the gas 
 conducting pipes, which are of silk, and the 
 ballast bags, were manufactured at Paris, being 
 supplied from the Vaugirard factory. 
 
 44 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 Exhibition of the Equipment and Plant 
 AT THE Champ de Mars (Old Buildings of 
 the 1889 Exhibition). — The order for the 
 articles described above was given by Andr^e 
 to M. H. Lachambre at the end of December, 
 1895, and delivery was to be effected between 
 the 15th and 20th of May, 1896, failing which 
 the contractor made himself liable to an enor- 
 mous progressive fine, in proportion to the 
 number of days of delay, and if delivery was 
 not made before the 3rd of June the order 
 could be cancelled. But the work was executed 
 within the stipulated time, and towards the end 
 of April the whole plant was conveyed to the 
 Champ de Mars, into the 30 m. gallery, in 
 order to be examined there by the Commission. 
 
 According to a clause of the agreement the 
 envelope was to be inflated with air, and be- 
 fore the last varnishing to be submitted to 
 an internal pressure equal to 3 inches water- 
 column. 
 
 This trial took place on the 3rd of May, 
 in the presence of Messrs. de Nordenfeld, 
 engineer of the Nordenfeld Company, Gaston 
 Tissandier, Colonel Renard and Commander 
 Renard, managers of the Central Establishment 
 
 45 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of Military Aerostation of Chalais - Meudon. 
 The openings of the balloon were provision- 
 ally closed ; the valve in the appendage was 
 replaced by a wooden hoop covered by a disc 
 of material containing a glazed window, 7^ 
 inches in diameter, thus permitting inspection 
 of the interior of the balloon. The latter was 
 inflated by means of a ventilator supplying 
 about 'jo,62i2> cubic feet of air per hour. 
 
 Andr^e's experts, who had followed up the 
 manufacture step by step, then examined 
 minutely all the parts, and declared the 
 material to be fauUless, and quite in accord- 
 ance with the desires expressed by Andree. 
 
 After this examination, which showed that 
 the envelope inflated with air did not lose its 
 contents to any appreciable extent, the balloon 
 was emptied, and was then given the last coat 
 of varnish. This having been done, it was 
 again inflated for the purpose of drying. 
 
 The net suspended by the crown, in the 
 centre of the central dome, and with the sus- 
 pending ropes attached to the balustrade of 
 the first gallery, presented the appearance of 
 a vast tent, the summit of which was 131 to 
 164 feet above the ground. 
 
 46 
 
THE AERIAL VESSEL 
 
 The car, the valves, and In short all the arti- 
 cles made at Paris were exhibited at the Champ 
 de Mars. A little balloon of 1,148 feet, fully- 
 equipped, and inflated with air, suspended by 
 the side of the polar balloon, served for com- 
 parison. This exhibition, which was not ar- 
 ranged with a view to profit, was thrown open 
 to the public from the loth to the 14th of May. 
 
 The loth of May was reserved for special 
 guests, and M. Felix Faure, President of the 
 French Republic, was the first visitor. He 
 took much interest in the various parts of the 
 balloon, which he examined at length, and in 
 the details of its construction. He expressed 
 his best wishes for the success of this interesting 
 expedition. 
 
 There were present at the same time as the 
 President, M. de Nordenfeld, Swedish engineer, 
 M. Gaston Tissandier, Colonel Renard, and 
 Commander Renard, who had also watched 
 the work in its various stages, and had co- 
 operated therein to a certain extent. 
 
 The Swedish colony was represented by 
 M. Du4 minister plenipotentiary, and Gustav 
 Nordling, vice-consul. 
 
 Among the other guests were Messrs. Pou- 
 49 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 belle, Prefect de la Seine, Admiral Sallandrouze 
 de Larmornaix, General Mathieu, M. Decau- 
 ville, senator, M. Coulet, solicitor to the Swedish 
 Legation, etc. 
 
 During the next four days over 30,000 per- 
 sons came to see the North Pole balloon, and 
 expressed their good wishes for the success 
 of the three bold Swedish explorers whose 
 courage is universally admired. 
 
 A. M. 
 
 50 
 
FIRST PART 
 TWO MONTHS AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 I 
 
 The Departure 
 LEFT Paris on the night of the 2nd of 
 
 I 
 
 June, 1896, to accompany Andrce and his 
 companions to Spitzbergen, as had been ar- 
 ranged. My mind was much taken up with 
 speculations as to the ultimate fate of the 
 expedition, and the responsibility I had under- 
 taken weighed rather heavily upon me. 
 
 Without stopping at the various stages of 
 my journey, Cologne, Hamburg, and Copen- 
 hagen, though all of them very interesting 
 towns, I arrived at Gothenburg, where I was 
 received by Captain Andree, brother of the 
 explorer; and although much fatigued by 
 forty hours' railway and boat travelling, my 
 first visit was to the good ship Virgo, which 
 
 51 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 was to be my home for several months, and 
 convey me towards the northern regions. 
 
 Andree, who left nothing to chance, had 
 chosen his vessel well, and his brother super- 
 intended her loading and equipment. 
 
 When I arrived work was proceeding with 
 feverish activity, and it is almost impossible 
 to conceive the quantity of goods which were 
 stowed away in this small vessel of 300 tons. 
 I was present at the embarkation of the bar- 
 rows of sulphuric acid which had been brought 
 from England. 
 
 We have a select crew, composed almost 
 entirely of engineering students from the 
 technical school of Stockholm, and officers 
 who have taken berths as ordinary sailors 
 in order to follow the expedition ; one can 
 see that there will be no more lack of brave 
 and generous hearts than of scientific heads. 
 
 On the morning of the 5th of June, the 
 three explorers arrived from Stockholm. At 
 night a grand fete brought us together at 
 Baron Dickson's, one of the generous pro- 
 moters of the enterprise. 
 
 Saturday evenings 6th of June. — Popular 
 fete at Lorensburg Park ; numerous speeches 
 
 52 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 and enthusiastic toasts ; reading of telegrams 
 and kind wishes for the success of the expedi- 
 tion. The tables are adorned with magnificent 
 bouquets of natural flowers enclosed in 
 pyramids of ice. The effect is most picturesque, 
 and this is certainly an idea which has never 
 yet suggested itself, as far as I know, to the 
 minds of the managers of our great culinary 
 establishments ; I now give them the benefit 
 thereof. What can be more attractive than 
 the picture of flowers and chandelier- lights 
 reflected in these miniature icebergs ? 
 
 Sunday, June jtL — I arrived at the port at 
 8 a.m. The Virgo has been dressed in her 
 gala bunting ; her masts are resplendent with 
 many-hued streamers. At the stern proudly 
 floats the splendid silk flag presented by the 
 ladies of Gothenburg. The deck is adorned 
 with flowers and ribbons; I am touched at 
 the sight of my national colours. 
 
 All the vessels in port are dressed with 
 bunting, and crammed with spectators. An 
 army of photographers, who all have their 
 cameras pointed at the Virgo y are preparing 
 to immortalize the vessel as she now appears. 
 
 The launches and all the boats, large and 
 53 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 small, are making the Virgo their rendezvous. 
 The rest of the population is on the quays 
 and the neighbouring buildings. 
 
 M. Vieillard, a friend, who came to accom- 
 pany me, left me at nine o'clock ; we arranged 
 to meet at Spitzbergen. 
 
 I saluted Baron Dickson, his daughter and 
 his niece, who were on the quay. His son 
 came to the Virgo to shake hands, and wish 
 me a good voyage. 
 
 The three explorers also arrived with their 
 friends crowding round them. The partings 
 were very touching, and the emotion, in which 
 all present shared, reached its height when 
 precisely at ten o'clock the signal for starting 
 was sounded. 
 
 The Virgo is slowly moving. 
 
 The enthusiasm becomes indescribable. An 
 immense hurrah, four times repeated, is vol- 
 leyed from every panting breast. Handker- 
 chiefs and hats are waved frantically, the cheers 
 burst forth with redoubled vigour. Andree, 
 Ekholm, and Strindberg, appear at the bul- 
 warks with their bouquets and their ribbons : 
 they signal their adieux and acknowledge 
 ours. 
 
 54 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 Then we, too, have our share in this grand 
 and most impressive manifestation. 
 
 The flag of the Virgo dips by way of salute, 
 and then rises again, and at this moment the 
 cortege of vessels and boats forms up around 
 our vessel, which has progressed a little to- 
 wards the open sea. 
 
 Something like a hundred boats follow in 
 our wake. On several of them bands are play- 
 ing, and a regular procession commences. 
 Those who have no boats follow along the 
 quays ; it is a veritable tide of human beings. 
 
 A few inevitable collisions occurred between 
 some of the impetuous small craft, but most 
 happily no serious accident is to be regretted. 
 
 The sun is shining gloriously ; the sky, too, 
 has put on its festive garb, and seems desirous 
 of encouraging the bold explorers leaving for 
 the conquest of the North Pole. 
 
 We are now out in the open sea. 
 
 At one o'clock we are assembled on the quar- 
 ter-deck, and the introductions commence : — 
 
 Herr Andr^e, former pupil of the higher 
 technical school of Stockholm, Director of the 
 Patent Office, and commander of the expedi- 
 tion ; 
 
 57 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Herr Ekholm, doctor of natural philosophy, 
 chief of the Meteorological Office of Stockholm ; 
 
 Herr Strindberg, former student of Upsala 
 University, second master at the Free Univer- 
 sity of Stockholm ; 
 
 Herr Svante Arrhenius, hydrographer, chief 
 of the Stockholm University, professor of 
 natural philosophy ; 
 
 Herr Grumberg, naturalist, master at the 
 Stockholm University, higher school ; 
 
 Dr. Carl Ekelund, physician to the expedi- 
 tion ; 
 
 Captain Hugo Zachau, commander of the 
 Virgo, which ordinarily plies between Gothen- 
 burg and Hull. 
 
 Nor must we forget the stewardess Charlotte, 
 a complaisant Swede, wearing a coquettish little 
 white toque, of the comic-opera style, trimmed 
 with a pretty ribbon bearing the badge of the 
 expedition. This charming person made me 
 three pretty curtsies, and an acquaintance was 
 soon formed between us. It is she who will 
 wait on us at table. She seems much at her 
 ease on board the Virgo^ and she has better 
 sea-legs than I have. She has made a napkin 
 ring with ribbons for each of us ; mine bears 
 
 58 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 the French colours. She is, moreover, very 
 amusing. There is also the cook, who excels in 
 the preparation of omelettes aux anckois — but I 
 must not anticipate. 
 
 After the introductions we taste the brandy 
 and whisky ; we drink toasts for the success 
 of the polar expedition ; then several speeches 
 are made. At three o'clock we assemble for 
 dinner in the dining saloon. The captain does 
 the honours at the table ; he is a jolly amphi- 
 tryon, and robust both physically and morally. 
 The meal passed off very gaily. 
 
 I was seated near Strindberg and Professor 
 Arrhenius, with whom I can speak in my own 
 language, and also learn a few words of 
 Swedish. This, in fact, is simply by way of 
 retaliation, as I have been appointed ''pro- 
 fessor of the French language " by acclamation. 
 
 We take our coffee on deck, smoking 
 delicious Havannahs presented to the expedi- 
 tion. Gently cradled by the waves, I abandon 
 myself to re very. How many things I have 
 seen since my departure, and how far away 
 from home I am already! Nevertheless, I 
 have only reached the first stage, and much 
 excitement is still in store for me. 
 
 59 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 I have taken possession of my cabin, which 
 adjoins the kitchen and dining saloon, and am 
 settling down there as comfortably as possible, 
 but not without difficulty, as the place allotted 
 to me is very small. 
 
 At eight o'clock the dinner bell once more 
 unites us round the table, and the evening is 
 spent in frankest cordiality. The voyage 
 commences very promisingly. 
 
 6a 
 
II 
 
 Out at Sea 
 
 CYUNE 2>tky 1896, 10.30.— We have been 
 T under way for twenty-four hours ; we are 
 in sight of Norway, off the Forsund, at a 
 distance of nine miles from the coast, but the 
 mist prevents us from seeing very far. The 
 fir-clad mountains are vaguely outlined to our 
 right, and the Virgo is heading due north-west. 
 There is nothing for us to do but take life as 
 it comes. I commence my diary in my cabin. 
 The sea, though a little rough, has not yet 
 troubled me. Andr^e alone has already paid 
 his tribute. 
 
 Tuesday y June <^tky Coasts of Norway. — 
 Sea rough, general discomfort, moral pros- 
 tration ; I am unable to write. The Virgo 
 rolls heavily. At the present moment, 6 p.m., 
 it is as light as at mid-day. 
 
 Wednesday y June lotky 6.30. — The tempera- 
 ture has gone down considerably ; we have 
 
 61 D 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 crossed the polar circle. A steamer has kept 
 company with us this morning at a distance of 
 7|- miles on our port side. Sea rough. 
 
 Thursday, June iitk, lo a.m. — In sight of 
 the Loffoden Islands ; sky overcast ; some few 
 rays of the sun ; sea smoother ; the vessel still 
 rolls. 
 
 Friday, June \2th, 9.30. — At last we are in 
 the straits which lead to Tromso. I was so ill 
 to-night that I should have thrown myself into 
 the sea had I forgotten, for one moment, my 
 duty and my family. 
 
 At 1 1 p.m. I sent for the doctor ; it seemed 
 to me that I was going to die all alone in my 
 narrow cabin. He ordered me champagne and 
 sleep. Charlotte, the stewardess, brought me 
 some oranges, and took off my boots, which I 
 had not had the courage to take off for four 
 days. Oh, Charlotte, my fair Scandinavian 
 maid, with your clear eyes, your engaging 
 smile, your gay face, and your lithe but robust 
 physique, how you must have pitied *' the 
 French gentleman," as they called me, who 
 but the other day was so nimble, so sure of 
 himself to all appearance, and who has sud- 
 denly become more inert and helpless than 
 
 ^2 
 
OUT AT SEA 
 
 an old cap that has been cast away by the 
 skipper ! 
 
 And in spite of the horrible tortures I 
 suffered, I was vaguely conscious of the strange 
 humour of the situation of having my boots 
 removed by dainty female hands better adapted 
 for millinery than for such a rough task. 
 
 Have you ever been sea-sick ? If you have, 
 you will understand me. How well I then 
 understood what is narrated of Cicero, who, 
 having taken refuge on board a vessel in 
 order to escape the assassin sent out for him 
 by Marc-Antony, preferred returning to Gaeta, 
 to face the death which he feared, to enduring 
 any longer the tortures of sea-sickness. 
 
 The bay bristles with high granite moun- 
 tains with snow-capped summits. The Virgo 
 makes signals for a pilot, who is a long time 
 coming ; she stops from five o'clock to nine 
 awaiting him, and strange to say, when the 
 noise of the engine ceases we have a feeling 
 of sadness. It is as if something was wanting 
 from our lives. 
 
 At last, at half-past nine the much-wished- 
 for pilot arrives, and the Virgo resumes her 
 route towards Tromso, the promised land. 
 
 65 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 We are now floating on a lake whose banks 
 are clad with verdure. I behold with some 
 amount of pleasure the objects surrounding 
 me. 
 
 What a contrast ! On the right a group of 
 well-built, brick pilots' houses, on the moun- 
 tain slope, facing the sea. Heavy cumuli cover 
 the summits of the rocks ; above, the sky is of 
 a pure blue, and the bright sun pours floods 
 of golden light over the landscape. 
 
 On the left there is a church standing all 
 alone, the rendezvous of the fishermen who 
 inhabit the coast in summer. 
 
 The sailors are getting ready the boat which 
 is to set us ashore, as there is no quay at 
 Tromso, and the Virgo will remain at anchor 
 in the roads. 
 
 The bay is getting narrower and villages 
 succeed each other, with telegraph lines on 
 both banks. Numerous Norwegian fishing 
 boats are ploughing the sea. The air is pure 
 and dry. 
 
 The Virgo glides majestically over the waves 
 like a large bird. The landscape becomes ani- 
 mated and really fairy-like. 
 
 At eleven o'clock w^e sight Tromso with its 
 66 
 
OUT AT SEA 
 
 steeple, its wooden houses and villas rising in 
 tiers one above the other on the slope of a 
 very fertile mountain. The pilot is still 
 steering the Virgo, Objects appear larger 
 and more distinct; there is the harbour, with 
 its vessels at anchor. 
 
 At ten minutes past one we arrive opposite 
 Tromso. We drop anchor at about five fur- 
 longs from the shore. As I have already 
 mentioned, there is no landing stage. We are 
 already surrounded by several boats. There 
 is M. Aagaard, the consul, coming to wel- 
 come us. Then the telegraph messenger 
 appears, to hand Andrde a package of tele- 
 grams. Lastly there are the friends of the 
 explorers, and the members of the Geological 
 Commission, who are going to travel with us 
 as far as the Ice- Fjord. 
 
 We take a seat in a boat which puts us 
 ashore in a few minutes. 
 
 June i^iL — We left Tromso at i a.m. in 
 splendid weather. The farewells of the in- 
 habitants, who came flocking in crowds to cheer 
 us, were very touching, and the Virgo re- 
 sumed her course towards the north. 
 
 The sun was shining so brilliantly, as I have 
 67 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 said, that I could scarcely realize whether it 
 was midday or midnight. 
 
 Although less solemn than at Gothenburg, 
 our departure was very imposing. The whole 
 town was assembled on the quays, and all the 
 boats of the port were formed in line to do us 
 homage. There were tourists in steam-launches 
 and fishing boats. In short, the whole popu- 
 lace of Tromso had made a point of being 
 there to wish us God-speed. 
 
 In the boats there were many well-dressed 
 ladies ; in one boat, in particular, there were 
 five females frantically waving their handker- 
 chiefs to the sailors. 
 
 Then Tromso receded into the background, 
 and will soon be nothing to us but a memory, 
 a vision looked back to with regret. 
 
 Sunday passed without any incident. On 
 Monday night we fell in with the first ice- 
 bergs, and progress became more difficult. 
 
 June i6tky noon, — Since the morning we 
 have been running along the coast of Spitz- 
 bergen, my future home, the place of my tem- 
 porary exile. The progress of the boat is slow 
 and perilous, in the midst of floating ice-blocks, 
 which threaten to crush us at every moment. 
 
 68 
 
OUT AT SEA 
 
 It requires all the experience of the captain 
 and all the vigilance of the man at the wheel 
 to avoid a catastrophe. 
 
 The ice pilot is on the look-out in the rig- 
 ging, and indicates by signal the open channels. 
 
 We have seen a large number of birds, 
 whales throwing up an immense stream of 
 water, seals, etc. Three of these animals were 
 disporting themselves on an ice-floe within 
 gunshot. They were at once saluted by a 
 discharge of guns, which did not hit them. 
 
 A variety of birds, very common in these 
 regions, among them the auk, or fulmar (a 
 kind of wild duck), which dives immediately 
 it is pursued. This is, moreover, the way in 
 which these birds seek their food, like all birds 
 of the polar regions, for they live on fish. The 
 steward of the vessel has just killed two with 
 one shot. These birds have a very clumsy 
 flight, their tail is very short, and it is only 
 with the aid of their web feet that they steer 
 themselves. 
 
 Yesterday, while passing near the Isle of 
 Beeren-Eiland, which was hidden from our view 
 by the fog, we saw myriads of birds of all 
 kinds, among others a large number of sea-gulls. 
 
 71 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 This morning the thermometer stood at 2° 
 above zero (Centigrade), 35*6 Fahr. 
 
 There was hoar-frost all along the rigging, 
 and the sailors on the watch above cannot be 
 overwarm. 
 
 We met a Norwegian sailing boat which 
 was hunting walrusses, and had been cruising 
 for several days in sight of Spitzbergen ; they 
 gave us some useful hints as to the state of 
 the ice. Every now and then a sailor took 
 soundings ; the depth was from 15 to 20 
 fathoms. 
 
 The Virgo has just stopped her engines ; 
 the officers are holding a council. We are 
 at the 76th degree of latitude, and we have 
 not much further to go in order to reach Ice- 
 Fjord, where we shall put in first before pro- 
 ceeding to Norsk- Oarna. 
 
 To the right the mountains covered with 
 eternal snow ; in front of us an impassable ice- 
 field. There is an open passage near the 
 coast, but the captain does not know the depth 
 of water there. He is examining his charts. 
 We shall have to wait. However, I fear a 
 delay which will not suit Andrde. 
 
 72 
 
Ill 
 
 The Installation 
 
 JT WEDNESDAY, June ijtk, in lat. 77° 
 y y N. — After having vainly sought a 
 passage during the whole of yesterday, 
 the captain considered it wise to take refuge 
 in the Horn-Sund Bay, a small natural port to 
 the south-east of Spitzbergen, where he cast 
 anchor this morning at four o'clock. 
 
 Here we are secure from all danger, and 
 shall patiently wait till the sea is open, which 
 will not be long. 
 
 Our little harbour is a marvel of creation ; 
 a ring of mountains covered with snow, the 
 summits of which were this morning veiled in 
 mist. Immense glaciers, from which portions 
 detach themselves with a fearful crash, animate 
 this white landscape, while at the same time 
 they inspire us with a feeling of vague dread. 
 Gigantic icebergs, resembling in their shape 
 and bluish colour immense crystals of cop- 
 
 73 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 peras, are drifting about in the middle of the 
 bay — a veritable oasis, where the temperature 
 is very mild, notwithstanding the snow which 
 covers the ground almost entirely. 
 
 The sun is very hot, casting a golden re- 
 flection over the whole of this charming picture, 
 which the birds enhance by their glad song, as 
 if to testify to their joy and love of life. 
 
 At 9 a.m. we set foot on terra firma with 
 undisguised satisfaction. Andr^e, Ekholm, and 
 Strindberg go ashore equipped with their in- 
 struments. They fix our bearings and deter- 
 mine the magnetic declination. 
 
 In fact, they have been working incessantly 
 since we went to sea. They are true men of 
 science, in love with their work, learned, yet 
 making no show of their knowledge. The 
 geologists have found a vast field for their 
 researches, and the botanists have been able 
 to collect at their ease. However, while the 
 fauna is varied enough, the flora is very scanty, 
 being confined to a few lichens, with mosses 
 of a pretty green colour, cochlearias, and dwarf 
 saxifrages, the tiny violet flowers of which are 
 charming to behold. 
 
 Some climbed the mountains and descended 
 74 
 
THE INSTALLATION 
 
 the slopes on ski, the beloved snowshoes of the 
 Scandinavian. Others went hunting with the 
 arms presented by Swedish armourers to the 
 Polar Expedition. As for myself, I was 
 content to admire this imposing nature, and 
 tried to utilise my modest talents as an amateur 
 photographer, in order to perpetuate on nega- 
 tives the splendid picture in which the Virgo 
 was set, now appearing reduced to Liliputian 
 proportions. 
 
 Our general quarters were established on 
 the ruins of an encampment which had be- 
 longed to a party of Siberian hunters who 
 spent the whole of last year on this spot. 
 
 There are many fragments of driftwood cast 
 ashore by the waves, and numerous bones ; 
 a sailor picked up an enormous vertebra of a 
 whale, and the doctor extracted a molar from 
 the jaw of a bear (the bear was no longer there 
 to protest). 
 
 The pilot went to explore the sea from the 
 top of the mountains. No change this morn- 
 ing in the state of the ice. 
 
 We reassembled on the Virgo for lunch at 
 two o'clock. Andr^e went in the ship's boat to 
 shoot seals, but without hitting any. After 
 
 75 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 lunch we returned to the shore, and each of us 
 occupied himself according to his taste. The 
 sky cleared up, and a very cold and cutting east 
 wind arose. The boat was tossed about a 
 good deal as we returned, and the current 
 drove before it all the pieces of ice floating in 
 the bay. At 11.30 p.m., at the moment when 
 I am writing these lines, a sun-ray is falling 
 through my porthole, and the wind is whistling 
 with some violence. 
 
 Sattirday, June 20thy 4 a.m. — Pleasant 
 awakening at the mouth of the Bay of Ice- 
 Fjord, opposite the Raftsundy which has been 
 at anchor since last night. 
 
 Weather dull, a fine cold rain. A boat 
 comes towards us, bringing a correspondent of 
 the paper Aftenbladet, of Stockholm, who is to 
 accompany us to Norsk- Oarna. 
 
 A small boat brings my friend Vieillard, who 
 is the bearer of despatches for me. We spend 
 two hours together, and my joy is great at see- 
 ing him again, and at last hearing news from 
 my family. Then the moment of parting 
 comes. M. Vieillard rejoins his vessel in order 
 to return to France ; he takes with him my 
 letters and despatches. I take several nega- 
 
 76 
 
THE INSTALLATION 
 
 tives of the Raftsund, a splendid boat ; and the 
 Virgo then continues her course towards the 
 north, after having exchanged the customary- 
 salutes. 
 
 The sea is free from ice, and the Virgo is 
 now going ahead full speed. 
 
 Sunday y 2\st, — Towards 2 a.m. we arrive in 
 sight of the Norsk-Oarna Islands, the place 
 intended for the erection of the shed and the 
 future centre of our operations. 
 
 During the morning we take a reconnoitring 
 trip by boat round the islands in order to find 
 a favourable place, accessible to our vessel, the 
 unloading of which will be very difficult in the 
 absence of a landing quay and all the plant 
 usually available in any port. 
 
 The charts which we possess of this region 
 are very inaccurate. Andr^e takes a survey of 
 several points of the coast. The huntsmen in 
 the boat bagged about ten eider-geese. We 
 gave up the idea of establishing ourselves here, 
 and in the afternoon we reached the Isle of 
 Amsterdam, 7^ miles to the south-west. 
 
 The sky is clear, the air is keen and cut- 
 ting. 
 
 Monday morning. — The three explorers 
 79 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 made a fresh survey, and Andree finally de- 
 cided on the little vale of Dansk-Gatt as the 
 point where we are to establish ourselves. 
 
 The place is sheltered on all sides by high 
 mountains, opening out to the north only upon 
 the open sea. A wooden hut, formerly con- 
 structed by an Englishman, Mr. Pike, will 
 serve us as a shelter, and we shall leave there 
 the surplus of our reserve store of provisions. 
 This hospitable little house already possesses a 
 depot of preserved provisions, coal, and various 
 articles. The ground is strewn with pieces of 
 rock and covered with snow, into which one 
 sinks up to one's knees. 
 
 Tuesday, June 2'^rd. — At 6 a.m. the vessel 
 began to unload ; all the boats are out at sea. 
 The Virgo cannot approach nearer than within 
 1 64 yards of the bank. The disembarkation of 
 the balloon and the gas plant will present very 
 serious difficulties, and will certainly take up 
 much precious time. 
 
 Thermometer 2° (3 5 '6 Fahr.) above freezing 
 point. Barometer 29*92 inches. Wind south- 
 west, fresh. Sky cloudy, clear patches at rare 
 intervals. Sun very hot. Sea calm. The 
 steam launch has got up steam. Mr. Pike's 
 
 80 
 
THE INSTALLATION 
 
 yacht came to visit the house on the i6th inst. 
 This little structure, built entirely of wood like 
 the Norwegian houses, is comfortable enough ; 
 it contains a dining-room, bed-rooms, and a 
 kitchen. There are stoves in all the rooms, and 
 our sailors have lighted them in order to dry 
 the walls ; the lock shuts badly, and the door is 
 kept to with a piece of ice. The garret serves 
 excellently as a dove-cot, and we instal our 
 pigeons there, but they will not be so comfort- 
 able there as in their ordinary pigeon-house ; 
 nevertheless, it will be a convenient shelter for 
 them. These pigeons have been trained at 
 Hammerfest. We have already despatched 
 several while at sea, but do not know yet 
 whether they have returned to Norway. 
 
 Wednesday y June 2^tk. — The unloading of 
 the vessel proceeds rapidly. The site for the 
 shed is ready, and the carpenters are starting 
 work. 
 
 This shed, intended to shelter the balloon, 
 deserves special mention. Designed in a very 
 ingenious manner, it was erected at Gothenburg, 
 where the inhabitants of the town could inspect 
 it before it was dismantled for shipment. It is 
 of octagonal shape, and consists of four storeys, 
 
 8i 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 each measuring i96'8545 inches in height. 
 The various storeys are joined to each other by- 
 means of bolts ; the last storey is surmounted by 
 a balcony all round. 
 
 In order to facilitate re-erection in Spitz- 
 bergen, the component parts of each storey are 
 marked with marks of different colour. The 
 floor of the shed is composed of timber work, 
 all meeting in the centre, and made fast on the 
 rocks with pieces of wood, for the ground is 
 very irregular, and it is impossible to level 
 it. 
 
 On the east and west sides, two staircases 
 lead to the balcony, and at the same time serve 
 to strengthen the structure. 
 
 The re-erection of this shed at Dane s Island 
 was very laborious. It was carried out with 
 much skill by the two master carpenters, as- 
 sisted by the crew. 
 
 It was necessary, first of all, to remove the 
 snow which covered the ground, to lay founda- 
 tions, and join together the beams, which were 
 put up and shifted by means of a hand-winch 
 placed in the centre of the structure, and slew- 
 ing all round. 
 
 The work was frequently interfered with by 
 
 S2 
 

 
 M 
 
 ^ 
 
 E-^i^^^W 
 
 „»■■ 
 
 '1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
THE INSTALLATION 
 
 storms, which compelled the carpenters to inter- 
 rupt their task. 
 
 The framework, when once put up, was 
 closed in with large panels of wood prepared 
 in Sweden. 
 
 The upper part of the shed is carried up 
 on the south side, above the rest of the 
 structure, by means of beams i6 feet 4 inches 
 high, carrying a canvas cover, intended to pro- 
 tect the top of the balloon against a violent 
 wind. 
 
 A movable roof or canvas awning, sliding 
 on wire cables, was intended to protect the 
 balloon against snow. Unfortunately time did 
 not permit of putting it up in position. 
 
 June 26th. — In the morning the sun ap- 
 peared ; the sky is very clear, and the snow is 
 slowly melting. The temperature is pleasant 
 to-day ; but now, in the afternoon, the cirri are 
 approaching, and I believe that the fine weather 
 will not last long. 
 
 The Virgo, relieved of part of its cargo, was 
 able to get within 66 yards of the shore. The 
 crew then proceeded to discharge the heavy 
 packages, hydrogen generators, and the case 
 containing the balloon. The three ship's boats, 
 
 85 E 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 coupled together, were made up into a kind of 
 raft, hauled by the steam launch. 
 
 In order to bring ashore these packages, 
 which weighed from two to three tons, it was 
 found necessary to form a roadway (or a kind 
 of inclined plane), with the aid of two large 
 pine logs brought from Norway, and to haul 
 them by means of a pulley tackle drawn by the 
 whole of the crew. 
 
 One is struck with the calm and intense 
 stillness which reigns in these regions remote 
 from all civilization. The mountain birds alone 
 break its monotony, and give us a joyous 
 concert. 
 
 In roaming over the islands, one is surprised 
 at the number of tumuli and human remains to 
 be met with. This is because Spitzbergen, too, 
 has its history, and that a rather troubled one ; 
 but we will not speak of it here. 
 
 86 
 
o 
 
 IV 
 
 The Victoria — Bear Hunting 
 
 N the 27th of June, In the afternoon, our 
 attention is attracted by the arrival of a 
 vessel coming from the north. It Is always a 
 pleasant event to come across other navigators 
 in these distant regions ; it makes one feel less 
 lonely and isolated. It is Mr. Pick's Victoria, 
 commanded by Captain Nllson, who hunts bears 
 and seals on these shores. She casts anchor 
 near the Virgo. We enter a boat and go to 
 welcome the travellers. 
 
 Andree obtains some information from the 
 captain as to the state of the Ice in the north. 
 I pay a visit to the boat, which, though other- 
 wise plain and rough. Is nevertheless fitted up 
 to perfection for the peculiar nature of her ex- 
 peditions. She contains various objects which 
 are not without interest for me, who am a new- 
 comer to these regions, such as skins of bears 
 and various birds ; also a live young bear, 
 
 87 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 captured at the Norwegian islands, which utters 
 ominous growls, and seems to protest energeti- 
 cally against this outrage upon Its liberty. 
 
 Sunday, the 28th of June, was an eventful 
 day, and full of emotions. The Victoria left 
 at 9 a.m. for Ice- Fjord, taking with her an 
 enormous parcel of letters, with our best wishes 
 for our nearest and dearest. 
 
 After an early lunch we started for an excur- 
 sion. Strlndberg, Grumberg, Arrhenius, Dr. 
 Ekelund, two engineers, two sailors, and myself, 
 went off in the steam launch. 
 
 The weather was superb, the sea calm, the 
 sky a little misty ; some pretty cumuli touched 
 the summits of the mountains. We steamed 
 round Dane's Island, and shaped our course 
 towards Smeerenburg. 
 
 Our little boat goes ahead full speed, and 
 gives herself up to a mad race among floating 
 ice-blocks which cover the surface of the bay. 
 
 The spectacle is marvellous. We are sur- 
 rounded by imposing rocks, whence the snow 
 descends in capricious veins and furrows, and ) 
 whose craggy summits, gilded by a glowing sun, ! 
 are set off against an azure sky of exceeding • 
 purity. These granite rocks, of grotesque and \ 
 
THE VICTORIA— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 erratic shape, throw the most fantastic shadows 
 upon the white surface of the glaciers. 
 
 The atmosphere is so transparent that it is 
 very difficult to estimate distances merely by 
 the eye. The mountains are from 2,000 to 
 3,000 feet high, and yet at first sight one 
 would think that they are very easy to climb. 
 I have very often been misled by this optical 
 illusion. Sounds can be heard very clearly at 
 a great distance. 
 
 We cross the course of the little sailing boat 
 of Stadling, the correspondent of the Stock- 
 holm Aftonbladet, and the colombophile of the 
 polar expedition. 
 
 He is also starting on a journey of discovery, 
 together with two companions. 
 
 We take our course towards the east, and 
 land on a little islet covered with moss. 
 
 Our guns bring down several eider-geese, 
 and on setting foot ashore we came across 
 several nests of these birds, containing three 
 or four eggs of the size of goose eggs and of 
 a greyish-green colour. 
 
 But our survey is soon made, and we 
 resume our course in a south-easterly direction, 
 where we can already see the outline of the 
 
 89 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Isle of Moffen, which is the goal of our excur- 
 sion. 
 
 This isle presents a singular contrast with 
 the surrounding mountains, owing to the vigour 
 of its colouring, which changes from a light- 
 green to a dark-brown. 
 
 The mosses of different varieties, interspersed 
 with yellowish lichens and saxifrages of a 
 delicate violet tint, offer us a soft carpet, invit- 
 ing to rest, and delighting to the eye. 
 
 Thousands of birds, making a deafening noise, 
 inhabit this enchanted land. 
 
 But their tranquillity is disturbed by our 
 prosaic and insatiable hunters, who give them- 
 selves up to a veritable hecatomb of game. 
 They have scarcely got ashore, and about 
 one hundred eider-geese are already lying on 
 the ground. They are so numerous and so un- 
 suspecting that they will scarcely move away 
 more than a few yards from us ; one can easily 
 see that their solitude is rarely disturbed by 
 visitors of our species, or at least of an equally 
 bellicose character. 
 
 They much resemble our domestic ducks, 
 and one might easily imagine one's self in the 
 midst of a park or a poultry yard. At one 
 
 90 
 
THE VICTORIA— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 moment I had about ten around me, come to 
 drink or bathe in a little brook of clear water, 
 which babbled in a cascade over the moss 
 and pebbles. 
 
 At every step one comes across a nest made 
 of moss and feathers, sheltered by a fragment 
 of rock. The female bird has plucked off her 
 softest down to protect her eggs or her brood 
 against the frost. The brooding bird is 
 scarcely disturbed by our approach. She 
 covers up her eggs and hides them under the 
 down before taking her flight, if she is given 
 time to do so. The reports of the gun re- 
 peated again and again by the echo reverber- 
 ating from the mountains resemble the rolling 
 of thunder and make a hideous din. 
 
 At four o'clock, a lunch, highly appreciated, 
 is served out on a bank of moss. This meal, 
 partaken with vigorous appetite, consists of 
 ham, caviar, and slices of smoked reindeer- 
 flesh ; the whole being washed down with light 
 beer, and seasoned by the most unrestrained 
 gaiety. A pure Havannah cigar completes this 
 most unconventional feast. 
 
 We fill our lungs with the pure air, and 
 feel it a joy to live. 
 
 93 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 But time glides swiftly by, and we must think 
 of returning. We are two hours' journey from 
 the Virgo. 
 
 Our sailors make an extensive raid upon the 
 nests, and return loaded with baskets full of 
 eggs and down. The game Is put on board 
 and we depart. 
 
 As we run along, the coast and glaciers are 
 covered with seals, but the noise of our engine 
 frightens them and they flee at our approach. 
 
 The sea has become rough, and the wind, 
 which takes us port, sends up waves which 
 threaten to swamp the boat. We are much 
 tossed about, but I can now stand the rolling 
 of the vessel like an old mariner. However, 
 we must not boast : one cannot be too sure of 
 anything. The temperature has gone done 
 perceptibly, and the cumuli, which a short time 
 ago were hovering on the sides of the moun- 
 tains, are now lowering down upon the sea, 
 and soon envelop us completely. We are 
 now in the midst of a very dense and cold fog. 
 We can scarcely see a few yards In front of us, 
 and we must slacken speed In order to avoid 
 collision with the icebergs detached from the 
 glaciers. The sun, which, a moment ago, still 
 
 94 
 
THE VICTORIA— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 showed very feebly, has completely disap- 
 peared. We are plunged into utter darkness, 
 and in spite of compass and charts we have, 
 for the moment, lost our bearings. What a 
 change, after the aspect of the sky a short 
 while ago ! The engineer whisdes by way of 
 a call to the Virgo, but there is no response 
 from that vessel. 
 
 Without being actually desperate, our situa- 
 tion is becoming critical, as we no longer know 
 exactly what distance we have covered. 
 
 We run a risk of passing our island without 
 perceiving it, and of getting lost at sea ! 
 
 At last, after several detours, we recognise 
 the lagoons of the Isle of Amsterdam on the 
 right, and soon a sailor points out the Virgo, 
 which looms in the semi-darkness at a distance 
 of fifty yards or so in front of us. 
 
 At this moment it is 8 p.m. The captain, 
 Andr^e, and Ekholm are on the deck. With- 
 out being alarmed at our fate, they were glad 
 enough to see us back again ; but Stadling's 
 boat has not yet come back. 
 
 The mist becomes thicker and thicker, and 
 one can scarcely see from one end of the vessel 
 to the other. One of the crew is ringing the 
 
 95 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 bell every few moments, in order to indicate the 
 route to the three belated tourists. The supper 
 passes off very gaily. Each recounts his adven- 
 tures and describes his impressions ; mine have 
 been of a very lively nature. But the day had 
 still a far more remarkable event in store for us. 
 
 We were beginning to be rather troubled 
 about the fate of our friends, when at about lo 
 p.m., having gone up on to the gangway to see 
 how the fog was, I heard, very faintly at first, 
 a murmuring sound, then a song keeping time 
 with the splash of oars. No doubt it is they ; 
 evidently they, too, have lost their way. 
 
 The oudine of the gallant little craft appears 
 a few yards away, and the boat comes on pro- 
 pelled by oars, as they had been compelled to 
 take down their sail. But what is that shape- 
 less mass, of a doubtful white, spotted with red, 
 which fills the bottom of the boat ? 
 
 Although worn out with fatigue, the excur- 
 sionists are radiant ; they have performed 
 veritable prodigies : they have been bear- 
 hunting, and bring back three dead bears in 
 their frail boat. 
 
 They are at once the object of an enthusiastic 
 ovation, while the animals — a large she-bear 
 
 96 
 
THE VICTORIA— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 and two cubs — are hoisted on board, leaving 
 a pool of blood in the bottom of the little boat. 
 
 ^ 'X^ ^ Ti? * 
 
 You already know Stadling, permit me to 
 introduce his two companions — Appelberg, 
 engineering student of the Stockholm technical 
 school, and Axel Stack, chemical engineer at 
 the Stockholm University — and let the first- 
 named gentleman recount in his own words 
 the circumstances of this somewhat dramatic 
 adventure : — 
 
 " You will remember the charming day we 
 had on the 28th of June; the sun glistened on the 
 waters of Smeerenburg as on a mirror, the sur- 
 rounding mountains enhancing the wildness and 
 grandeur of the scene. You will also remember 
 the glacier at the bottom of Smeerenburg. I have 
 told you about the adventure we had opposite 
 this glacier, when in consequence of a sudden 
 split a detached mass of enormous size produced 
 in the sea an immense wave, which threatened 
 to engulph our small boat and gave us an 
 unexpected douche. 
 
 " Immediately after this adventure I hastened 
 to take a photo of the glacier. While searching 
 for a suitable point, I discovered in the snow 
 
 99 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 on the shore the track of three bears going 
 from east to west, in the direction of South- 
 Gatt and the open sea. Having informed my 
 companions of this lucky find, I returned to the 
 boat, followed by my friends, one of whom was 
 gravely engaged in drying his clothes in the 
 sun, after the enforced bath caused by the 
 splitting of the glacier. 
 
 ** Thereupon a rather original chase com- 
 menced ; my companions rowed, whilst I held 
 the rudder lines, at the same time observing 
 through my glasses the tracks on the bank and 
 following their direction. The tracks of the 
 bears led us continually from east to west. 
 Here and there the animals evidently had rested 
 in some natural trenches formed in the snow. 
 In other places there were sloping grooves 
 on the bank, where the bears had amused 
 themselves by sliding on these natural sledges. 
 Having passed two promontories and a very old 
 glacier, we arrived at a third promontory, be- 
 yond which there was another glacier about i|- 
 mile wide. In front of it there was an iceberg. 
 
 *' When we arrived at the extreme point of 
 the promontory, we stopped, as no further 
 tracks were visible ; from this we concluded 
 
 100 
 
THE VICTORIA— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 that the bears must be somewhere in the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 ** Having reconnoitred as far as the firm ice, 
 protected by large icebergs, I perceived the 
 bears below the glacier, jumping one after an- 
 other from a block of ice. The mother, followed 
 by her cubs, was giving herself up to this 
 exercise either to amuse herself or to give her 
 young ones a lesson in gymnastics, — I do not 
 know which. 
 
 *' At any rate I watched with curiosity for 
 some moments this scene of ursine family life. 
 It was an exceedingly curious sight, I assure 
 you. But this patriarchal and rustic scene was 
 destined soon to come to an end, thanks to the 
 huntsman's instinct which suddenly awoke 
 within me. I felt bound, at all cost, to kill this 
 interesting family, the mother and her cubs. 
 Why ? Who can reason with passion, who can 
 reason with a hunter ! Without further idle 
 reflection, and as the chief of a gang who has 
 resolved upon an immediate attack on a long- 
 desired prey, I ordered my comrades to remain 
 in the boat until I returned, and on my knees I 
 crept over the ice, behind the fragments ox 
 rocks, towards the three animals. This ice was 
 
 101 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 perforated like a sieve, and the water fell from 
 it in small cascades with a continuous and 
 monotonous noise ; small fragments were 
 detaching themselves from it every moment^ 
 without, however, retarding my progress. 
 
 ** Regardless of all risk, I continued to drag 
 myself along behind fragments of rocks and 
 approached to within about 430 yards of my 
 quarry. Now I had no longer any shelter ; I 
 was exposed to view. Then I took a long 
 aim, fired and wounded one of the cubs. The 
 mother rushed towards it, sometimes looking 
 about her, and sometimes licking the poor 
 beast. 
 
 ** I could see her very closely with my 
 glasses. I fired a second time, and the mother 
 then turned furiously towards me. My cart- 
 ridges had got damp and missed fire. I 
 became nervous. I was obliged to go and 
 fetch fresh ammunition from the boat. The 
 she-bear gave up her first idea of attacking 
 me and returned to her cubs. 
 
 *' Then, having taken fresh ammunition, we 
 commenced, all three of us, to drive the ani- 
 mals towards the open water, and at last, to 
 our delight, saw the mother, followed by her 
 
 102 
 
THE F/CrOi?/^— BEAR HUNTING 
 
 cubs, start swimming. Mr. Stack remained on 
 the ice armed with an oar, in order to cut off 
 their retreat ; Appelberg and myself gave chase 
 from the boat. The she-bear, with one of the 
 cubs on her back, swam at a fairly good pace 
 towards us. We had scarcely had time to row 
 three or four minutes before the mother had 
 climbed upon a large block of Ice floating In 
 the midst of the open water. Having ap- 
 proached to within fifty or sixty yards I fired 
 again, and my bullet striking the bear between 
 the two shoulders, passed through her lungs. 
 The animal uttered a terrible cry, which was 
 re-echoed from the mountains. In a great 
 fury she threw herself Into the sea, swimming 
 towards us with rage, but only for a few 
 moments. The poor beast soon died, still 
 carrying on her back the cub which I had first 
 wounded. It was at once killed, and the other 
 immediately afterwards. 
 
 " We thereupon dragged the animals to- 
 wards the ice-bank, where I photographed my 
 victims, stretched out lifeless ; and it was not 
 without much difficulty that we succeeded in 
 putting them aboard our frail boat. At last we 
 started on our return to the Virgo, still full of 
 
 105 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 excitement, when suddenly we were caught in 
 the fog in the midst of the Smeerenburg 
 waters." 
 
 The next day the ice pilot, an old sea-dog, 
 assisted by Stadling, proceeded to cut up the 
 three animals, the skins of which were salted, 
 and enclosed in barrels ; after this the most 
 delicate morsels, seasoned with various sauces 
 by the cook, who displayed all her talents, 
 adorned the table at several meals. Without 
 being absolutely exquisite, the dish is appetis- 
 ing, and besides, the chance of dining off polar 
 bear does not occur very often. 
 
 106 
 
The Midnight Sun 
 
 T^RIDA V, July ^rd.—l have not put foot 
 jL on shore to-day. For three days past we 
 have had terrible weather, and I wonder 
 whether the shed will be able to resist the fury 
 of such a wind. However, this is an east 
 south-east wind, which would suit perfectly well 
 for the voyage, though the start would be very 
 difficult under these circumstances ; this delays 
 the work of the carpenters, and the shed does 
 not rise up very quickly. I felt very dull to- 
 day, and was happy enough to read again all 
 the old journals which had served for packing 
 purposes, as I am not very well stocked with 
 works of a purely literary character, a few 
 volumes only composing my whole library. I 
 also read again the expedition of xki^ Jeannette, 
 which Andree had lent me, and the dramatic 
 
 107 F 
 
ANDR^E AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 episodes of that story were not calculated to 
 raise my spirits. What an extraordinary 
 climate ! 
 
 In these regions fine days are very rare, 
 though it is clear all night ; but for a long 
 time past the sun has scarcely been seen. The 
 thermometer remains near freezing-point. 
 
 But the midnight sun ! What a never-to-be- 
 forgotten spectacle is presented by this polar 
 sea in these radiant nights ! 
 
 As soon as the fog lifts its veil, leaving the 
 eye at full liberty to roam over the horizon, 
 one sees an endless succession of palaces of ice, 
 strong castles, cathedrals, and fantastical struc- 
 tures, some majestically indifferent to the waves 
 which caress their mighty bases, the others 
 slowly rocking to and fro, notwithstanding 
 their ponderous masses, and at each oscillation 
 of their sparkling faces emitting from their 
 alabaster sides rocket-like flashes of emeralds, 
 rubies, and sapphires. 
 
 Numerous cascades pour down from the vast 
 sides of these icebergs into basins formed in the 
 very bases of these enormous ice-mountains, 
 subsequently losing themselves in the waters 
 of the sea ; and all these waterfalls, large 
 
 io8 
 
THE MIDNIGHT SUN 
 
 and small, are lit up by the hot, red rays of a 
 brilliant sun. 
 
 This polar nature, which one imagines to be 
 so poor, so icy, so inert, in regions which we 
 only know from dull and cold narratives of voy- 
 ages, — this wonderful nature lavishly spreads 
 out before my eyes the sight of an endless 
 mass of sparkling and flashing diamonds, a 
 veritable pyrotechnic display of another world, 
 which the rays of the sun cause to burst forth, 
 and change twenty times in a minute. 
 
 And all this, like a sublime jewel casket, 
 rests on velvet of an unheard-of variety, deli- 
 cate green, pale pink, orange red, crimson, 
 bright red, purple, golden yellow, violet, sky- 
 blue, a marvellous velvet of deep soft and 
 delicately shaded tints, which the calm and 
 irradiated water seems to spread out for the 
 greater delight of the eye and the soul. 
 
 In the presence of all this grand and mighty 
 nature, what becomes of man's most ingenious 
 artifices invented to charm by the excess of 
 accumulated marvels ? 
 
 How paltry are the most superb decorations 
 of his theatres compared with what one sees 
 here-^here where the water alone and the sun 
 
 III 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 undertake the mise en scene ! What are all the 
 marvels hatched by his brain, by his sovereign 
 industry, in the presence of miracles of colour- 
 ing and brilliancy engendered by a ray of light 
 penetrating a fragment of ice ? 
 
 Tuesday, Jtily "jtk. — We had very bad 
 weather on Saturday ; on Sunday the atmo- 
 sphere calmed down a little, and yesterday 
 (Monday) we had a splendid day. We took 
 advantage of this to make an interesting 
 excursion in the steam launch to Magdaleina 
 Bay. The peninsula contains an immense 
 necropolis, dating back several centuries ; it 
 is here that the whalers of Smeerenburg came 
 to bury their dead. 
 
 We killed a very large seal, which nearly 
 caused the boat to capsize when we got him on 
 board. Strindberg killed a black fox at the 
 foot of a glacier. 
 
 We returned at midnight in brilliant sun- 
 shine ; in fact, at present we constantly see the 
 sun when the sky is clear. He is describing a 
 circle, of which the Virgo appears to be the 
 centre, and the sunshine is sometimes very hot. 
 This morning the temperature was 68° Fahr. 
 in the sun, and 41° Fahr. in the shade. 
 
 112 
 
THE MIDNIGHT SUN 
 
 The work of erecting the shed is being 
 pushed on as quickly as possible, but it is a 
 gigantic task. To-day they have reached 
 the second storey ; there are to be two more 
 storeys above that, and these are the most 
 difficult ones to erect. 
 
 In the midst of this feverish work the days 
 pass anxiously by, for I have had no news from 
 Europe. I am already much perturbed, when 
 at last, on the night of July 12th, after a very 
 dull day, the watch all at once signals the arrival 
 of a small sloop, which is sure to bring our mail. 
 In a few moments everybody is on deck, and 
 the captain of the small boat, the Express^ 
 hands us an enormous bundle of letters, which 
 Andree distributes among us. I received 
 fourteen, and it would be difficult for me to 
 express the joy I felt at this moment. 
 
 The Express brings six English and German 
 tourists, who have come, somewhat early, to be 
 present at the departure of the balloon. They 
 are received on board the Virgo, and evince a 
 very lively interest in Andr^e's project. 
 
 113 
 
VI 
 National Fete 
 
 J^N board the '' Virgo,'' July i/[tk, at night. 
 
 \^ — The bad weather continues, and the 
 squall is so violent that the little sloop 
 Express has been unable to put to sea. We 
 have a very gay lunch. Andree made a little 
 speech, which greatly moved me. He spoke of 
 the national fete in France and of aerostation, 
 which I represent. He praised the self-denial 
 which I had exhibited, and finally expressed to 
 me the pleasure he felt in seeing the bonds of 
 friendship becoming closer day by day. He 
 did not forget either family or friends. 
 
 The captain ordered the French tricolore to 
 be hoisted on the mainmast and the ship to 
 be dressed with bunting. Champagne sparkled 
 in the glasses. 
 
 Strindberg played the national air, and those 
 present overwhelmed me with kind attentions. 
 The following letter will give an idea of the 
 close friendship which reigned amongst us : — 
 
 114 
 
NATIONAL FfiTE 
 
 *'0n Board the VirgOy Dansk-Gatt, 
 
 ''July i/\tk, 1896. 
 
 " To Madame Lachambre, Paris. 
 '' Dear Madame, — 
 
 ** To-day being the national fete 
 day of your native country, la belle France, 
 we gladly seized the welcome opportunity 
 to present to M. Lachambre our sincere 
 thanks for the great services which he has 
 rendered to our expedition by the careful and 
 excellent work which he has executed, and for 
 his personal attendance here in order to give us 
 the benefit of his valuable experience. Certainly, 
 this voyage has been a great sacrifice, both for 
 you and for him, and it is, therefore, our duty 
 to thank you as well as M. Lachambre. 
 
 ''We have this day drunk the health of 
 M. and Madame Lachambre, at the same time 
 hoisting the tricolour and singing the ' Mar- 
 seillaise.* On this occasion Andr^e has had 
 the honour of fixing on M. Lachambre's breast 
 the decoration of the Academical Palms, and 
 we have congratulated him with enthusiasm on 
 receiving this well-merited distinction. 
 
 " We beg you will rest assured. Dear 
 Madame, that we are doing our best to minimise 
 
 117 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 the inconveniences resulting to M. Lachambre 
 from a life in these very inhospitable regions. 
 '* We are, Dear Madame, 
 
 '' Yours most respectfully, 
 (Signed) ** S. A. Andree ; Nils 
 Ekholm ; Nils Strind- 
 BERG ; Zachau, captain of 
 the Virgo; Goste Grum- 
 BERG, zoologist; Carl Ek- 
 ELUND, physician; Svante 
 
 Arrhenius, hydrographer." 
 
 # # # # # 
 
 And while Strindberg strummed on his 
 violin the most poetical and impassioned 
 Swedish tunes, the wind raged outside and 
 the vessel rocked and creaked fearfully. 
 
 Dansk'Gatt, on board the ''Virgo,'' July i6th, 
 noon. — The storm, after calming down for a 
 short time, burst forth again last night with 
 renewed violence, and the Express, which left 
 at eight, was obliged to return in haste some 
 hours afterwards to take shelter near the Virgo, 
 
 The Virgo is a strong vessel, capable of 
 braving a storm, but it is otherwise with the 
 small sloop, which already has barely escaped 
 shipwreck in coming here. 
 
 ii8 
 
VII 
 The Inflation 
 
 /ULY 2isL — To-day for the first time we 
 were able to commence devoting our atten- 
 tion to the balloon, which, since its disem- 
 barkation, has remained enclosed in its case at 
 the foot of the shed. 
 
 It is now brought to the entrance and 
 extended on the floor, covered with a thick 
 layer of felt. 
 
 It is spread out after the manner of a cast- 
 net, the valves are fitted to it, together with 
 their rigging, the net is placed in position, as 
 well as the protecting cover. 
 
 The inflating pipes, passing through an 
 opening made in the middle of the floor, are 
 joined to the gas apparatus situated 87 yards 
 away below the shed, behind Pike House. 
 
 This very difficult work (the envelope alone 
 of the balloon weighs nearly 3,086 lbs., and 
 the net 992 lbs.) was finished in the evening 
 
 119 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of the 22 nd, in a fine and penetrating rain. 
 On the morning of the 23rd snow commenced 
 to fall in large flakes. The balloon is covered 
 by it with a thick layer, when about a hundred 
 cubic feet of gas commence to raise with diffi- 
 culty the heavy envelope of silk. This opera- 
 tion commences even before the shed is quite 
 finished. Part of the upper enclosures is still 
 wanting, and Andr^e abandons the idea of 
 having the canvas awning put up, which, how- 
 ever, would have been very useful ; but time 
 presses, and every delay may jeopardize the 
 departure. 
 
 The car, installed in an annex to the shed, 
 is marvellously devised. The lower part is 
 completely surrounded with sailcloth. It re- 
 ceives its light through two lateral windows. 
 The middle is occupied by a kind of mattress, 
 covered with a sleeping sack of reindeer skins. 
 
 All around are compartments for holding 
 books, charts, and instruments, toilet articles, 
 and the kitchen utensils, arms, ammunition, etc. 
 It is entered through a trap-door made in the 
 ceiling. Above, at a height of one metre, a 
 ring, mounted on jointed railings, which 
 keep it in a horizontal position, forms a 
 
 120 
 
THE INFLATION 
 
 balcony, in the centre of which two of the 
 explorers will remain while the third is resting. 
 To this circle the instruments, — compasses, 
 sextants, theodolites, barometers, thermometers, 
 photographic appliances, etc., are attached. 
 
 The six ropes, by which the car is sus- 
 pended, are joined at the upper part by a 
 cable, which brings them nearer to the centre, 
 while keeping them away from the balcony ; 
 they then extend from this hexagon towards 
 the suspension ring, which is fastened to the 
 net. 
 
 Six canvas pockets, with compartments, are 
 fixed between the suspending ropes from the 
 ceiling of the car up to the balcony, for the re- 
 ception of any articles or instruments which the 
 aeronauts may require to have at hand at 
 any moment. 
 
 The load ring carries a table or board 
 divided into compartments occupied by four 
 baskets intended to hold a number of acces- 
 sories, buoys, grapnels, ropes, etc. 
 
 In the centre of the platform a square 
 opening leaves room for a rope ladder, at- 
 tached to the appendage of the balloon, and 
 facilitates the inspection oi the interior through 
 
 121 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 windows let into the safety valve. This plat- 
 form may, if necessary, serve as a refuge for 
 the aeronauts, should they be compelled to 
 abandon the car. 
 
 The load ring supports a differential pulley 
 for moving the guide-ropes, the action of 
 which, combined with that of the sail, is to 
 afford the possibility of a certain deviation 
 from the direction of the wind. 
 
 The sails are fixed to the net by hemp 
 straps. 
 
 The three guide-ropes are attached to this 
 pulley by a very ingenious piece of mechanism. 
 With the aid of a crank and a bevel gear, 
 the guide-ropes, which are composed of several 
 sections joined to each other by screw con- 
 nections, can be turned. Should the end of 
 a guide-rope get caught between the ice to 
 such an extent as to arrest the flight of the 
 balloon, the aeronauts can release themselves 
 by exerting an effect of torsion on this guide- 
 rope by means of the crank, and abandoning 
 the length of rope caught ; a fresh length 
 of guide-rope will then be added at the top 
 if necessary, making use of spare lengths of 
 rope. 
 
 122 
 
THE INFLATION 
 
 In order to prevent the guide-ropes be- 
 coming detached at an inopportune moment, 
 Andr^e has devised the plan of providing a 
 spring consisting of a flat piece of steel which 
 exerts a pressure upon the connecting screw 
 nut ; the pressure of these springs is graduated, 
 increasing upwards, so that it will always be 
 the lowest length of rope which will detach 
 itself first. These guide-ropes are impreg- 
 nated with vaseline, which renders them in- 
 submersible and greatly facilitates their gliding 
 over the ice. 
 
 Above the ring, victuals and provisions of 
 all kinds are stored in canvas bags divided 
 into compartments and strongly fastened be- 
 tween the suspending ropes ; all the articles 
 are fixed so that no shock can throw them out. 
 
 The number of suspending ropes is forty- 
 eight, forming forty-eight equal intervals, of 
 which thirty-six are occupied by bags of pro- 
 visions, and twelve by sledges, boats, spars, etc. 
 
 The provisions comprise tins of preserved 
 food of all kinds, chocolate, compressed bread, 
 condensed milk, champagne, claret, alcohol, 
 fresh water, not forgetting butter, an indispens- 
 able article of diet in the polar regions. 
 
 125 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 All these bags are weighed, classified, and 
 labelled, and make up a weight of 2,204 lbs. 
 What is not consumed will serve as ballast, 
 Andrde having considered it more practical to 
 carry provisions in place of ballast. 
 
 The apparatus for cooking the food consists 
 of a cylinder suspended by a strap 32 feet 
 6 inches in length, along which a rubber tube 
 runs; inside the cylinder a spirit lamp is 
 lighted by being brought in contact with a 
 match ignited with the aid of a small and 
 very simple contrivance worked by a cord. 
 
 A small cooking pot filled with water, 
 and enclosed in the cylinder, can be made to 
 boil in a few moments. The lamp can be 
 extinguished from the car by blowing down 
 the rubber tube, and a mirror, arranged at an 
 angle of 45 degrees, enables the occupants 
 of the car to see whether the lamp is well 
 extinguished before hoisting the apparatus up 
 into the car. 
 
 126 
 
VIII 
 The Erline J-arl 
 
 T^ANSK-GATT, July 23rd.— The south 
 jL>^ wind, which has blown almost constantly 
 since our arrival at Dansk-Gatt, ceased 
 on the 19th of July, and north and north- 
 easterly winds are now blowing, with their 
 usual accompaniment of rain or snow. 
 
 The gas-working apparatus acts very regu- 
 larly, yielding about 78 cubic yards per hour. 
 
 The work is divided into spells of six hours 
 at a time, the first watch, from 8 a.m. to 2 
 p.m., being entrusted to me. I am assisted 
 by two seamen only, one of whom speaks 
 French fairly well, — viz., a Mr. Knos, engineer, 
 who has signed for the voyage. My place is 
 then taken by Strindberg, who, in his turn, is 
 relieved by Andr^e, whom I succeed again. 
 
 At II p.m. the sound of a siren breaks the 
 stillness of the night, awakening the echoes of 
 the mountains. I then see the Erline Jarly 
 
 127 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 a splendid boat, flying the Norwegian flag, 
 coming on slowly and majestically, in order to 
 cast anchor at some distance from the Virgo, 
 
 Around the place where the sulphates and 
 residues of the hydrogen apparatus discharge 
 into the sea, the sea-water has assumed a rusty 
 colour for a distance of several miles. This 
 peculiarity causes great astonishment among 
 the new arrivals, who imagine that they can 
 see the sea-bottom. 
 
 Captain Zachau, of the Virgo, goes to wel- 
 come the new-comers, and returns on board his 
 vessel with a load of letters for our crew. 
 
 The snow falls thicker and thicker, and the 
 shed does not afford the least protection. I 
 have a kind of sentry-box rigged up for me in 
 the packing-case for the net of the balloon. 
 
 We experienced much difficulty at the com- 
 mencement of the inflation, and I am frequently 
 compelled to obtain assistance from the gas 
 works, the material of the balloon being so 
 very heavy to shift about. 
 
 I may mention one incident in particular. 
 The balloon had already absorbed 1,308 cubic 
 yards of gas, when the apparatus suddenly 
 stopped and absolutely refused to act, which 
 
 128 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 caused great excitement among the members 
 of the expedition. What does it mean ? Here 
 is the solution of the enigma. 
 
 The pump, which draws its supply from the 
 sea, has taken up such a quantity of shrimps 
 that all the cocks are choked up. We scarcely 
 expected to see shrimps interfere in this matter. 
 
 Andrde, who had thought of everything else, 
 had forgotten to reckon with these diminutive 
 factors. The generators and valves are cleared 
 out and cleaned, and the suction pipe is fitted 
 with a rose, whereupon work goes on without 
 any further hitch. 
 
 For the production of the hydrogen 55,115 
 lbs. of sulphuric acid and 33,069 lbs. of iron 
 shavings have been used. All that chemistry 
 and physical science has hitherto produced by 
 way of purifying, weighing, and testing instru- 
 ments is embodied in Andree's plant. 
 
 On the morning of the 24th of July the 
 tourists brought over by the Erltne Jarl begin 
 to arrive on the island ; there are about sixty 
 of them, from all countries. Several of them 
 bring me news from my friends, and an ac- 
 quaintance is soon struck up. We are assailed 
 with questions on all hands. Andr^e does the 
 
 131 G 
 
^ ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 honours of the establishment with much grace, 
 and propounds his theories as to the means he 
 proposes to adopt in his endeavours to reach 
 the pole. He explains the instruments and 
 apparatus, while I distribute among the tourists 
 some samples of the material employed for the 
 balloon. 
 
 We hear news from Europe, always accept- 
 able to a degree which no one can conceive 
 who has never been far away from his native 
 country. Besides, in these wild regions every- 
 thing tends to augment the unconscious long- 
 ing for all that one has left behind, and those 
 who come from a region more or less near to 
 one's native country at once assume something 
 of the nature of long-expected personal friends. 
 
 The night of the 24th is spent very plea- 
 santly. I dine on board the Erline Jarl, and 
 hear a concert given by real artistes. My 
 thoughts wander back to scenes of the past, 
 and I say to myself that had some one sitting 
 next to me at a concert in Paris told me at 
 the time that in so many months, or at such 
 and such a time, I should hear the same instru- 
 ments and enjoy the same tunes at Spitzbergen, 
 I should have been very much surprised at 
 such a suggestion. 
 
 132 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 Saturday, 2^th, — At noon the small sloop 
 Express arrives, carrying mails. At i p.m. the 
 Erline Jarl leaves on a trip towards the north. 
 The programme consists in approaching close 
 to the ice-field, and the amiable Captain Bade 
 offers me a place on board his ship. But, 
 however much inclined to accept, I cannot 
 leave Andree at this moment, as the balloon 
 demands all our attention. 
 
 Sunday, 26tL — Andree lectures to our crew. 
 His spirited and expressive language, his tech- 
 nical explanations, given with perfect clear- 
 ness, frequently elicit loud applause. 
 
 Monday, 2'jtk. — The inflation is completed 
 at the moment when the Erline Jarl returns 
 from her trip. 
 
 The Victoria arrives at night, and the simul- 
 taneous presence of the four vessels gives 
 Dansk-Gatt a festive air, which is greatly 
 enhanced by the lovely sunshine. Our little 
 international colony is very lively. 
 
 After waiting a week in order to witness the 
 start of the balloon, the tourists lose patience. 
 They want to be at Vadso on the 9th of 
 August to see the eclipse of the sun. 
 
 On July 30th a sumptuous dinner is given 
 133 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 us on board the Er line Jar I, and on the 31st 
 the tourists come in a body to the foot of the 
 shed. 
 
 To the right and to the left of the entrance 
 the crews of the Virgo and the Erline Jarl 
 are formed up in Hne ; at the back the pas- 
 sengers are grouped round the explorers. 
 Several speeches are made by the captain of 
 the Erline Jarl and some of the tourists ; 
 thereupon a young lady, who is travelling with 
 \i^x Jiancd and a relative, attaches to Andrde's 
 arm a blue ribbon, and then hands him for the 
 journey a bottle of the best wine, a cake, and 
 a rose-tree with four roses, one for each ex- 
 plorer. 
 
 Captain Bade, of the Erline Jarl, then ad- 
 dressed Andree as follows : — 
 
 ** If you reach the mysterious point for which 
 you are bound, deposit there the fourth of the 
 roses, as a token of peace with the old world." 
 
 *' My dear friend," Andree replied, in ac- 
 cents full of emotion, ** you who have come 
 so far to see me set out for the conquest of the 
 unknown, my dear friends, I thank you ! 
 
 '' Mademoiselle, you have adorned me with 
 a ribbon on the eve of my departure ; this 
 
 134 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 ribbon shall be my talisman. I have been 
 called a great man, but it will be difficult for 
 me to earn this title if the north winds still 
 continue to blow for some weeks as they do 
 now. Our greatness will fly with them — far, 
 far away ! What can we do to remedy this 1 
 If we cannot make a start, we shall, at least, 
 be able to say that we have done all that is 
 humanly possible, and you will be able to bear 
 witness thereto. 
 
 *' You are about to return to the south, and 
 if you meet the winds we are so urgently in 
 need of, send them on to us here, and we shall 
 welcome them as messengers from our good 
 friends on board the Erline JarL 
 
 ** My friends of the Virgo, a fourfold cheer for 
 our friends who will send us a South Wind ! " 
 
 During this touching speech the Erlijie Jarl 
 fires off a salvo of twenty-one guns in honour 
 of the Andrde Expedition, the report of which 
 shook the valleys to the echo. 
 
 Thereupon, the speeches being over, we 
 leave the isle in order to spend the rest of 
 the night on board the Erline Jarl, which is 
 dressed, as is also the Virgo, with a multitude 
 of flags, as on great gala days, and I never feel 
 
 137 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 weary of contemplating the noble colours of 
 the French flag proudly floating at the head 
 of the splendid vessel, — a delicate compliment 
 to me on the part of the captain, which moves 
 me more than I can tell. 
 
 How full of meaning to me is this flag ! 
 How full of souvenirs and consolation ! And 
 how well one can understand, when far away 
 from his native country, all the silent eloquence 
 of this impersonal being, this glorious symbol ! 
 Amidst all these people, speaking languages 
 which I do not understand, amidst all this 
 group of men isolated at the world's end, and 
 I myself feeling lost in the midst of them, so 
 to speak, owing to the difficulty of making 
 myself understood by them, it contains a living 
 embodiment of my native land, the very re- 
 presentative of the soil of France — her flag 
 hoisted on a foreign vessel in token of the 
 esteem in which the children of this noble 
 country are held. And this flag seems to say 
 to me : *' You are not alone ; I am here too ! 
 You are no longer isolated ; we are some one ; 
 we are taken into account here ! " 
 
 We go on board, and soon the peaceful 
 reports of champagne corks — another reminder 
 
 138 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 of French soil — accentuate the numerous toasts 
 which follow each other in the large saloon. 
 Then our spirits becoming more and more 
 elated, there are songs, cheers, the loud hum 
 of animated conversation, wishes of good luck, 
 plans for future meetings, and we leave the 
 hospitable vessel in order to return to the 
 Virgo at a very advanced hour. 
 
 What a day ! And how hearts are drawn 
 to each other under circumstances like these, 
 when at rare intervals, few and far between, 
 the oppressive and monotonous loneliness of 
 arduous travels in these frigid solitudes is 
 suddenly broken by boisterous meetings of 
 persons, hitherto strangers, who are so speedily 
 transformed into old friends ! 
 
 August isty 9 a.m. — Under a misty sky, 
 heavy with snow, the Erline Jarl hoists her 
 anchor, sweeps round majestically, sends us 
 her last farewells and good wishes, and then 
 slowly glides away over the waters, leaving 
 behind her a foamy wake. The throbs of her 
 engine become more and more regular ; soon 
 we no longer hear them ; and it is with a chok- 
 ing sensation in our bosom, which will readily 
 be understood, that we see this fine vessel 
 
 139 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 outlined and gradually disappearing on the 
 horizon, which, for a short moment, had come 
 to bring life and joy into our midst. 
 
 Yet a long time after, leaning with my arms 
 on the handrail of the gangway, I followed 
 with my eyes the black cloud of smoke which 
 the E74ine Jarl trails over the waves ; I still 
 hear a last salute from the siren, and return 
 in deep thought to my cabin, in a sadder frame 
 of mind than I should care to admit. 
 
 Grumberg, the naturalist, is working un- 
 ceasingly to enrich his collection ; he dredges, 
 fishes, hunts, and sets snares for foxes. He has 
 succeeded in capturing two very young animals, 
 which he has installed on the island, in a nice 
 improvised cage, to which some anonymous 
 wag has attached a card bearing one of the 
 petitions of the Lord's Prayer in Swedish : 
 *' Give us this day our daily bread." 
 
 Grumberg watches his prot^g^s with jealous 
 care, and intends to offer them to a zoological 
 garden in Stockholm ; but on the night of the 
 departure the foxes, who for a long time past 
 had been working to effect their escape by 
 gnawing through the boards of the cage, made 
 good their escape and fled into the mountains, 
 
 140 
 
STRINDBERG. 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 pursued by the sailors, who gave chase. They 
 are not caught yet. I much doubt whether 
 Grumberg will be able to catch them again 
 next summer. 
 
 But who knows ; Fate is so fitful ! You 
 ought, said some one, to have attached a 
 ** favour" to their tails, so as to recognise them 
 again. I, on my part, remarked that these 
 young foxes might, perhaps, have been ac- 
 quainted with La Fontaine's fable, entitled 
 ** The Little Fish and the Fisherman," and that 
 they would be sure to return to him as soon as 
 they had grown to a reasonable size. And I 
 amused myself by producing a revised copy 
 of this fable, specially re-edited to meet the 
 
 circumstances. 
 
 Translation. 
 
 The little fox will grow a big fox. 
 
 Provided God will grant him life ; 
 
 But to release him in the meantime 
 
 I think would be foolish indeed. 
 
 Two foxes that were but foxlets, as yet, 
 Quite young little things, 
 Were captured by chance 
 By the good Doctor Grumberg 
 On the Isles of Spitzbergen. 
 143 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 * All Is fish that comes to the net," said he, 
 on beholding his prey. 
 
 They will serve to start a collection ; 
 Let us make a pretty cage for them. 
 
 One of these foxlets, regretting his captivity, 
 said to him, in his own fashion, — 
 
 " What are you going to do with us ? We 
 should make a very poor present for a small 
 museum. 
 
 " Let us grow up into foxes ; you can catch 
 us later on, some fme day, and a good museum 
 will pay you a good price for us. 
 
 " Whereas, in order to make a gift worth 
 giving, you would have to get about a hundred 
 of our size, which gift, after all, would be little 
 worth." 
 
 Litde worth ? *' Well then," replied the 
 hunter, " that may be. 
 
 ** My good friend, Renard, you who preach so 
 well, you must go into the cage ; and you may 
 say what you like, it will be made at once. 
 
 *' ' One bird in the hand is worth two in the 
 bush,' — one Is sure and the other Is not." 
 
 But the two foxlets, deaf to these remarks, 
 — possibly they did not understand the doctor's 
 
 144 
 
THE ERLINE JARL 
 
 language, — worked so hard and so well, that 
 one day the learned man, in search of curiosi- 
 ties, found an empty cage. 
 
 The amiable Dr. Ekelund has rarely had 
 any occasion to act in his professional character, 
 as apart from a few jammed fingers and other 
 minor injuries the state of health is excellent. 
 Hence he employs his leisure time in pulling 
 nails out of cases, or else he prepares for 
 stuffing the birds of various species which he 
 has killed when out hunting. During the 
 inflation of the balloon, he superintends the 
 action of the gas apparatus, and takes turns in 
 this duty with Professor Arrhenius and Stake. 
 
 These gentlemen are also taking their share 
 in the meteorological service which is carried 
 on regularly by the staff of the expedition. 
 
 The observations are minutely recorded 
 every hour in the ship's log. On the Isle of 
 Amsterdam the snow is tinged with red for 
 a considerable distance, and the savants are 
 collecting it to examine it microscopically. It 
 presents, in fact, certain peculiarities ; it is 
 thought that it contains very small plants. 
 Scoresby, the famous whaler, had already re- 
 marked this. 
 
 145 
 
IX 
 The Snow 
 
 Tr\ANSK-GATT, Augtist 4M.— The Ex- 
 .i y press left last night, carrying away our 
 last letters ; and as the season is ad- 
 vanced, we have now no hope of receiving at 
 Dansk-Gatt any more news from Europe. 
 
 The north wind is still blowing, and has 
 brought a regular snowstorm ; the mountains 
 have donned their winter mantle, and nature 
 seems to prepare for sleep. Birds are becom- 
 ing rare, and their joyful cries are no longer 
 to be heard. A white hood covers the top 
 of the balloon, which only awaits a current of 
 wind from the south to take flight ; but this 
 wind, which was blowing during July, has now 
 completely subsided. What an irony of fate ! 
 Who could foresee such a contretemps, and 
 how admirably successful the expedition would 
 have been were we in possession of the secrets 
 of the gods. 
 
 At present the sky is overcast and dark in 
 146 
 

THE SNOW 
 
 the north ; it is a long time since the sun has 
 shown itself. The sea is very rough. 
 
 The flag hoisted on top of the mountain, 
 behind the balloon-shed, to indicate the direc- 
 tion of the wind, was blown down last night 
 by the squall. It was the opinion of the ice- 
 pilot that we were in no danger of being 
 packed in the ice until the end of the month ; 
 but the captain, who was answerable for the 
 safety of the men, declared that the Virgo should 
 weigh anchor on the 20th at the latest, at any 
 cost, to resume her voyage southwards, no 
 matter what the fate of the polar expedition 
 might be. 
 
 Andrde and his two companions were 
 patiently waiting for the clouds to break up 
 and for a fresh southern wind, in order to take 
 their flight. They have the faith which gives 
 courage. The balloon seems anxious to be 
 freed from her fetters to show her strength and 
 her power. Everything is ready, weighed and 
 anticipated ; everything is seen to and checked 
 in the smallest details by Andrde ; provisions, 
 instruments, and outfits, all are in their places. 
 
 We have only to suspend the car and to 
 pull down the northern part of the shed. This 
 
 149 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 would not take many hours, but we want a 
 favourable wind, and for this we are waiting in 
 vain. The delay, unavoidable though it is, 
 endangers the success of Andr^e's expedition, 
 and is very regrettable, for the sun is very low, 
 and the polar night is approaching. 
 
 Atigust ^th, noon, — The snow keeps on 
 falling, but the wind is turning to the south- 
 west. It is almost what is required, and hope 
 is quickly reviving. May Fate soon open the 
 route to the north to Andree, and return me 
 to my country and my anxious family ! At 
 seven o'clock in the evening the state of the 
 atmosphere remains unchanged ; the snow is 
 whirling about, and the sky is gloomy. 
 
 Dansk-Gatt, Augnst 6tk. — A small balloon, 
 launched at 6 o'clock, having ascended to the 
 height of 325 yards, took an easterly direction. 
 The gas apparatus is working ; the balloon 
 which has been inflated for ten days, is full. 
 It is covered with snow and there is not a 
 single spot on the balloon shed that is not 
 white. The car is, however, protected by an 
 awning, but the whirling snow penetrates 
 everywhere. 
 
 It is impossible to stop on deck, for the 
 150 
 
THE SNOW 
 
 wind is raging, and the day goes by In mono- 
 tony and gloom. Every one longs for the end 
 of this campaign which seems interminable ; so 
 long as tourists and whaling boats were moored 
 near us, and brought with them life and move- 
 ment to this solitary spot, our stay was very 
 agreeable — it was a lively and cheerful inter- 
 national colony. Now Dansk-Gatt has re- 
 sumed its mournful and forsaken aspect. 
 "And the snow was still falling," as Xavier 
 de Montdpin would say. 
 
 Then, confined within the walls of my cabin, 
 my dominion of two square metres, I begin to 
 peruse the few books I have and which, alas ! 
 I know already by heart, but still hoping to 
 find therein something very interesting, if not 
 new, at least old. And I was not disappointed, 
 for I read over with great interest La Mer, 
 by my playfellow, the excellent poet Jean 
 Richepin, whose verses on snow were very 
 much to the point. 
 
 It is long, long since, when sitting on the 
 benches in our little school at Belleville, we 
 were looking together over the top of the map 
 of Europe at this small archipelago, named 
 Spitzbergen, which appeared to my childest 
 imagination to be an inaccessible point. 
 
 151 
 
X 
 
 A Long Wait 
 
 r^MEERENBURG, Friday, August ^tk 
 w_y — Noon. The sky is bright and the sun 
 is sending us a few rays which are re- 
 viving our hopes a little. The snow is melt- 
 ing ; but the wind, though slight, is still 
 blowing from the west. The balloon which 
 holds its gas well is dripping little by little. 
 
 I made a long excursion on the east side of 
 Dane's Island. The island of Fogll-Sund is 
 glittering in the mid-day sun. The birds have 
 awakened. I saw several flocks of eiders. 
 At six o'clock four pilot balloons are launched, 
 three were driven south-west at 547 yards and 
 one towards the sea at 65 yards. 
 
 Sahcrday, ?>tk, 10 d clock. — Sky overcast, 
 wind slight and uncertain, with tendency to 
 turn S.E. Thermometer 7° (44*6 Fahr.). 
 
 Afternoon, S.E. wind at 1,093 yards; on 
 land wind still, or slightly to the north. 
 
 152 
 
A LONG WAIT 
 
 At nine o'clock in the evening the upper 
 wind is still S. Let us hope that it will descend 
 and that, at last, our plans may be realized. 
 
 Sunday y August gtk. — Morning, S. wind 
 slight ; afternoon, dead calm ; hardly any need 
 to say every one is weary. Ekholm declares 
 that the balloon is losing about 66 lbs. per 
 day ; he thinks it able to stand a voyage of 
 from forty to fifty days' duration. But under 
 the circumstances it is really very little ; yet 
 the envelope is solid and well finished. 
 
 Monday y August lotL — Balloon very full 
 although no gas was let in since last Friday 
 (sixty-five yards). Temperature somewhat 
 higher. S. wind, very slight, barometer at a 
 standstill. 
 
 4 d clock p.m. — Wind on land, nil. 
 
 A pilot balloon launched at 2 o'clock. Rose 
 to 109 yards; direction N. Speed from thir- 
 teen to fourteen feet per second. Evening, 7 
 p.m., S. wind, pretty strong in the upper 
 regions. 
 
 Then a complete change, the north wind 
 prevailing. 
 
 What, then, are we going to fail at the last 
 moment } 
 
 153 H 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Must we pack up this balloon, ready to take 
 her flight to a land around which so many 
 vain efforts have been made for centuries past ? 
 
 *' My kingdom for a horse ! " cried Richard 
 IIL, in one of those struggles in which the 
 human wretch thinks he acquires so much 
 glory by massacring his fellow-man and by 
 spreading death in his path. And what would 
 not the three hardy explorers have given for a 
 breath of favourable wind, which would have 
 enabled them to carry on the struggle they had 
 commenced against the unknown ! 
 
 What bitter reflections came into my mind ! 
 
 In a smiling country, where everything be- 
 speaks work and prosperity, where each one 
 trusts to the future, happy in the labours 
 undertaken, happy in his daily tasks, suddenly 
 there arises this very wind so much longed for 
 here, and in a few minutes the tempest in its 
 blind fury has sown death and ruin where life 
 and wealth were working together ! 
 
 Here science stood in need of a little of this 
 destructive wind, of ever so little, but none 
 came. 
 
 And possibly, further away, ships were being 
 wrecked and lives destroyed by it. 
 
 154 
 
1 
 
 ;ia«i\i >»■■» ■■■f 
 
 VS? J^'M' " 
 
 i' j '•'911 
 
 
 
 ^:^B 
 
 
 
 
 ^^^^^^^H 
 
A LONG WAIT 
 
 Oh, for a balloon that could be steered ! 
 Why have we not one here ? 
 
 Friday, Attgust i^tk (19M day of inflation), 
 7 a,m, — The lieutenant has just informed us 
 that a south wind is blowing ; in fact it is pretty- 
 strong. The gas apparatus is set to work to 
 complete the inflation. 
 
 The snow is falling gently, but it melts 
 quickly. At nine o'clock Andr^e launches a 
 small balloon which takes a northerly course at 
 an elevation of forty to fifty yards, but it 
 immediately turns off to the east as it rises, 
 then the wind turns due west and we cease to 
 hope. 
 
 Our joy was of short duration. Besides, 
 the season is now too far advanced to attempt 
 such a voyage. It is winter. 
 
 157 
 
XI 
 
 The Fram 
 
 AT half-past nine the Ice-pilot signalled a 
 three-master off the eastern cape of the 
 Isle of Amsterdam. 
 
 Great excitement prevails on board the 
 Vwgo. What object has this vessel in coming 
 to these regions visited only by whalers and 
 tourists ? She stops and hoists the Norwegian 
 flag on her main mast. One cry went up from 
 all hearts : " Nansen ! Nansen coming back 
 from the Pole." 
 
 Those who had seen the photo of the ship 
 Fram, recognise her perfectly well in the 
 steamer which is lying at a distance of 2\ miles 
 from us. 
 
 The snow is falling fine and thick. The 
 captain and Andrde, Ekholm and Strlndberg, 
 are leaving in a steam launch to receive their 
 valiant compatriots. When a few fathoms 
 from the Fram, Andrde and his companions 
 
 158 
 
THE FRAM 
 
 raise a vigorous cheer in honour of Nansen, 
 but the faces of the sailors on board are 
 saddened with a painful expression. Nansen 
 is not with them. On the 14th of March, 
 1895, he left them at 84° lat, accompanied by 
 the young lieutenant, Johannsen, taking with 
 him sledges, twenty-eight dogs, and provisions 
 for 120 days. He directed his steps towards 
 the North Pole in the hope of returning by 
 way of Franz- Josef land, where the Jackson 
 Expedition was to winter. 
 
 After the exchange of greetings of welcome 
 and when the emotion of the first moment had 
 subsided, the members of the two expeditions 
 indulged in a friendly conversation, happy 
 and surprised at the same time to meet again 
 in the glacial Arctic Ocean, free at last. 
 
 The Fram, which only a day before was 
 packed in the ice at 8t°, heard of our presence 
 from a whaler ; as soon as she was in open 
 water she made for Dansk-Gatt in the hope of 
 getting news of Nansen. 
 
 Captain Sverdrup, Lieutenant Hansen, the 
 doctor and five other members of the crew, 
 take their places in the launch. The remaining 
 three men stay on board, while the small party 
 
 159 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 are coming to visit our quarters and the balloon, 
 which is waiting in the shed. 
 
 It is easy to imagine how greatly these brave 
 men are astonished. 
 
 Then the expedition comes on board the 
 Virgo where champagne soon foams in glasses. 
 It is a pleasure to look at these brave sailors who, 
 after three years and two months passed amidst 
 the polar ice, are so happy to find themselves 
 in the company of their '* brothers in arms, 
 and companions in peril." 
 
 I am proud to be one of the first to greet 
 the Fram on her return to these distant regions. 
 I had the good fortune to converse at some 
 length with Lieutenant Hansen, who speaks 
 French fairly well. He is an amiable man, of 
 about thirty years of age, a litrie over medium 
 height, dark, with bright eyes and intelligent 
 forehead, and pleasing manner. 
 
 He put numerous questions to me concerning 
 the events which had taken place in Europe 
 during the last three years. I informed him 
 of the death of Alexander III., of the assassin- 
 ation of President Car not, etc., and I spoke to 
 him also of new discoveries and inventions : 
 cinematographe, X-rays, etc., etc. 
 
 i6o 
 
w? 
 
 ** 
 
 ^^^^P I / '^' ^^H 
 
 r: 
 
 ":i| 
 
 
 ! 
 
 ,t 
 
 ^^^Isk- ' '^ ' ' ' 
 
 
 J 
 
 I^^^^^^B 
 
 si 
 
 
THE FRAM 
 
 All this seemed to greatly interest him. 
 Then in a few words he told me the extremely 
 touching story of the Franz s voyage. 
 
 Andrde made a speech and proposed a toast 
 to Nansen and his gallant companions. The 
 captain and the lieutenant replied in a few vigor- 
 ous and moving words, and I felt myself struck 
 with admiration for these brave men who have 
 carried the European colours to the 86th degree 
 of latitude. 
 
 They are happy to see their country and 
 their homes again, but they are calm and patient 
 as becomes true heroes. The lieutenant has a 
 fiancde awaiting him, Andrde hands him a 
 letter, only just arrived, from his mother. He 
 also hands Captain Sverdrup a letter addressed 
 to Nansen, and bearing the inscription, ** The 
 North Pole." 
 
 The Frams library contains the Five 
 Weeks in a Balloon, by Jules Verne, and 
 the crew had often dreamt of the possibility 
 of a balloon expedition coming to their relief. 
 The dream was very near reality. In life 
 everything is unforeseen, yet everything hap- 
 pens. If the polar balloon had started a few 
 days ago it would have surely noticed the 
 
 163 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Fram on its way. '* Man proposes and God 
 disposes." 
 
 It is painful to think that we shall have to 
 take the aerostatic material back to Sweden 
 and wait. 
 
 Disappointment for Andrde's polar expedi- 
 tion : joy and triumph for the Nansen expedition 
 if their commander returns soon. 
 
 Andr^e places in the captain's button-hole 
 a sweet-scented rose, ** La France," a rare 
 flower in Spitzbergen, and offers him a box of 
 excellent cigars, a present which is greatly 
 appreciated by our genial guests. Then the 
 launch takes them back to their vessel amidst 
 the hurrahs of the crew of the Virgo. 
 
 At five p.m., in a fine chilling snow, we pay 
 our visit to the Fram and take photos of her. 
 
 When we are near the ship about twenty 
 Siberian dogs, ranged in her bow, receive us 
 with loud barks, but soon they recognise that 
 we are friends and their bark is rather one of 
 joy than any indication of hostility. They are 
 all pleased at our caresses. Captain Sverdrup 
 does the honours of his ship, which, if she has 
 not the refined elegance of the Erline Jarl, 
 yet inspires confidence by her sturdy appear- 
 
 164 
 
THE FRAM 
 
 ance. She is the traditional Norwegian ship, 
 with wooden hull well strengthened, her masts 
 and her bulwarks roughly cut ; in the bow the 
 upturned boats, placed on frames, form a kind 
 of shelter under which are suspended a couple 
 of dozen bears' hams, partly cured and dried ; 
 birds freshly killed for eating, casks and articles 
 of every description, winch, anchors, cables, 
 etc. In the stern the tiller is placed In a square 
 hole made in the hull of the ship. On one side 
 a spare tiller consisting of a massive piece of 
 wood ; compass, instruments, and the necessary 
 rigging. 
 
 I stop at the observation post where the 
 lieutenant tells us about his work and shows 
 us the charts of the voyage ; then we descend 
 into the cabins, passing near the kitchen from 
 which proceeds a very agreeable odour. 
 
 Traversing about ten steps of a very dark 
 staircase, I find myself in the saloon, which 
 has a hexagonal shape not devoid of originality. 
 A lamp, with a reflector, fixed on the central 
 pillar, emits a vague light to which my eyes 
 accustom themselves with difficulty. 
 
 The wainscotting Is of a primitive style of de- 
 coration, painted white, picked out with bright 
 
 165 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 colours, in which red and green predominate. 
 There is a very comfortable sofa in the backr 
 ground, placed opposite a table, at which the 
 crew take their meals. The walls are adorned 
 with several pictures, one of which is an illus- 
 tration of a Norwegian legend : three princes, 
 who have metamorphosed themselves into 
 white bears in order to win the hearts of three 
 coy princesses whose hair seems to be flying 
 heavenwards. The bears, good princes as 
 they are, are licking their feet. Another pic- 
 ture is the portrait in crayons of Mrs. Nansen 
 and her child. The saloon is heated by a 
 stove, which keeps it at an even temperature 
 of 15 to 16 degrees. Air and light are ad- 
 mitted by a glazed skylight running across the 
 stern deck. 
 
 On the left there is an automatic harmonium 
 with a keyboard, to amuse the crew on dull 
 days. One of our hosts, the engineer, impro- 
 vised several tunes for us ; it is wonderfully 
 original, and if it were not for the respect due 
 to Nansen, we would have invited the fair 
 Charlotte, the stewardess with whom the 
 reader is already acquainted, to have a dance, 
 as the ladies were with us. 
 
 166 
 
THE FRAM 
 
 For more than three years woman had not 
 entered Nansen's ark, and the crew were 
 demonstratively gallant. The cabins of the 
 crew are situated around the saloon whence 
 they receive their supply of air, having no 
 other communication with the outside ; they are 
 lighted by lamps fixed on the walls. The cabins 
 of the captain, lieutenant and doctor, with 
 their maps, instruments, arms, and different 
 other objects, are very interesting : photo- 
 graphs and hundreds of weird objects constitute 
 a droll ensemble. 
 
 In every cabin there is a portrait of the 
 loved one. 
 
 The captain showed us the chart of the 
 Fram's voyage as made out by the observa- 
 tions ; and after that a collection of very curious 
 photographs representing the life and the stir- 
 ring wanderings of the crew since their de- 
 parture in 1893. The vessel in the midst of 
 the ice, their winter quarters, the encampment, 
 the glaciers, the icebergs, the observations, the 
 mirage, the aurora borealis, the Fra^n buried 
 under the ice which almost annihilated her, 
 the crew working fifteen days with pickaxes to 
 clear away the ice, the sledges, the dogs, the 
 
 167 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 windmill at the mizzen mast for driving the 
 electric dynamo, the moonlight, Nansen's de- 
 parture, etc., are so many pictures which one 
 cannot look at without heartfelt emotion, and 
 which leave far behind everything written or 
 pictured by Jules Verne in Captain Hatter as. 
 
 We leave the Fram at nine p.m. after hearty 
 farewells. 
 
 During the night the Nansen expedition 
 peacefully took its course to the south. They 
 have still on board provisions and coal for 
 three years. 
 
 Sunday, August i6tk, — The snow ceased 
 falling, and the sun who does not renounce 
 his rights, comes for an instant to restore 
 another glimmer of hope ,• the wind, although 
 mild, vacillates and appears to tend north- 
 wards. Another disappointment. 
 
 At last, on Monday, August I'jth, after 
 twenty-one days of waiting in feverish anxiety, 
 Andree resigns himself to open the valves of 
 the balloon, which is quite full ; and it is with 
 regret, easily understood, that I watch the 
 escape of 17,658 cubic feet of gas, to produce 
 which gave us so much labour. 
 
 The folding and packing are not easy work. 
 168 
 
THE FRAM 
 
 And then, as the case of the balloon had been 
 destroyed, it was necessary to improvise one 
 and take the whole material back on board the 
 Virgo. The planks of the shed, except those 
 of the second storey, required for the stability 
 of the edifice, have been removed. The gas 
 apparatus is covered over, and all the delicate 
 or fragile parts are shipped on board. 
 
 Thursday, August 20tL — The Virgo is 
 loaded. The morning was spent in solidly 
 tying up all objects which might be shifted by 
 rolling. Andree is working in the shed up to 
 the last moment ; he is tying down the boards, 
 shrouding the frames ; he has the half of the 
 floor carried off so that the wind may sweep 
 away the snow. Then he leaves, fixed to a 
 post, a framed placard stating the ownership 
 and the object of the shed, which he com- 
 mends to the care of the few fishermen who 
 are still in the islands of the North. 
 
 Finally, after lunch, at four o'clock, the Virgo 
 weighs anchor. We take a last photograph, 
 and a last look at Dane's Island, which soon 
 disappears in the fog. The expedition is at an 
 end. 
 
 171 
 
XII 
 The Storm 
 
 THE barometer has undergone a rapid 
 depression since last night. Hardly 
 had we rounded Amsterdam Island, taking a 
 south-west course, when the vessel began to 
 roll, and a few moments later the storm struck 
 us. The sky darkened and the Virgo lurched 
 terribly. I was again a prey to terrible sea- 
 sickness and retired to my cabin. All the 
 kitchen utensils and earthenware vessels are 
 dancing a jig round me. The Virgo which has 
 lost some of her ballast is rolling frightfully. 
 The captain has had a small jib placed at the 
 bow which lessens the rolling. 
 
 The wind is raging and furious waves are 
 sweeping the deck. Only a few of the crew 
 have escaped sickness, and in the evening the 
 dining-room is empty. 
 
 Every two hours the ship is stopped and 
 172 
 
THE STORM 
 
 Professor Arrhenius takes samples of water at 
 various depths ; when the engine stops the 
 rolling is still worse. We are overtaken by a 
 snowstorm and darkness is complete. After 
 twenty-four hours on a south-westerly course, 
 which is taking us away from Tromso, the 
 Virgo returns south-east, and the storm begins 
 to subside. We see ships at a distance, and 
 the temperature rises as we draw nearer to 
 Norway. 
 
 It was on the 22nd that we passed near 
 Beren Island, which was hidden by the fog. 
 A number of birds surrounded our ship which 
 is again sailing fast. 
 
 173 
 
XIII 
 My last Night on the Virgo 
 
 THE storm has blown over. I recovered 
 my appetite and my good humour, and 
 the night of the 2 3rd-24th was a very pleasant 
 one. 
 
 For some time past I had seen no darkness, 
 and this night was not without poetic surround- 
 ings. 
 
 A few stars are already twinkling in the 
 zenith, when at about ten o'clock the sun dis- 
 appeared from the horizon leaving a long twi- 
 light which lasted until dawn. 
 
 The sky was tinted with purple hues form- 
 ing an immense rainbow, stretching from west 
 to east. Grey clouds of the weirdest forms 
 travelled through space, and lent animation to 
 a view which it would be difficult to paint. 
 The full moon, which appeared as the sun set, 
 shone brighdy, casting her white light on the 
 silvery waves. The disc was extremely large, 
 
 174 
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^tm' """' !!!Bt'^SBc^*" ^^^BwI^^^BbI 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 ^^.^^I^^^D^^^^^^H 
 
 
MY LAST NIGHT ON THE VIRGO 
 
 and the outlines of the land were shown very 
 distinctly. 
 
 Alone on the bridge, I gave myself up to 
 my dreams. The temperature having per- 
 ceptibly risen, I experienced the greatest com- 
 fort in sailing thus in the direction of the land. 
 My companions were hardly able to rouse me 
 from my contemplation and induce me to go 
 down and play cards in the dining-room, where 
 a lamp was lit for the first time. The sea was 
 as calm as a lake, and navigation was a plea- 
 sure in this calm after the storms we have 
 endured. 
 
 August 24M. — It is dawn, the moon is 
 waning and the day-star resumes possession 
 of the scene. Birds still accompany us and 
 whirl round the Virgo, the black smoke of 
 which unrolls itself like a plume of feathers. 
 
 We are approaching the Norwegian coast, 
 and can see the cliffs. Vessels and craft of 
 every description are moving to and fro. We 
 are coming back to life ; we feel that we are 
 returning to civilization. The breakfast at nine 
 o'clock is very animated. The weather is 
 warm, and we are all preparing to make our 
 entrance into Tromso. 
 
 177 I 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 At eleven o'clock we are at last in sight of 
 the town, and by noon the Virgo is berthed in 
 the port opposite the FranZy which we had met 
 at Dansk-Gatt on the 14th of August. 
 
 178 
 
XIV 
 The Return 
 
 WE are at once surrounded by friends, and 
 learn with pleasure that Nansen is a 
 guest on board the small white yacht Otaria^ 
 anchored near the Franty which she brought in 
 tow from Hammerfest. 
 
 I much regret not being able to shake hands 
 with him, but I am leaving my companions 
 after sincere and heartfelt farewells to take my 
 passage on the mail boat Haakon Jarl, which 
 is leaving in a few minutes. Dr. Ekelund 
 accompanies me to Trondhjem. One of the 
 officers on board hands me letters and papers 
 from France. Now, then, I am going to have 
 a foretaste of the pleasure of again seeing 
 those dear to me ; I already feel that they are 
 near me. 
 
 The Haakon Jarl is a superb steamer, con- 
 ducting the mail service along the coasts ot 
 Norway, where railways are unknown. 
 
 179 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Navigation through the fjords is full of 
 charms and surprises. The landscape is of the 
 most varied description : at one time tall rocks, 
 snow-capped like the mountains of Spitz- 
 bergen ; at another, green wooded hills, fertile 
 prairies with large herds of cattle grazing, and 
 arable land in all its luxuriance. Little hamlets 
 on the mountain sides, villages, chalets nestling 
 mid fir trees and beeches suggest the pictu- 
 resque scenery of Switzerland. 
 
 The vessel threads her way through the 
 islands, and touches at all the stations on her 
 route. 
 
 The plaintive sound of the siren re-echoes 
 from the mountains, announces her arrival, and 
 small vessels surround the steamer to receive 
 and deliver dispatches, to take off passengers 
 and their luggage, and then to make for their 
 various destinations. 
 
 The fore-deck is one mass of cases, heaps of 
 bricks, casks, bales, bark, and articles of every 
 description. With the exception of a few 
 tardy tourists going from Tromso to Trond- 
 hjem, as it is already late in the season, pas- 
 sengers seem to change at every station. In 
 some places the banks on either side are quite 
 
 i8o 
 
THE RETURN 
 
 near, and it requires all the skill of the captain 
 to make his way between the beacons, and avoid 
 the numerous rocks scattered along the course. 
 During the winter the passage is lighted by 
 the lighthouse, but just now the nights are 
 short, and there is very little darkness. We 
 pass a great many vessels going through the 
 Loffoden Islands. 
 
 Meals are served in a sumptuous saloon, and 
 the traditional amateur concert takes place 
 after dinner. The evening is spent in smoking 
 cigars on deck, where Nature is the leading 
 feature on the programme. The scene is as 
 full of variety as of surprises. 
 
 First the sun, whose immense scarlet disc 
 sinks slowly into the wave, leaving in its track 
 a fiery horizon. The whole sky is coloured 
 with tints running the gamut from violet to 
 light grey. Clouds assume fantastic forms, 
 merge into one another, transform their out- 
 lines, then disappear; then the pale moon 
 appears, and its silvery glimmer is reflected on 
 the waters. 
 
 I stand for hours together in an ecstasy of 
 admiration before these changing pictures, so 
 little known to Parisians. A few stars are 
 
 183 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 shining in the firmament ; the air is pure, the 
 night cahn, and the atmosphere pleasant. 
 
 I can breathe freely and enjoy life. The 
 light breeze, which brings us the perfumes 
 from the pine woods, is barely enough to stir 
 the surface of the sea. In the wake of the 
 ship is a long phosphorescent track. Every 
 turn of the propeller brings me nearer to my 
 country, the main object of my thoughts. 
 
 The Haakon Jarl stayed a few hours at 
 Bodo, a small Scandinavian town, beginning to 
 show traces of civilization. Doctor Ekelund 
 and I landed. We were pleased to find some 
 newspapers, in which a meeting of Andrde and 
 Nansen at Tromso was referred to, also the 
 Polar voyage chart of the celebrated Norwe- 
 gian explorer. We afterwards attended an open- 
 air concert given by a family of German artists. 
 
 During our passage to Torghatten, a small 
 troupe of the Salvation Army came on board, 
 and amused us a good deal with some of their 
 musical performances, and their devout, though 
 rather extravagant, practices. 
 
 The captain, a respectable lady, with her 
 head concealed at the farther end of a huge 
 poke-bonnet, which would not be out of place 
 
 184 
 
THE RETURN 
 
 at Madame Tussaud's, was gravely seated in a 
 rocking-chair, and presided over the spiritual 
 concert given by the members of the congrega- 
 tion. The devout musicians, leaning against a 
 heap of dried cod-fish, sang in more or less 
 plaintive tunes the praises of the Lord, who 
 doubtless understands all languages. For my 
 part, I did not understand a single word of 
 these hymns, but I could judge by the faces of 
 the audience that the music, which emollit 
 mores ^ did not convince them. It was a wonder 
 we did not throw them some small change ; we 
 expected that one of the pleasant company 
 would go round, hat in hand, to make a col- 
 lection for the expenses of the institution, or 
 for any other more prosaic purpose. 
 
 A pretty young girl, of sixteen or seventeen 
 years of age, with her hair arranged after the 
 fashion of Miss Helyett (doubtless the captain's 
 niece), followed in a book, though with a dis- 
 tracted sort of devotion, the songs of the 
 Salvation Army. 
 
 However, the amusements on board were 
 not very numerous, and this was the chief item, 
 as far as I was concerned, in the passage from 
 Tromso to Trondhjem, where the main body 
 
 185 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of the army awaited their brethren, who were 
 coming from the North to gain souls for Para- 
 dise. 
 
 Thursday, August ijtk. — About four p.m. 
 the town of Trondhjem appeared to be south- 
 east. This is the haven so long wished for, 
 although I have no right to complain of this 
 latter portion of my voyage, during which no 
 one suffered from the rolling of the vessel. 
 The largest northern town in Norway, where 
 the houses and buildings are made entirely of 
 wood, has really an original appearance, and I 
 sincerely regretted that I could not make a 
 longer stay ; but a few hours afterwards I left 
 my amiable guide, Dr. Ekelund, and took a 
 quick train on the single-line railway which was 
 to carry me, within seventeen hours, over the 
 310 miles that divided me from Christiania. 
 
 The train started with some difficulty, and 
 could only ascend the first incline with the aid 
 of a locomotive coupled on behind. At last it 
 proceeded at its normal rate of speed ; the line 
 was so bad that my carriage was shaken ter- 
 ribly. The pinewood structures seemed ex- 
 tremely fragile, and the bridges thrown over 
 the lakes and streams made one giddy. 
 
 186 
 
THE RETURN 
 
 After our two months' stay at Spitzbergen, 
 where the vegetable kingdom is represented by- 
 moss and lichen, it was pleasant to come back 
 to verdure, trees and flowers. Here Nature is 
 displayed in all her splendour, and I should 
 never tire of admiring the marvellous land- 
 scapes, the chalets, the torrents and the water- 
 falls which all contribute to the grandeur of 
 Norwegian scenery. 
 
 The farmers gathering in the harvest, the 
 wood- cutters cutting down trees which they 
 send down from the top of the mountain by the 
 river, which conveys them to a port where they 
 will be received and either sent to a saw-mill or 
 shipped on board a trading vessel — all here is 
 life and movement. What a contrast to the 
 frozen solitudes of Spitzbergen ! Hamar is the 
 terminus of the narrow railway. Here we 
 entered the elegant carriages that cross to 
 Elsinore ; and lastly, a few hours later, we 
 neared Christiania and descended at full speed 
 such a steep incline that at each moment we 
 asked ourselves with terror where we should go 
 if the brakes failed to act. 
 
 On getting out at Christiania, we found our- 
 selves in the midst of civilization. At the 
 
 187 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 station I was assailed by an army of touts, from 
 whom I only escaped by taking refuge in the 
 fly from the Grand Hotel, where French is 
 spoken, and where I found a degree of comfort 
 to which I had become unaccustomed — the 
 refined luxury of great cities. At breakfast I 
 listened to a concert that would not have been 
 out of place on our grands boulevards, I visited 
 the town, which is very interesting, and made 
 purchases of furs and articles of which Norway 
 has the monopoly, various knick-knacks and 
 little trifles that afterwards serve to remind 
 us of our wanderings. I stayed two hours in 
 Copenhagen, and at last on Sunday the 30th 
 of August I embarked, at dawn, at the mouth 
 of the canal at Kiel, on board the mail-boat 
 Skiruer, on which I made my last passage. All 
 the passengers on the boat were on deck to see 
 the German fleet which was drawn up at this 
 station. Twenty ironclads, a great many des- 
 patch-boats and torpedo-boats lying at the 
 entrance of the canal excited great curiosity ; 
 moreover the spectacle was new to me as well 
 as to most of the passengers, and it is not one 
 that can be seen every day. 
 
 At last I arrived at Hamburg and came 
 188 
 
THE RETURN 
 
 on to Paris, passing through Cologne and 
 Liege. 
 
 The polar balloon was returned to me a little 
 while after, to be kept until the time when 
 M. Andrde should start on his expedition. 
 
 By my advice, Andrde agreed that I should 
 increase the volume of his balloon as much as 
 possible by adding to its equator two zones of 
 silk of treble thickness, thus bringing the cubic 
 measurement of the balloon to about 176,582 
 feet. The result of this addition was an increase 
 in the ascending power of nearly 650 lbs., which 
 is not to be despised. 
 
 The outer envelope was then re-varnished 
 inside and out, and, the repairing being com- 
 pleted, the balloon was sent off towards the 
 end of April, 1897, to Gothenburg to be 
 shipped on board the Svensksund, 
 
 Andrde's new companions, M. Fraenkel, 
 acting member, and M. Svedenborg, assistant, 
 came to Paris in the spring^ to go through a 
 course of balloon practice. They made a series 
 of ascents for practice from the aerostatic park 
 at Vaugirard in the '' Nobel" and the ** Fram,* 
 
 * As Strindberg did last year. 
 191 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 under the direction of Messrs. Machuron, Lair 
 and myself. 
 
 Notwithstanding my desire to revisit the 
 polar regions, I gave up my place to my nephew 
 and collaborator, who, more fortunate than 
 myself, witnessed the departure of the balloon. 
 
 Awaiting the return of the courageous ex- 
 plorers, I conclude the account of this voyage 
 which will constitute an epoch in my life and 
 will leave behind it ineffaceable memories. 
 
 Henri Lachambre. 
 Paris, October \\th, 1897. 
 
 192 
 
SECOND PART 
 
 Departure of the Second 
 Expedition 
 
 ON the 1 8th of May the town of Gothen- 
 burg prepared to witness the second 
 departure of the Polar Expedition. On the 
 quays of the port the inhabitants assembled in 
 crowds testified to Andrde their admiration for 
 his ever memorable undertaking. 
 
 The rebuffs he experienced last year had not 
 shaken his faith ; he still stood firm, and was 
 still the same, with his eagle eye and his iron 
 will. 
 
 Notwithstanding his modesty, Andree could 
 not help being moved by the enthusiastic 
 manifestations that were showered upon him. 
 His perseverance disarmed the most sceptical. 
 The good wishes of everybody followed him 
 and his companions. People at last understood 
 that this innovator is a man. 
 
 193 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 At six p.m. the Svensksund, which had no 
 other decoration than the national flag, weighed 
 anchor amidst the tumultuous acclamations of 
 the public. Most of the ships were decorated 
 with flags and saluted the Svensksund as she 
 passed them. 
 
 We rapidly left them behind. 
 
 As was the case last year, a number of vessels 
 laden to the water s edge crowded round the 
 port. Some filled with friends and relations 
 of the explorers accompanied us as far as the 
 open sea, where the last adieux were said. One 
 boat came alongside and took the telegrams 
 which we wished to send to our families and 
 friends. 
 
 Soon the shores of Sweden, gilded by the 
 rays of a beautiful sunset, gradually disappeared 
 from the horizon, and we were steaming along 
 on the open sea at full speed. 
 
 The Svensksund is a Swedish gun-boat of 
 300 tons, solidly built, which in winter renders 
 great service to merchant vessels by cutting 
 passages through the ice, with which the port of 
 Gothenburg is blocked during the period of frost. 
 
 This boat, which is manned by picked men, 
 and admirably suited for cruising in the Arctic 
 
 194 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 regions, has been graciously placed at the 
 disposal of the Andr^e Expedition by His 
 Majesty the King of Sweden. 
 
 On board were all kinds of valuable articles, 
 scientific instruments and the aerostatic appara- 
 tus ; the balloon was placed in the best 
 ventilated position, and will be able to make 
 the voyage without the least danger. If our 
 vessel is strongly built and calculated to resist 
 the pressure of ice, its flat form is less suited to 
 the open sea, and causes considerable rolling. 
 I soon felt the first symptoms of sea-sickness, 
 and retired to my cabin where I remained until 
 the following evening. On the 20th of May I 
 woke up relieved, although my brain was still 
 somewhat clouded, but this feeling was soon 
 dissipated on the deck by a fresh breeze and 
 a bright sun. We were in sight of the 
 Norwegian coast ; and we soon entered the 
 fjords where the voyage became more enjoyable 
 between the high mountains that fringe the two 
 opposite shores. Very litde vegetation ; more- 
 over the snow still covered all the more elevated 
 parts and those that do not catch the rays 
 of the sun ; spring was just commencing at 
 this latitude. 
 
 197 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Along the shore are scattered a few habita- 
 tions, generally low and surrounded sparsely 
 by shrubs which were just beginning to put 
 forth their first green leaves. 
 
 At noon we arrived at Bergen, an important 
 Norwegian port, which is advantageously situ- 
 ated, the vegetation being much more advanced 
 here than in the districts we had been passing 
 through. Here the banks were green and 
 beautifully tinted ; the background consisting 
 of snow-covered mountains, which reflect a 
 dazzling light. 
 
 We left Bergen at two o'clock, after having 
 engaged a pilot to steer us through the fjords. 
 
 The sky was clear, the sea calm and still ; 
 moreover, here, the wind has no sweep, and 
 there is no fear of storms. We saw on all 
 sides birds and wild ducks of various species, 
 and occasionally dolphins showed themselves 
 disporting in the water. 
 
 Suddenly the scene was changed. 
 
 We passed into a fog, which was slight at 
 first, but gradually became denser and den- 
 ser ; we had to slacken speed, and at four 
 o'clock were obliged to stop, the course be- 
 coming dangerous amidst the numerous islets 
 
 198 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 and reefs with which the fjords are stud- 
 ded. 
 
 The captain anchored his vessel for the 
 night in a little bay sheltered by high and 
 precipitous mountains (latitude 60° 48', longi- 
 tude East of Greenwich 4° 48' 30''). This 
 delay enabled us to attend a grand dinner 
 given by the officers of the vessel, Captain 
 C. A. Ehrensvard, Lieutenants G. Norselius 
 and G. Celsing, and Dr. J. Chr. Lembke, 
 to welcome the members of the expedition, 
 M. S. A. Andree, engineer, and head of the 
 expedition ; Messrs. Nils Strindberg, of the 
 University of Stockholm, and Knut Fraenkel, 
 civil engineer, the companions of Andree ; 
 Lieutenant Svedenborg, assistant ; and the 
 engineer. Stake, to whom is entrusted the 
 erection and management of the gas apparatus. 
 M. Fraenkel, in the name of his mother, who 
 conceived the idea of this delicate attention, 
 presented each member of the expedition with 
 a souvenir. This was a silver napkin ring, 
 bearing on one side, in Swedish, Souvenir 
 OF THE Polar Expedition, 1897, ^^d on the 
 other, engraved in a shield, the name of the 
 recipient. 
 
 199 K 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 The dinner, which was extremely well ar- 
 ranged, did credit to Lieutenant Celsing, the 
 steward of the ship ; we had set before us the 
 best of claret and champagne, the greater part 
 of which was supplied from presents sent to 
 the expedition. 
 
 Captain Ehrensvard, in the name of all the 
 officers, wished us welcome, and enthusiastic 
 toasts were drunk in honour of Andree and his 
 companions, and also to the success of their 
 undertaking. The members of the expedition 
 were toasted, those engaged to be married in 
 particular ; these last toasts concerned Strind- 
 berg and myself more especially. 
 
 Andree read several telegrams received at 
 the time of the departure from Gothenburg, 
 which contained the last expressions of sym- 
 pathy from distant friends. 
 
 The dinner went on amidst great gaiety. I 
 felt delighted with the very cordial attitude of 
 my neighbours, who spoke French, as far as 
 their acquaintance with our language permitted, 
 so as to enable me to join in their conversation 
 and follow what they said as far as possible. 
 
 Notwithstanding the fog that surrounded us 
 it was still daylight at ii p.m. After having 
 
 200 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 partaken on the bridge of the traditional 
 Swedish punch, we all retired for the night. 
 
 The next morning, May 21st, as the fog 
 had not lifted, the captain gave the order to 
 leave the fjords and continue the voyage in 
 the open sea. Slowly we quitted our haven, 
 the last narrow creek was cleared, and we were 
 soon scudding northwards at full speed, some 
 miles from the shore. 
 
 On May 22nd we returned to the route 
 through the fjords, which were now free from 
 fog. We sighted Aalesund, an important fish- 
 ing port. On the outskirts of the port we saw 
 on the beach several large square surfaces, of 
 a whitish colour, symmetrically arranged in 
 wooden frames. These we found were quan- 
 tities of salted cod being dried in the open 
 air. This industry constitutes one of the 
 greatest resources of the inhabitants of these 
 regions, who export the fish in large quantities 
 to all parts of Europe. 
 
 In the evening we proceeded on our course 
 in company with a Norwegian mail-boat, which 
 saluted the Svensksund several times. The pas- 
 sengers cheered Andrie lustily, thus testifying 
 their interest in the expedition. 
 
 201 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 Next day, at one o'clock, we passed Brono, 
 a little Norwegian port (latitude 65° 28'). At 
 this point the passage between the two shores 
 is very narrow, and much care is required to 
 avoid striking against the rocks, that can be 
 seen under the water ; happily we had nothing 
 to fear with our officers, who acted with con- 
 summate skill. 
 
 May 2\th. — A splendid morning, but in 
 these parts snow must have fallen the night 
 before, for the banks were quite covered. The 
 vegetation was not so advanced here as in the 
 districts we had passed, and there were fewer 
 trees. 
 
 We crossed the limit of the Arctic circle, and 
 the event was celebrated by drinking cham- 
 pagne. In the evening the sky became over- 
 cast, and a fine, light rain began to fall ; later 
 on, at a few hours* journey from Tromso, we had 
 some heavy falls of snow, followed by gleams 
 of sunshine, which reminded me of our snow- 
 storms in France. But on entering the port 
 of Tromso there was a blinding fall of snow, 
 and the Svensksund had to grope its way in, as 
 it was impossible to see our course. At last, at 
 1 1 p.m., we cast anchor, and received a visit from 
 
 :202 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 the harbour-master, who brought us a volumi- 
 nous packet of letters, telegrams, and news- 
 papers. I received news from France that 
 gave me great pleasure. This was the last 
 port at which we should touch, as we were then 
 going direct to Spitzbergen, where we should 
 receive no communications for several weeks. 
 
 May 25M. — The snow-fall continues. The 
 inhabitants of Tromso declared that it was a 
 favourable omen for Andrde, and augured well 
 for his success, for at the time of Nansen's 
 visit, in 1893, a great deal of snow fell, 
 which was a rare occurrence at that time of 
 the year. 
 
 We went through the town, and much ad- 
 mired a number of little villas surrounded by 
 clusters of trees, which reminded us of the 
 sunny slopes of Meudon. 
 
 The town was very lively and very busy. 
 Ladies and young girls, most elegantly dressed, 
 were walking about the streets, and also fisher- 
 men, sailors, etc. We even met a cyclist. Where 
 shall we find the limit of the bicycle ? I was 
 astonished to see one in a country that has no 
 practicable roads and very few fine days. 
 
 Below, on the sea, were docks built on 
 205 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 piles ; a little port where about fifty fishing 
 boats were lying. Further out was a mail-boat 
 arriving from Trondhjem. 
 
 We visited the Museum, which contains all 
 kinds of animals and birds belonging to the 
 polar regions, teams of reindeer, Esquimaux 
 huts, arms, and fishing tackle of the most 
 remote periods. All the houses in Tromso 
 are built of wood, and one wonders what would 
 be left of the town if a fire should ever break 
 out. Every year tribes of Laplanders come 
 from the North to exchange goods with the 
 traders ; they bring chiefly skins of reindeer, 
 foxes, wolves, and white bears, and many 
 articles made of bone and reindeer's horns, 
 which are always carved with representations 
 of polar animals. 
 
 Later on, on July 2nd, on our return from 
 Spitzbergen, we had the opportunity of visiting, 
 at a few leagues from Tromso, an encampment 
 of these interesting nomads. 
 
 The excursion was organized and directed by 
 our friend, Lieutenant Norselius. The party 
 consisted of Dr. Lembke, Lieutenant Sveden- 
 borg, the engineer, Stake, and myself Herr 
 Aagaard, the brother of the Consul of Tromso, 
 
 206 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 was kind enough to accompany us. As he 
 knew a few words of the Lapp language, he 
 offered to act as interpreter. Some of the crew 
 went with us. 
 
 I will not dwell here on the customs of 
 these people, as they have already been des- 
 cribed in several works. The Laplanders are 
 very friendly and peaceably inclined towards 
 strangers. 
 
 In our honour they collected their reindeer 
 together, a herd of 400 to 500, which were 
 feeding on a mountain in the distance. A 
 chief, who was provided with a little telescope, 
 used it skilfully to follow the movements of 
 this great herd, which was driven by only two 
 children and a few dogs. We saw these animals 
 on a distant slope, all collected together, and 
 advancing towards us like a swarm of ants in 
 motion. A hill hid them from us for about 
 half an hour; they then reappeared at a dis- 
 tance of a few hundred yards, in the midst of a 
 few scattered shrubs. The herd approached ; 
 their horns, which are very large, kept inter- 
 lacing, freeing themselves, and then becoming 
 entangled with the shrubs which were shaken 
 by the compact and moving mass. It seemed 
 
 207 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 like a moving forest. A fenced enclosure is set 
 apart for the animals. When they had to be 
 driven into their pen, a Laplander approached 
 the head of the herd, caught one of the rein- 
 deer with the aid of a lasso, which he used as 
 skilfully as the hunters of the Pampas, and then 
 pulled it in, ringing a bell. 
 
 The effect was then most curious. The at- 
 tention of the rest of the herd was attracted to 
 the captive which they followed at a distance, 
 step by step, hesitating, and advancing as if 
 under the influence of some peculiar fascination. 
 The whole herd was thus enticed into the en- 
 closure, the outlet of which was then shut. 
 
 The captive reindeer which led the others 
 in was then released, and great excitement 
 seemed to prevail amongst all the animals. 
 About a dozen of them got on to a little mound 
 in the middle of the enclosure, and remained 
 there the prisoners of the others who kept 
 walking round them. This performance lasted 
 for more than half an hour. In the meantime 
 some of the Laplanders, armed with lassos, 
 caught some of the does in order to milk them, 
 and the whole herd was then set at liberty. 
 The reindeer dispersed into the thickets, quickly 
 
 208 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION 
 
 climbed the mountain, and soon disappeared 
 from view. We bought a few trifles from these 
 people, who are very honest in their dealings, 
 and at the same time very business-like. They 
 lose no opportunity of doing a stroke of busi- 
 ness ; they even demanded payment if they 
 were photographed, and if this was refused, 
 they tried to screen themselves from our 
 cameras. The instantaneous process dismayed 
 them very much. 
 
 After having left the camp of the Laplanders, 
 on our return to the seashore, our curiosity 
 was attracted by an enormous whale, which 
 had been brought to the beach to be cut up. 
 This mammal, which was not less than 70 feet 
 long, had been killed a few days before in the 
 Northern Seas. 
 
 211 
 
M 
 
 II 
 
 Arrival at Spitzbergen 
 
 AY 26ih. — We were waiting in the 
 port of Tromso for news of the VirgOy 
 which had left Gothenburg two days 
 after us, on May 20th. 
 
 The day before, the Svensksund had laid in a 
 stock of provisions and coal. On the after-deck 
 a large cage had been made for the reception 
 of some sheep. We also took a great many 
 fowls on board, so that we should be provided 
 with fresh meat during our stay at Spitzbergen, 
 as a change from tinned provisions. 
 
 As we had not received any news of the 
 Virgo, we left Tromso at 3 p.m. to go and meet 
 her at an appointed place. A splendid day 
 cheered our hearts, and most of the inhabitants 
 of the town came running along the quays, and 
 cheered the Svensksund as she departed. 
 
 The captain then had a cask hoisted on to 
 the top of the foremast, in which the look-out 
 man, who had orders to give notice of any 
 passing vessel amongst the floating ice, took 
 up his station. 
 
 212 
 
ARRIVAL AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 After this had been done, warm clothes were 
 distributed amongst the crewr Each received 
 large boots, a fur hood, gloves, etc. Our sailors 
 seemed quite delighted with their new outfit. 
 
 At five o'clock we arrived at the appointed 
 place, but the Virgo was not there. We accord- 
 ingly took shelter in a bay whilst waiting for her. 
 
 The next day, May 27th, having awoke at 
 3 o'clock in the morning, I went on shore with 
 Lieutenant Svedenborg. We went hunting 
 over the mountains, amidst boulders of rock 
 and deep ravines. We saw very little vegeta- 
 tion ; a few scattered bushes of prickly shrubs, 
 putting forth a few miserable shoots ; a great 
 deal of moss and grass in the damp parts 
 surrounding the pools formed by the melting 
 snow. Many springs swelled the streams, 
 which formed numerous waterfalls on their 
 way down to the sea. We brought down 
 several birds, but lost some eiders, for these 
 birds, when wounded and pursued, dive to 
 reappear no more. They hide their bodies 
 from their foe, perishing at the bottom of the 
 sea by entangling themselves in the seaweed. 
 
 The Virgo joined us at 2 p.m. Her captain 
 came on board for instructions. At 6 o'clock 
 
 213 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 we weighed anchor, and set out for Spitz- 
 bergen. Andrde hoped that we should get 
 there quickly, and without hindrance. The 
 north north-east wind which had been 
 blowing violently for some days, would, he 
 thought, drive away the floes of ice from the 
 coast of Greenland. 
 
 For three days we were tormented by a 
 strong north wind, which blew a gale. The 
 sea was very rough. I was ill, and could eat 
 nothing for two days — a victim to sea- sickness. 
 However, I got up in the evening of May 30th. 
 The vibrations of the vessel were then imper- 
 ceptible to me. I was surprised at first, and 
 then pleased. I seemed to be waking from a 
 bad dream. 
 
 Our boat rolled terribly, with sudden move- 
 ments due to its flat shape — movements which 
 were all the more frequent owing to the waves 
 being very choppy in the northern seas. I could 
 not, in spite of myself, help thinking of the 
 smooth and easy motion of our transatlantic 
 liners, where one is quite at one's ease. 
 
 I was astonished, on arriving on deck, to 
 see the mountains that fringe Spitzbergen, and 
 to hear that in three hours we should reach 
 
 214 
 
ARRIVAL AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 Dansk-Gatt, a strait between Dane's Island and 
 the Island of Amsterdam, to the north-west of 
 Spitzbergen, in latitude 79° 43'. 
 
 The Virgo followed us at some distance ; 
 she too rolled a great deal. The wind was 
 high and cold ; some blocks of ice floated 
 here and there, but not many. By a fortunate 
 circumstance the Arctic Ocean was quite free. 
 Andr^e had predicted that it would be so, and 
 he was pleased to see that he would lose no 
 time this year. Nevertheless, those who had 
 never visited these shores were somewhat de- 
 ceived ; they had expected to be encountering 
 icebergs, and meeting with unheard-of difficul- 
 ties. In fact they looked for something very 
 different to ordinary voyages, something which 
 would keep constantly before their minds the 
 fact that they were in the Frozen Ocean. 
 
 Our wishes were soon granted ; the prevail- 
 ing north-east wind had driven the ice floes 
 into the open sea; the ice round the coast, 
 being sheltered by the mountains, remained, 
 and the entrance to the Dansk-Gatt was quite 
 blocked up. 
 
 We had to slacken our speed ; the vessels 
 could only cut a passage through, pushing 
 
 215 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 before them blocks of scattered ice driven 
 one against another, and breaking with a loud 
 report, terrifying the various polar birds and 
 disturbing the siesta of various seals, which 
 quickly dive and disappear behind other floes. 
 
 I took some photographs, the success of 
 which was doubtful, as it snowed fast. For- 
 tunately we were quite close to Virgo Bay, 
 and after an hour of slow, winding, and 
 difficult progress, going round large masses 
 of ice that could not be driven aside, we 
 perceived the balloon shed ; it was still stand- 
 ing ! To the right was Pike House half- 
 hidden by snow. 
 
 We each provided ourselves with a tele- 
 scope or field-glass. The shed especially oc- 
 cupied our attention ; it had suffered some 
 damage, we noticed an alteration in it, but at 
 that distance it was impossible to ascertain 
 the extent of the injury. 
 
 As we slowly approached the coast, we took 
 soundings every minute, and at last, at 6 p.m., 
 the captain gave the order to stop. The 
 anchors were cast, as we should probably 
 remain there some time ; only about a hundred 
 yards separated us from the shore. 
 
 216 
 
ARRIVAL AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 The VirgOy which should have followed us 
 closely in order to profit by the passage made 
 by the Svensksund, remained some distance 
 behind ; she seemed to be impeded by the 
 ice and advanced very slowly. She pushed 
 along for another hour before casting her 
 anchor. Less fortunate than we were, her 
 screw, which had neither the flexibility nor the 
 resistance of ours, had been sorely damaged 
 by the ice. 
 
 The various emotions produced by this 
 eventful voyage and the keen air of Spitz- 
 bergen had sharpened all our appetites. Lieu- 
 tenant Celsing ordered us a grand dinner, 
 washed down with good wine and champagne, 
 to celebrate our arrival at Dane's Island. I 
 own that, for my part, I did justice to it, after 
 having been so severely tried by the sea. 
 
 After dinner we went on shore. Our boat 
 found a passage through the ice after much 
 groping and winding ; we at last reached the 
 shore, which was edged with ice covered by 
 a layer of snow, in which we sank half-way 
 up to our knees. After a rapid glance at Pike 
 House, which we found in good condition, we 
 directed our steps towards the balloon shed 
 
 219 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 which interested us more. The poor shed, the 
 base of which had partly disappeared under 
 the snow, had suffered greatly ; it had been 
 wrenched round and seemed to lean towards 
 the east. Last year the boarding of the 
 second floor had been left to strengthen it ; 
 several of these planks had been broken or 
 torn away by the wind, some had been carried 
 to some distance — we could see ends sticking 
 up here and there in the snow. 
 
 On the western side we discovered a split 
 in a beam where it joined the framework. It 
 was this accident that had caused the wrenching 
 of the roof-timbers and occasioned the greater 
 part of the damage. However, this damage 
 could be repaired, and Andree, after his ex- 
 amination, expressed great satisfaction with 
 the work of Svedberg, the builder of this 
 frail edifice, which was not intended to with- 
 stand a winter, and must have resisted great 
 stress of wind and weather. It is true that 
 last year, before leaving Spitzbergen, Andree 
 had strengthened the shed as much as his 
 resources and the materials at his disposal 
 allowed, as has been seen by the foregoing 
 account. 
 
 220 
 
Ill 
 
 Preparations at Dane's Island 
 
 li/T AY -^ist, — The day after we arrived 
 IVJL every one set to work. 
 
 We first turned our attention to 
 carpentering ; with the aid of pulleys and 
 screw-jacks we succeeded in restoring to a 
 certain extent the beams of wood to the 
 positions they had normally occupied, and they 
 were then fixed by steel guys. 
 
 A detachment of sailors cleared away the 
 snow, which in the shed was over six feet 
 deep. This work was rendered long and 
 tedious by a thick layer of ice under the snow, 
 which had to be broken with the ice-pick ; the 
 snow was taken away in sledges. 
 
 There was a great deal to do, but our work- 
 men were skilful and were directed by ex- 
 perienced masters. Andr^e did not leave the 
 scene of operations all day, and watched every 
 detail attentively ; in the evening he was 
 
 221 L 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 happy to inform us that the damage would 
 be more easily repaired than he had at first 
 thought, and that in a fortnight the shed 
 would be ready to receive the balloon. 
 
 June \st, — The work was resumed and 
 carried on diligently. 
 
 While the carpenters were busy repairing 
 the shed, detachments of sailors proceeded 
 to unload the materials contained in each 
 vessel. This last operation was greatly hin- 
 dered by the floating ice, which, under the 
 action of the wind, was continually changing 
 its position, and sometimes threatened to crush 
 our little boats, which had to be hoisted on 
 deck when we were not using them. Then 
 the wind, which had been north-east, veered 
 round to the east ; it drove the ice in another 
 direction, and seemed to be trying to send it 
 out of our way. Every now and then came 
 gusts of snow, but these did not stop the 
 work. 
 
 The temperature varied from 30 Fahr. to 
 35*6 ; that of the sea-water was 28*4 Fahr. ; 
 the wind alone seemed to cut our faces. 
 
 Not being able to take part in the work 
 that was going on, I passed my time as best 
 
 222 
 
PREPARATIONS AT DANE'S ISLAND 
 
 I could. Pike House, the description of which 
 has already been given, was a curiosity which 
 attracted my attention. I read the visitors' 
 names inscribed on its walls ; amongst them 
 I was pleased to find my uncle's signature, 
 and I yielded to the temptation of adding my 
 own. 
 
 I spent the morning in transforming one of 
 the rooms into a photographic laboratory. 
 
 The carrier pigeons of the expedition were 
 placed in the attic which they had occupied 
 last year. 
 
 Behind Pike House, buried under the snow, 
 were the remains of the gas apparatus. After 
 clearing away the snow we found that the 
 parts had not suffered much, and that they 
 could be used with the apparatus we had 
 brought. 
 
 That evening, accompanied by Strindberg, 
 Fraenkel, and Svedenborg, we set out on an 
 excursion over the snow and ice, along the east 
 coast. We went as far as the little Albert 
 Island, which was still united to Dane's Island 
 by ice. Strindberg, who is a very good shot, 
 succeeded in killing a seal, which we could not 
 take with us for want of a boat ; he returned to 
 
 225 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 the Svensksund for a boat, but the distance was 
 great, and the dead seal soon sank. 
 
 On returning to the vessel, we saw a fine 
 silver fox, which was sniffing along our tracks. 
 He was out of the reach of our bullets, and, as 
 soon as he saw us, he ran off, greatly terrified 
 by such unexpected visitors. He stopped 
 from time to time to turn round and make sure 
 that he had not been the victim of an illusion, 
 and then went on his way more swiftly still, 
 and escaped to the mountains. 
 
 On our return to Virgo Bay, it was difficult 
 to reach the Svenskstmd\ the wind, which had 
 gone round to the north a little while before, 
 had brought a good deal of ice. There were 
 no longer any passages sufficiently wide to 
 allow a boat to be steered through them ; we 
 stepped on to one mass of ice, and, by jumping 
 from one to the other, we were able to regain 
 the vessel. 
 
 June 2nd, — The wind had changed again 
 from north to east. The bay had become 
 cleared of a great portion of the ice with which 
 it was filled a few hours before. 
 
 A little steam launch brought by the Svensk- 
 stmd was then able to render useful service. 
 
 226 
 
PREPARATIONS AT DANE'S ISLAND 
 
 The unloading went on more quickly ; we 
 hastened on that of the Virgo especially, as 
 she was to leave us directly afterwards, carrying 
 news of us to our friends. 
 
 Strindberg was engaged in some photo- 
 graphic studies of the snow and ice ; I spent 
 part of the day with him developing the plates. 
 
 June 3^^. — The sky was very clear at two 
 o'clock in the morning ; there was not a cloud 
 upon the horizon, and there was nothing to 
 warn us that a few hours later a strong north 
 wind would bring us violent squalls laden with 
 snow, and at the same time bring back the ice 
 that had been driven away from us. This bad 
 weather somewhat hindered the work during 
 the morning. After breakfast there was a little 
 interlude at the expense of a seal which had 
 gone to sleep on a block of ice. It was more 
 than 200 yards from the ship, happily for itself, 
 for ten guns or carbines were levelled at it from 
 the deck, and at the word of command from the 
 captain a volley saluted the new-comer, who 
 immediately disappeared, having no doubt 
 formed a bad opinion of the human race. 
 
 In the evening the captain and the first 
 lieutenant of the Virgo came to dine with us. 
 
 227 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 At this meal some bread was eaten called 
 ** French bread," supplied to the expedition by 
 M. Schumacher, a Stockholm baker ; a large 
 quantity of it was taken on board. This bread, 
 sealed up hermetically in light boxes of tinned 
 copper, was in a perfect state of preservation, 
 although then a month old. 
 
 June \th. — During the night we experienced 
 a violent north-east wind, which drove the ice 
 into our bay, quite stopping the unloading of 
 large packages. By means of planks a road 
 was formed on the ice, and all the light 
 packages were carried on the men*s backs. 
 
 This violent wind, however, rendered us real 
 service, and did a great deal towards the 
 repairing of the shed ; it quite restored to their 
 places the roof-timbers, and they were soon 
 fixed in their places by guys, and at the same 
 time the planks were replaced so as to increase 
 the solidity of the structure. 
 
 June ^th, — The weather was very fine ; the 
 thermometer showed 37*4 Fahr. 
 
 Strindberg made the ascent of a neighbour- 
 ing hill situated to the west of the place 
 occupied by our ship. At the summit, 656 feet 
 above the sea-level, he fixed a mast, on which 
 
 228 
 
PREPARATIONS AT DANE'S ISLAND 
 
 was placed an apparatus for observing the direc- 
 tion of the wind. This ingenious instrument 
 consists of a vane carrying with it in its move- 
 ments a horizontal disc divided into eight equal 
 sectors. On the outer circumference, at the 
 points of division, are fixed vertically the 
 figures from i to 8, cut into plates of copper. 
 The diameter 1-5 falls in the vertical plane of 
 the vane, and figure 5 always faces the wind. 
 It is easy by means of a compass to determine 
 the direction from any point from which we can 
 read the figures of the disc. It is sufficient 
 to observe the angle that is made with the 
 magnetic meridian by the visual radius, going 
 to the number facing you, and to deduce from it 
 by a very simple calculation the angle of the 
 line I -5, i,e.y the angle of the direction of the 
 wind with the north. For instance, supposing 
 we are to the east of the post of observation, 
 and number 3 is facing us, number 5, which 
 always faces the wind, will be at the north, the 
 point from which the wind comes. Every day 
 the explorers, by turns, every four hours, made 
 meteorological observations. All the instru- 
 ments were examined, and the results carefully 
 noted. Strindberg set up a tent on the shore, 
 
 231 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 where he spent several hours a day taking 
 magnetic observations. 
 
 Work was suspended during June 6th and 
 7th for the Whitsuntide holidays. 
 
 Every one sought for some amusement to 
 pass the time ; some of the sailors found one, 
 which was somewhat rough. They ascended a 
 hill covered with snow situated behind the 
 shed ; on arriving at the summit they slid 
 down, toboggan fashion, from a height of 
 656 feet, each trying to make a record speed. 
 This game was not without its comic side ; 
 often one of the men lost his position, rolling 
 over and over to the bottom ; fortunately in the 
 snow there was no danger. 
 
 On June 8th all the little colony went back 
 to work ; the weather was fine, with a north 
 wind that piled up the ice round the ships. 
 The greater number of light packages were, 
 however, unloaded, but there was still heavy 
 luggage which could not be moved. 
 
 On June 9th one of the gas generators was 
 taken off, a large wooden tank lined with lead, 
 which had to be handled with care, its own 
 weight rendering it fragile. After It had been 
 let down into a boat, a passage was with 
 
 232 
 
PREPARATIONS AT DANE'S ISLAND 
 
 difficulty cut for it through the ice to the 
 shore. 
 
 The next day other parts of the gas appara- 
 tus, no less bulky, were taken off the Virgo ; 
 the difficulties attending their unloading were 
 still greater than before. Armed with ice- 
 picks, some of the sailors tried to break up the 
 smaller pieces ; others, provided with saws 
 made specially for the purpose, attacked enor- 
 mous masses. The boat advanced very slowly, 
 but this extra work involved an expenditure of 
 precious time. 
 
 At last by the evening of that day all the 
 parts of the gas apparatus were landed. The 
 engineer, Stake, assisted by the mechanics, 
 proceeded to fix it up. Before this could be 
 done, it was necessary to clear away an 
 enormous quantity of snow which occupied the 
 space allotted to this installation, and which, 
 when swept in a circle round it, formed a 
 regular enclosure, a temporary fortification. 
 
 June iitL — Strindberg and Fraenkel turned 
 their attention to the carrier pigeons, and, with 
 the aid of india-rubber wafers, fixed to the 
 wing and tail feathers several labels bearing 
 the following inscriptions : — 
 
 233 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 a A T^^^ T^p „ AftonbladeU 
 
 ANDREE. , Stockholm." 
 
 The pigeons, moreover, were numbered con- 
 secutively ; their destination was the office of 
 the Aftonbladet, and they came from a dove- 
 cot situated at Marechamm, belonging to M. 
 Uno Godenhejim, formerly a post-master. 
 
 I gave myself up on this day to the study of 
 a sport which is quite Scandinavian, the ** ski " 
 (snow-shoes) ; Strindberg kindly gave me both 
 theoretical and practical lessons. After many 
 tumbles on snowy slopes, my course of instruc- 
 tion was completed ; I only needed practice. 
 This agreeable mode of locomotion is very 
 useful for making long journeys over the snow. 
 
 I employed part of the day in making a 
 fox-trap, consisting simply of a box closed on 
 one side by a metal grating, and on the other 
 by a sliding door. This latter would close 
 automatically when the animal touched it, a 
 bird fastened to the bottom of the cage serving 
 as a bait. In the evening I tried the sledges 
 which were to be taken in the balloon. I 
 harnessed myself to one of them, and took my 
 trap half a league away to the hills, where I 
 set it so as to be able to observe it from the 
 
 234 
 
PREPARATIONS AT DANE'S ISLAND 
 
 Svensksund, whence I could see by means of a 
 telescope when the door of the cage was shut. 
 
 I had not long to wait; the next morning 
 the cage was closed. I went up to the moun- 
 tain, and soon perceived through the grating of 
 the cage a cunning litde head and two bright 
 eyes, which were attentively watching all my 
 movements. 
 
 The prisoner was a young fox ; there were 
 several species of them at Spitzbergen. We 
 had already seen three kinds : one was a fine 
 glossy black, another silvery white, and a third 
 had yellow and brown spots. The litde cap- 
 tive belonged to this last category. Seeing 
 himself discovered, my fox darted against the 
 grating, growling at my approach and showing 
 his pretty litde sharp teeth. With many pre- 
 cautions, putting my hands through the bars of 
 the cage, I succeeded in muzzling him and in 
 tying his paws together with cords. Having 
 thus made it impossible for him to do any 
 harm, I led him over the snow to Pike House, 
 where my arrival with my prisoner at the end 
 of a long string excited much curiosity and 
 caused considerable mirth. 
 
 I hoped to take this young fox back to 
 237 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 France. He was put In a cage, where he 
 received many visits from persons interested ; 
 one of the latter not having closed the door 
 with sufficient care, the Spitzbergen fox, in no 
 way inferior to those of our own country in 
 point of cunning, succeeded in opening it and 
 recovered his liberty. He was even seen to 
 pause Ironically for a few moments in front of 
 the balloon shed, where the changes that had 
 been made seemed to interest him. 
 
 238 
 
IV 
 
 The Landing and Preparation of 
 
 the Balloon — The Inflation 
 
 fy UNE \2th, — Two weeks had elapsed 
 T since our arrival at Dane's Island. The 
 work connected with the shed had been 
 pressed forward, and as Andree had announced, 
 the shed was ready to receive the balloon. A 
 large canvas tent, made in eight equal sections, 
 was fixed over its entire circumference half-way 
 up the shed ; it was drawn up in the centre by 
 the aid of pulleys connected with the top of the 
 building. We were thus comfortably sheltered 
 from snow or rain whilst getting the balloon 
 ready. 
 
 The unloading of the Virgo was finished, 
 
 and the ship was ready to start as soon as the 
 
 ice should disperse. We went on board to 
 
 drink coffee and take a parting glass of punch. 
 
 June \2ith. — On Sunday we had arranged to 
 
 239 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 take a trip with the steam launch, but it was 
 impossible to leave our prison ; the north wind, 
 which had blown with more violence during 
 the last few days, had brought us enormous 
 blocks of ice, detached from the ice-field and 
 from the glaciers. Strindberg and I took 
 several photographs of the floating ice, which 
 occupied our whole day. 
 
 The Virgo still a prisoner. 
 
 June \/^th, — We could not wait any longer 
 and lose the advantage of our hard work ; the 
 case containing the balloon had to be landed. 
 
 This enormous package, weighing no less 
 than 4,409 lbs., was pretty easily let down 
 from the ship on to a boat ; the great difficulty 
 was to get it on land, although the distance to 
 be traversed scarcely exceeded a hundred and 
 twenty yards. 
 
 The streams left between the ice were too 
 narrow, and sometimes they were even com- 
 pletely blocked up. 
 
 Lieutenant Norselius, at the head of a band 
 of picked men, directed the operations. The 
 picks and saws did their work, widening the 
 narrow streams into which the boat was pushed 
 along the cleared space, until a fresh obstacle 
 
 240 
 
THE LANDING OF THE BALLOON 
 
 was encountered. It was a real wall of ice 
 with which we had to deal now ; ice-picks 
 and saws were powerless to open a path. 
 Lieutenant Norselius thought of an ingenious 
 plan, which he at once put into execution. 
 With the aid of a dynamite cartridge care- 
 fully laid, he succeeded in breaking into small 
 pieces this portion of the ice-field ; it was then 
 easy to part the pieces of ice, and the boat 
 slowly advanced, but the surrounding pieces, 
 which had been held back by the larger mass, 
 drew together, and the boat was caught 
 between them and then lifted up ; the case 
 leant over on one side and threatened to fall 
 over. Some of the sailors hung on to the 
 other side, trying to restore its equilibrium, 
 whilst others pulled or pushed the boat, which 
 was still blocked up. The case was tied with 
 cables, one end of which was connected with 
 the ship and the other with the shore, then the 
 whole party harnessed themselves to a third 
 rope, trying by their united efforts to start the 
 boat. At last we felt it move ; it was a 
 moment of anxiety for us all ; then it glided 
 unchecked over the ice into an open space, 
 once more narrowly escaping being capsized 
 
 241 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 with its burden. Happily some of the sailors 
 had time to hang on to the end of a long 
 pole laid across the top of the case, and with 
 the help of the cables, equilibrium was pre- 
 served. 
 
 Our fears then dispersed, all serious obstacles 
 were surmounted, and the rest of the work was 
 easy. A few more hours of toil and patience, 
 and after a whole day's labour the balloon was 
 at length landed. 
 
 Every one was glad to see her in safety after 
 the dangers she has passed through. Andr^e 
 warmly thanked Lieutenant Norselius for the 
 zeal and skill he had displayed in this difficult 
 operation. 
 
 June i^th, — The balloon case, which had 
 been left on the bank on the previous evening, 
 had now to be conveyed to the shed erected a 
 few yards higher up. The first part of the 
 distance was soon covered, as the case is 
 dragged over greased timbers laid down in the 
 snow ; the remainder of the journey was 
 rendered difficult by the huge stones by which 
 the route is obstructed. These difficulties, 
 however, were as nothing compared with those 
 of last night, and the case was soon got below 
 
 242 
 
THE LANDING OF THE BALLOON 
 
 the shed, and afterwards hoisted on to the 
 flooring. 
 
 A few hours later the balloon was stretched 
 and the folds spread out. It was in perfect 
 condition ; the apertures were closed up with 
 discs consisting of wood, or with false valves ; 
 it was then partially inflated with air with a 
 very simple inflator designed by Andree, but 
 the process was a very lengthy one, as the 
 inflator was very feeble. 
 
 June i6tk, — I spent the day inside the 
 balloon, where, with the help of ten seamen, I 
 put another coat of varnish on the seams. 
 
 The Virgo, w^hich has been waiting four 
 days in her prison of ice, can at last start to- 
 day ; in fact, her time is up, for she must be 
 at Tromso before the 20th of June, otherwise 
 Andree will have to pay a heavy fine for every 
 day's delay. 
 
 It took two days to re- varnish the seams. 
 On the 1 8th of June all the air in the balloon 
 was let out so as to prepare for the inflation 
 by gas; the net is again placed over it, and 
 the valves inserted. The inflating tubes are 
 brought under the floor of the shed and con- 
 nected with the nozzle through an opening 
 
 245 M 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 made in the centre of the floor. The inflation 
 by gas began at seven on the morning of the 
 19th of June. 
 
 Stake, the engineer, is superintending the 
 manufacture of the hydrogen. It is produced 
 by the action of sulphuric acid diluted with 
 water on iron. The acid, the strength of 
 which is 60°, is brought in iron drums, each 
 containing 220 lbs. We have 176,369 lbs. of 
 it, and 66,138 lbs. would suffice to inflate the 
 balloon. 
 
 The gas apparatus was constructed at Stock- 
 holm from well-known designs. The acid is 
 raised, by means of a hand pump, into a mixing 
 tank " C," made to hold 2,817 pints, and mean- 
 while water is introduced which reduces the 
 contents to a solution representing about 16°. 
 
 The acidulated compound passes thence into 
 two lead-lined generators '' G," containing the 
 iron, which is dropped in as required through 
 a hopper placed half-way up, and closed 
 with a hydraulic joint. The iron shavings 
 put into the outside part of this hopper are 
 pushed down, thus forcing the shavings in 
 the inner part into the generator. Each 
 generator is closed by a lid with a hydraulic 
 
 246 
 
THE INFLATION 
 
 joint. The apparatus is freed from the mud 
 deposited at the bottom by means of a self- 
 closing cock. 
 
 The hydrogen produced by this reaction 
 passes into a purifier " L," filled with coke, 
 and provided with a tapering grate ; through 
 this grate the gas makes its way into the 
 washing compartment, and passes through the 
 column of coke in which is circulating the 
 
 
 SKETCH OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS-PRODUCING 
 APPARATUS. 
 
 water that falls from the rose attached to the 
 top. 
 
 The overflow runs away through a pipe at 
 "U" at the bottom of the apparatus. A steam- 
 pump feeds the purifier and the mixing tank 
 with sea-water, which, by the way, is quite 
 suitable for this process. 
 
 On leaving the purifier the hydrogen tra- 
 verses a chamber " H," from which two tubes 
 
 247 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 lead to the dryers '' S " ; these dryers consist 
 of rectangular boxes containing purifying ma- 
 terials and quicklime laid on a grating near 
 the bottom. 
 
 Before being conveyed into the balloon the 
 gas thus prepared passes through two testing 
 chambers ** E," each of which contains a ther- 
 mometer, a hygrometer, and some litmus-paper ; 
 glass sight-holes are provided to facilitate in- 
 spection. 
 
 Pressure gauges fixed in various positions 
 show the pressure of the gas current. 
 
 This voluminous apparatus is capable of pro- 
 ducing 5,297 to 7,000 cubic feet of gas per 
 hour, but Andree will not allow the output to 
 exceed 2,118 cubic feet per hour, his object 
 being to secure a gas which has had ample 
 time for proper washing and purifying. 
 
 June 2otk. — During the first twenty-four 
 hours about 42,379 cubic feet of gas were 
 generated. 
 
 Andree and Fraenkel are busy to-day super- 
 intending the inflation of the balloon ; the rest 
 are preparing for a trip northwards with the 
 steam-barge commanded by Lieutenant Nor- 
 selius. 
 
 248 
 
THE INFLATION 
 
 They propose reaching Red Bay, to the 
 N.E. of Spitzbergen, near 80° parallel. 
 
 We left Virgo Bay at nine in the morning, 
 and steered to the north along the coast of 
 Smeerenburg. As we went along the guns 
 brought down several birds. At one o'clock 
 we were at Red Bay, which was one immense 
 ice plain reaching up to the islands at the 
 entrance to the bay. It was on one of these 
 islands, not shown in any polar chart, that we 
 landed and scared away a flock of eiders and 
 a fox which was lying in ambush for them. 
 
 From our position we commanded a full 
 view of the entire expanse of the gulf. 
 
 Here nature presents a wilder aspect than 
 we have ever seen her under. The bay opens 
 out towards the north. 
 
 East and west the bay is flanked with lofty 
 mountains whose summits are lost in the fog ; 
 wide fissures afford shelter to enormous num- 
 bers of birds of various species, who build 
 their nests at different altitudes. Some perch 
 on the sharp edges of the rock, while others 
 describe huge curves or shoot along after the 
 manner of birds of prey. We noticed some 
 wild geese, some goelands, the '' king of the 
 
 251 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 algae," the auk, and others, all filling the air 
 with sharp piercing cries, deafening one with 
 their fiendish concert. 
 
 About six and a half miles to the south, and 
 forming the background to the gulf, a gigantic 
 glacier, indented with crevices, rises like a 
 mighty wall. The glacier is lit by a few rays 
 of the sun filtering through a curtain of fog, 
 and reflects them in tints of blue. 
 
 We take a long look at this great pale- 
 looking expanse imperceptibly gliding towards 
 the sea, impelled by a slow and mysterious 
 force, while from it huge ice tracts are always 
 breaking away and crashing down with a roar 
 that seems like an earthquake. 
 
 It would be interesting to make the tour of 
 Red Bay, but we are short of time, and we 
 ought to be provided with snow-shoes to carry 
 us over the snow which covers the ice. We 
 saw in the snow very recent footprints of bears, 
 but we vainly searched the horizon with our 
 glasses. Bruin was invisible. 
 
 After a frugal repast on a rock in the open 
 air, we made ready for our return. A cold, 
 chilling fog settled down on the sea and en- 
 veloped us for two hours. We were very 
 
 252 
 
THE INFLATION 
 
 anxious to get back on board the Svensksund 
 to warm ourselves once more, for we had not 
 brought any warm clothing. 
 
 June 2\st and 22nd. — The inflation of the 
 balloon still progressing. As it fills we re- 
 varnish the outside seams. 
 
 Meantime, Andr^e is preparing and fitting 
 out the car, adjusting the suspension ring and 
 the rope attachments. On the other hand, 
 Strindberg, Fraenkel and Svedenborg are busy- 
 coating the guide-ropes with a compound of 
 grease and vaseline. 
 
 To save time in the work to be done when 
 starting, the carpenters are demolishing the 
 upper portion of the shed on the north side, 
 as Andree thinks this useless. 
 
 253 
 
V 
 
 Amusements at Spitzbergen — Test- 
 ing the Gas-Tightness of the 
 Balloon — Arrival of the Vessels 
 Express and Lofoten 
 
 THE inflation of the balloon was completed 
 on the 22nd of June at midnight. The 
 dome can be seen above the shed ; our balloon 
 is now only awaiting a suitable moment for 
 launching forth into space. 
 
 Next morning two Swedish flags float 
 triumphantly over the shed. But before a 
 start can be made, many minor matters still 
 remain to be attended to, small details which 
 always take up a very long time, and to-day 
 work was stopped at noon. In compliance with 
 Swedish custom we have been celebrating the 
 eve of the feast of St. John, one of the most 
 important Scandinavian festivals. 
 
 Time hangs heavily during these days of 
 254 
 
AMUSEMENTS AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 rest. Amusements are rare, and but little 
 varied at Spitzbergen. The sailors themselves 
 are compelled to forego one of their favourite 
 sports ; the snow on the mountains having 
 partly melted, has laid bare large sharp-edged 
 stones, among which it would be dangerous 
 to practise tobogganing. However, they have 
 found another amusement. On the summit 
 of a neighbouring mountain rising up almost 
 in a peak, which they succeed in climbing, they 
 displace enormous pieces of rock, and these 
 roll down dragging with them an avalanche 
 of stone, accompanied by prolonged and deafen- 
 ing sounds which are re-echoed, like the rolling 
 of thunder; and thus do our sailors amuse 
 themselves. 
 
 We are no less limited than the sailors in 
 our choice of amusements in these deserted 
 regions, far away from all that makes life seem 
 worth living. We are longing for our nearest 
 and dearest ; it is now a month since we be- 
 came exiles. 
 
 Absorbed by vague thoughts, my looks 
 mechanically tend towards the open sea, hop- 
 ing to descry a sail coming to call on us and 
 bring us news from home. But the horizon 
 
 255 
 
 h 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 is bare, except that here and there a few ice- 
 bergs are floating on the waves. 
 
 All around us, mountains, barren rocks, 
 snow, and glaciers ; no vegetation to gladden 
 our sight, nothing but a few varieties of moss 
 bearing tiny white, violet, and yellow flowers ; 
 the yellow ones, larger than the rest, resemble 
 very much the butter-cups, with which our 
 meadows are dotted in spring. The flora is 
 excessively poor in these icy regions. What 
 a contrast to the luxuriant vegetation of Brazil, 
 the rich and prolific nature of which country 
 I was admiring three years ago, being then 
 engaged on a mission on behalf of the Brazil- 
 ian Military Authorities ! 
 
 In order to overcome the melancholy which 
 seems to come over me to-night, I am glad 
 to start with Fraenkel on a boating excursion. 
 We take some provisions with us, and at nine 
 o'clock we set off hap -hazard, in glorious 
 sunshine. We shoot some birds, chiefly eider- 
 geese. Near the Albert Isle, in the Smeeren- 
 burg, a group of seals, disporting themselves 
 on the ice, attracts our attention. It is im- 
 possible to get near them by water ; we 
 therefore alight and drag our boat up on to 
 
 256 
 
AMUSEMENTS AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 the ice. But the wary animals plunge under 
 as soon as we approach. It is no use waiting 
 for them over their holes, as the seal will 
 travel a long way under water, in order to 
 re-emerge some hundreds of yards away from 
 the place where it dives. It then proceeds 
 to make a fresh hole ; with its breath alone, 
 emitted and inhaled repeatedly, it can pierce 
 masses of this ice, measuring at least a yard 
 in thickness. 
 
 Not far from the place where the seals dis- 
 appeared, there is an opening free from ice ; 
 we decide, at all events, to wait some minutes 
 on the brink of this pond. Two of the seals 
 appear, and are at once greeted by us with 
 bullets ; the water is dyed red with blood over 
 a large expanse, but the two animals, though 
 wounded in the head, have strength enough 
 left to dive under the ice, there to die. 
 
 Baffled in this attempt, we return to our 
 boat and continue our trip in the Smeerenburg 
 in a south-easterly direction ; we wish to 
 reach the glaciers haunted by bears, but a thick 
 fog surprises us on our way and stops our 
 progress. We have no compass ; in order to 
 get back and avoid losing ourselves in the fog 
 
 259 
 
ANDR^E AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 we are obliged to follow the coast-line, which 
 considerably increases the distance to be 
 covered. Objects are beginning to assume 
 fantastic forms in the fog. At one part of the 
 coast which I know perfectly well, having 
 roamed over it several times, a rock of from 
 sixteen to nineteen feet high appears to us 
 a mountain of respectable dimensions ; further 
 on, the ice round the coast is about six feet 
 above the water, and this looks to us like a 
 colossal glacier ; then we come across some 
 eider-geese, which animals seem to assume 
 awful dimensions, appearing to us about thirty- 
 two feet high. Finally, becoming more and 
 more subject to these curious effects of optical 
 illusion, taking small blocks of ice for 
 enormous icebergs, we imagine we can identify 
 a walrus in a moving mass which appears to 
 be the size of a small whale : we approach the 
 animal, whose true nature we recognise when 
 its size still appears to be thirteen or sixteen 
 feet — it is a small bird of the size of a pigeon. 
 After several hours of a dispiriting journey 
 made in the damp and penetrating cold, tossed 
 to and fro by the waves, which have become 
 very rough, while the water, lashed by a 
 
 260 
 
AMUSEMENTS AT SPITZBERGEN 
 
 contrary wind, is constantly dashing in our 
 faces, we arrive near Virgo Bay at the very 
 moment when the fog commences to clear, 
 and with it these phantasmagoric effects 
 gradually disappear. 
 
 We feel as if we had awakened from a 
 hideous nightmare, and are glad to see the sun 
 once more, shedding its warm rays upon us. 
 
 We return on board the Svenskstcnd at 6 
 a.m., after roaming about on the sea for nine 
 hours, and just at the time when all on board 
 are waking up. 
 
 We celebrate St. John's day as far as we 
 can under the circumstances ; at night a 
 copious dinner is served, and we are much 
 astonished at seeing such a variety of dishes 
 set before us, although more than a month has 
 elapsed since we last renewed supplies; this 
 is a surprise reserved for us by Lieut. Celsing, 
 who acts as steward on board our craft. 
 
 June 25M. — A most pleasant awakening : a 
 sailor puts into my hands a parcel of letters 
 and journals — news from France. None but 
 they who have had the experience of being 
 separated from their nearest and dearest, far 
 from their native land, in a dull and desolate 
 
 261 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 region like Spitzbergen, can ever know the 
 joy experienced when a chance mail unex- 
 pectedly brings news from those one holds most 
 dear. 
 
 I eagerly scan the letters and journals before 
 troubling myself about ascertaining the name 
 of the vessel which brought them. I then 
 learn that it is a little sloop, the Express, char- 
 tered at Tromso by three German tourists, 
 Messrs. Th. Lerner, Dr. Fr. Violet, and G. 
 Meisenbach, who have come to Spitzbergen 
 for a few weeks. The small steamer has been 
 severely tried during her passage by a storm 
 which swept away two of her boats ; she leaves 
 to-night for the north, for Mossel Bay, where 
 there is a ** refuge" containing a store of 
 provisions and boats intended for the ship- 
 wrecked ; our tourists will find boats there to 
 replace those they have lost. 
 
 June 26tk, — Stake, the engineer, spent yes- 
 terday in preparing wide strips of light material 
 which, after being impregnated with acetate 
 of lead, are blackened at those parts which 
 come in contact with the sulphuretted hydrogen 
 gas. 
 
 Placed on the seams of the balloon, these 
 262 
 
TESTING THE BALLOON 
 
 strips enabled us to perceive the slightest traces 
 of an escape of gas. But the practical appli- 
 cation of this method was difficult and required 
 some care. For getting on to the balloon, 
 the extremities of a horizontal cable crossing 
 the shed transversely were fixed to the two 
 highest poles at the top ; a pulley supporting 
 a double rope was passed over the cable ; we 
 placed one leg on the loop and slid through 
 space to the balloon. When we wished to 
 return, two men drew back the pulley by 
 means of a pulley-tackle. Some sailors found it 
 a quicker and more satisfactory plan to descend 
 by the meshes of the net. 
 
 Eight and sometimes ten of us were at work 
 on the dome of the inflated balloon, and we 
 had to perform compulsory gymnastic feats in 
 order to support ourselves amidst the cordage 
 of the net. 
 
 The sailors, being accustomed to this kind 
 of exercise, climbed about the balloon quite at 
 their ease ; but I must confess that at first I 
 had a slight feeling of dizziness ; this, however, 
 soon passed off. 
 
 It was a curious sight to see so many men 
 on this silken envelope, which is the only 
 
 263 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 barrier to the gas. The fact is unprecedented 
 in the history of balloons. 
 
 If the work that we were engaged upon was 
 long and difficult, the result was no less satis- 
 factory. We found in this manner some very 
 slight escapes of gas, which were at once care- 
 fully stopped. 
 
 June 27M, Sunday, — We received a visit 
 from a Norwegian vessel, the Lofoten, com- 
 manded by Captain Sverdrup, ex-captain of 
 the Fram, who accompanied Dr. Nansen on 
 his recent expedition to the Polar regions. 
 
 Among the passengers on board this vessel 
 were Mr. Stadling, one of the members of the 
 Andree expedition last year, and already 
 known to the reader. He will remain with us 
 henceforth, but there being no room on board 
 the Svensksund, Stadling will take up his resi- 
 dence at Pike House. 
 
 The little sloop Express was returning from 
 its voyage northwards to Mossel Bay ; three 
 steamers had met in Virgo Bay, and gave the 
 place an aspect of cheerfulness and animation 
 rarely observed there. 
 
 The Lofoten, which had started from Ham- 
 merfest on the 23rd of June, brought us some 
 
 264 
 
ARRIVAL OF EXPRESS AND LOFOTEN 
 
 letters and papers. Unhappily some of the 
 Swedish journals contained the sad news of the 
 death of Baron Dickson, the generous Maecenas 
 of M. Andr6e, who, on the eve of our de- 
 parture from Gothenburg, invited all the mem- 
 bers of the expedition, and was most profuse 
 in his words of encouragement to the bold 
 explorers. 
 
 We take this opportunity of testifying our 
 respect for the great man, the philanthropist, 
 the savant, snatched away from his friends 
 before he had seen the achievement of the 
 grand work with which he had associated his 
 name. 
 
 Let us offer to his memory the tribute of our 
 respectful admiration and gratitude. 
 
 265 
 
VI 
 The Last Preparations-Anticipations 
 
 7UNE 2Zth. — The balloon had now been 
 inflated for more than five days ; it 
 had undergone a loss of gas which may- 
 be approximately estimated at 5,297 to 5,956 
 cubic feet, or a mean loss of 1,059 to 1,236 
 cubic feet every twenty-four hours. When the 
 tests which we were making, and which were 
 to be continued as far as the equator of the 
 balloon, should be concluded, it would have 
 become still more air-tight, and the balloon 
 would then be in excellent condition. 
 
 The Lofoten left us this morning at six 
 o'clock, firing off four salutes from her guns, 
 and with reiterated cheering. From the top 
 of the balloon I watched the evolutions of the 
 graceful vessel as she described a parabola 
 round the Svensksund\ her flags were raised 
 and lowered, and then the Lofoten rapidly 
 glided away. 
 
 266 
 
'^IVVHHHHHHHHHIi 
 
 ^^^^^^P% u I'^^^^^H 
 
 
 
 
 wm^'- . "■ A^v 
 
 1. "^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^H 
 
THE LAST PREPARATIONS— ANTICIPATIONS 
 
 The work of looking for escapes was con- 
 cluded on this day. 
 
 The cover for protecting the balloon from 
 snow and rain was placed over the dome. 
 
 Andree has finished adjusting the hoop to 
 the car ; the systems of pulleys, tackle, rigging 
 attachments, etc., had all been most carefully 
 prepared. 
 
 June 2()tk. — The hoop was then disconnected 
 in order to be fastened to the rigging of the 
 net. This operation being effected, we fixed 
 on this hoop, horizontally, a bamboo pole ; 
 to this mast the sails, which already hung from 
 the ropes, were to be fixed. A system of 
 pulleys and tackle was arranged to effect the 
 various manipulations required between the car 
 and the hoop. 
 
 The three guide-ropes, weighing 1,984 lbs., 
 were stretched from the shore to the hoop, and 
 also eight other cables, each 76 yards long 
 and weighing together 881 lbs. These latter, 
 together with the guide-ropes, serve to prevent 
 the balloon from coming too close to the earth, 
 giving the effect of throwing out ballast to the 
 extent of 881 lbs. more than the weight of the 
 guide-ropes before the car could touch the 
 
 269 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 ground. Under these conditions, the balloon 
 will always keep its centre of gravity, even 
 when exposed to a storm. The above-men- 
 tioned eight ropes serve another important 
 purpose : they can be used to lengthen the 
 guide-ropes in case it should be necessary to 
 sacrifice those parts that fix into the ground 
 at any time during the journey. Andrde can 
 get rid of the lower part of the guide-ropes 
 by a screw locked by a spring which connects 
 this part with the rest of the hoop ; a turn 
 given from the top of the car is sufficient to 
 start the spring and the screw. A second 
 method consists of a dynamite explosive. This 
 last method is preferable, for, in this case, only 
 the part connected with the ground is lost. 
 
 The storing of the car was almost finished. 
 A number of articles of all kinds were placed 
 in it : scientific instruments, compasses, sex- 
 tants, telescopes ; photographic appliances and 
 accessories ; pharmaceutical preparations ; culi- 
 nary articles, lamps and electric batteries, arms, 
 ammunition, etc., etc. ; no space but what is 
 utilised or is set apart for some particular pur- 
 pose, and still a large space is left for a bed and 
 some furs. 
 
 270 
 
THE LAST PREPARATIONS— ANTICIPATIONS 
 
 The provisions for the expedition were un- 
 packed and exhibited in one of the rooms of 
 Pike House. As was the case last year, they 
 consisted of preserved foods and wines of all 
 kinds. Dr. Lembke superintended their stor- 
 age. They were packed in labelled pockets 
 made of strong material, joined together and 
 laid one over another so as to form one long 
 bag; thirty-six similar bags containing 1,663 
 lbs. of food were attached to the top of the 
 hoop by thirty-six suspending ropes. 
 
 Andree is taking enough for four months 
 only. He thinks this is sufficient, and that, 
 if he should have to winter upon the ice, their 
 arms will give them the opportunity of laying 
 in a fresh stock of provisions. Pointing to his 
 cartridges, he said, smiling, ** There is some 
 concentrated food." 
 
 The various provisions left behind were care- 
 fully stored in Pike House ; there was a great 
 deal, enough to feed a large party for a whole 
 year. 
 
 Twelve remaining ropes were hung with 
 sledges, snow-shoes, a boat formed of a 
 wooden framework that can be taken to pieces, 
 and covered with a double covering of water- 
 
 271 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 proofed material of the same nature as the 
 envelope of the balloon. This very light boat 
 measured six yards in length ; it was a marvel 
 of skilful construction. 
 
 Every one was surprised to see the quan- 
 tity of things that could be stowed away in the 
 rigging, without causing any confusion, and 
 arranged over the platform of the hoop, within 
 reach. 
 
 On the hoop itself, a number of articles were 
 placed : picks, shovels, hatchets, anchors, a 
 little windlass, buoys, etc. All these articles 
 are of bronze or copper ; the hatchets have a 
 steel blade, set in copper. Andree takes with 
 him twelve despatch buoys, each consisting of 
 a sphere of cork yi inches in diameter coated 
 with a thick coat of paint, partly blue and 
 partly yellow, and protected by a network of 
 copper wire. At the bottom the buoy is 
 weighted by a cone filled with lead, which 
 gives it the appearance of a top ; at the upper 
 portion is a copper stopper inscribed with the 
 words '* Andrde's Polar Expedition, 1896," and 
 a number. This stopper closes a cavity cut in 
 the cork to receive a tube, in which will be 
 enclosed documents or messages from the ex- 
 
 272 
 
THE LAST PREPARATIONS— ANTICIPATIONS 
 
 plorers. The buoy is surmounted by a spiral 
 spring of copper supporting a little Swedish 
 flag of thin metal. 
 
 The buoys will be thrown out at different 
 points of the voyage of the balloon. A thir- 
 teenth, larger than the others, will be left at 
 that point of the route that shall be the nearest 
 to the geographical pole that can be reached by 
 the balloon. 
 
 July \st. — We then proceeded to estimate 
 the ascending power of the balloon. It was 
 calculated that it could carry 3,747 lbs. of ballast, 
 including that part of the cordage intended to 
 be used as ballast, and that it could keep up for 
 a minimum period of thirty to thirty-five days. 
 This period could be extended in case of need, 
 by sacrificing the sails and other parts that had 
 become useless, the car if necessary, and part 
 of the guide-ropes, as the explorers could still 
 take refuge on the hoop, to which was attached 
 all their provisions and necessaries. In this 
 manner nearly 1,763 lbs. of supplementary 
 ballast could be obtained, which would increase 
 the length of the voyage by twenty days. 
 
 The aeronauts could thus remain in the air 
 for more than fifty days, and at the same time 
 
 273 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 keep their food and the necessary apparatus 
 and cordage. Thus their departure would take 
 place under most promising conditions. 
 
 As to the point of landing, the chances seem 
 to point most to Siberia, which offers a very- 
 large extent of land ; next in order of proba- 
 bility comes Alaska, in North America. Andr^e 
 did not think that the balloon could be drawn 
 towards Greenland, with its gigantic glaciers 
 attaining to such great altitudes, as the sur- 
 rounding lower strata of air cool rapidly by 
 contact with this boundless frozen mass, and 
 currents would be formed there that would 
 radiate in all directions. Only the currents of 
 the upper atmosphere would approach these 
 regions ; but the Andr^e balloon always travels 
 close to the earth, which is, moreover, another 
 point in favour of its longevity. We need not 
 fear, therefore, that the explorers will be lost in 
 the glaciers of Greenland. 
 
 Variable winds may drive the balloon for 
 several days over the ice-field and over the 
 ocean, before it can meet with a spot favour- 
 able to its descent. We have already seen 
 that it could keep up for more than fifty days ; 
 therefore, unless any serious accident or un- 
 
 274 
 
THE LAST PREPARATIONS— ANTICIPATIONS 
 
 foreseen delay occurs, there is every reason to 
 hope that before this time the aeronauts will 
 have set foot on some hospitable ground. If, 
 owing to some unforeseen cause, they should 
 be obliged to descend on the ice-field, they 
 would have to return in the same way as Dr. 
 Nansen. 
 
 He, after leaving his ship, the Fram, in 
 company with Lieutenant Johannsen, remained 
 for fifteen months on the ice-field with only 
 three months' provisions. 
 
 Andree took with him thirty-two carrier 
 pigeons. We expect that some will return to 
 Dane's Island, where they have stayed for more 
 than a month, and that they will bring us news 
 of our friends. But we fear that these mes- 
 sengers will never return to Sweden ; from 
 Spitzbergen alone, they would have to travel 
 a distance of nearly 1,637 miles in order to 
 find their dove-cot. Those set free at the 
 Pole would therefore have to travel more than 
 2,188 miles, and over the greater part of the 
 journey they would find neither shelter nor 
 food. Such great distances have never before, 
 to my knowledge, been traversed by carrier 
 pigeons, and, probably, those belonging to the 
 
 277 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 expedition will not leave the balloon where 
 they are lodged and fed, or if they do leave it, 
 it will be to lose themselves in the Arctic 
 regions and there perish miserably. 
 
 Andree told us, therefore, not to be uneasy 
 if we received no news of him for a year, as 
 he might descend at a spot from which com- 
 munication with other countries would be diffi- 
 cult, which would oblige him to winter with 
 the Lapps or Esquimaux, or in an uninhabited 
 part, where he would be left to his own re- 
 sources, and he would then not be able to 
 return till the following year. 
 
 278 
 
VII 
 
 Before the Departure — Waiting for 
 the South Wind 
 
 CjTUNE ^otL — Andree called us together 
 
 f to discuss the methods to be employed 
 for starting his balloon. One great diffi- 
 culty was, how to get the balloon out of its 
 enclosure without the silk running the risk of 
 being damaged by the wood of the shed. 
 
 Every one gave his opinion, and from all 
 the suggestions put forward, the following con- 
 clusions were drawn : — 
 
 (i) All projecting parts of the shed against 
 which the balloon might be injured should be 
 covered with a thick pad of felt, in order to 
 prevent any accident to the silk. 
 
 (2) The balloon, at its equator, should be 
 protected by wide straps, which should be 
 attached to the south side of the shed, so as to 
 prevent it rolling against the mooring posts 
 under the action of the wind. 
 
 279 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 (3) The south side of the shed should be 
 closed as high as possible, and the highest 
 floor should be provided with canvas to add 
 to the height of the shelter ; the canvas should 
 be stretched out only at the last moment. 
 
 (4) For starting, the balloon should be held 
 firmly to the ground by three cables attached 
 to the hoop. It should be allowed to ascend 
 to a sufficient height to allow of the car being 
 placed in position, and then we should only have 
 to free the balloon from its straps and cut the 
 cables, in order to set it at liberty. 
 
 Orders were then given to put into im- 
 mediate execution the operations decided 
 upon. 
 
 The carpenters at once proceeded to the 
 supports of the shed and padded all the pro- 
 jecting parts inside, whilst the sailors has- 
 tened to prepare the straps and the required 
 canvas. 
 
 The polar balloon was soon ready to be 
 launched into the air. Only the final opera- 
 tions remained to be carried out : the south 
 side of the structure would have to be de- 
 molished, but this would not take long. Andr^e 
 having already had two floors demolished, only 
 
 280 
 
WAITING FOR THE SOUTH WIND 
 
 one remained to be removed ; the ground floor, 
 as it was not in the way, would be left to 
 support the structure. 
 
 The placing of the car in position would only- 
 take a few minutes. 
 
 For the next few days we waited for the 
 favourable wind. 
 
 Since our arrival at Spitzbergen, north winds 
 had been blowing continuously. We had had 
 no breeze from the south worth mentioning ; 
 the direction of the wind had always varied 
 within the west -north -east sector. Andrde 
 augured favourably from this ; he hoped, and 
 was even persuaded, that this state of affairs 
 could not last much longer, that a change 
 would soon take place in the atmosphere of 
 the Arctic regions, and that south winds would 
 prevail in their turn. 
 
 These days of waiting were very dull and 
 monotonous. Idleness made us depressed ; we 
 sought for distractions. At meal-times, when 
 all the members of the large family were 
 assembled together, cheerfulness was restored, 
 and, on the slightest excuse, we did not fail to 
 give little entertainments, sometimes original 
 and comic, which gave us all pleasure. 
 
 281 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 In Sweden, birthdays are always celebrated 
 with great rejoicings, the person Interested re- 
 ceiving presents, congratulations, etc. July ist 
 was the birthday of Dr. Lembke, a very genial 
 and agreeable companion, on whom we had 
 conferred, since our arrival at Dane's Island, 
 the title of *' King of Spitzbergen," on account 
 of his corpulence and great stature. 
 
 We were all racking our brains to think of 
 a present to offer His Majesty ; but this was 
 very difficult at Spitzbergen, where resources 
 were necessarily limited. Nevertheless, we 
 made our preparations, and In the morning, 
 before our doctor was awake, each one brought 
 his offering. Strlndberg's was a royal crown 
 made out of a piece of silk gas tubing, the 
 upper part of which he had fashioned most 
 artistically ; Fraenkel's, a balloon of gold- 
 beater's skin, inflated with hydrogen, orna- 
 mented with long streamers of gay colours ; 
 the engineer Stake's, a box of handkerchiefs 
 cut out of the bands of stuiT used to test the 
 impermeability of the balloon ; another brought 
 some eiders' eggs bearing humorous inscrip- 
 tions ; lastly, boxes of chocolate, biscuits, 
 bonbons, fruit, etc., etc., and a bouquet com- 
 
 282 
 
ON THE BRIDGE OF THE S^ENSKSUND: MESSRS. FRAENKIiL, 
 ANDREE, SVEDENBORG, AND STRINDBERG. 
 
WAITING FOR THE SOUTH WIND 
 
 posed of mosses and white and violet flowers, 
 representing all the flora of the region. 
 
 At table, the doctors place was decorated 
 with a large garland of different mosses, on 
 which were laid raisins, almonds, oranges, etc. 
 
 The offering of the gifts was a very inter- 
 esting little ceremony ; each gift, more or less 
 original, was received with good-humoured 
 hilarity. And, In the evening, the champagne 
 flowed merrily to emphasize our good wishes 
 to the ** King of Spltzbergen," whose fund of 
 amusing and funny stories seemed inexhaus- 
 tible, but who asked to be allowed to resign 
 his crown in order to pass his life more cheer- 
 fully and simply amongst his own people. 
 
 July ^th. — Since our arrival at Dane's Island, 
 after the first three or four days we had neither 
 rain nor snow. The temperature, which varied 
 very little, had always kept a few degrees 
 above freezing point ; a pleasant warmth was 
 felt In the sun, when we were sheltered from 
 the wind. 
 
 On this day, the change foretold by Andrde 
 seemed to be coming, and for the first time 
 since our arrival it rained, and the wind blew 
 from the south-east. 
 
 285 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 July 6tk. — The south wind at last, so long 
 awaited, so ardently desired ! It blew a gale. 
 The rain had ceased ; heavy clouds were pass- 
 ing northwards ; a few hours would be 
 sufficient to take the explorers to their desti- 
 nation. 
 
 Andree devoted himself to meteorological 
 observations while the first preparations were 
 being made. The gas apparatus was set going 
 at once to fill up the balloon. 
 
 Soon everything was ready ; they were only 
 waiting for Andr^e's orders to demolish the 
 shed. He, absorbed by his observations, was 
 meditating and seemed undecided. He kept 
 going from one instrument to another, taking 
 the direction of the wind from various points, 
 comparing this direction with that of the 
 clouds : it seemed difficult to him to come to 
 a decision. The barometer had fallen too 
 rapidly. Certainly the start would have to be 
 made^ during a barometric depression, but we 
 expected it to be slow and gradual. At last, 
 after two hours' observations, Andree came 
 slowly back to us to tell us the result of his 
 researches. In a calm, firm voice, he said he 
 should not start that day, because the wind, 
 
 286 
 
WAITING FOR THE SOUTH WIND 
 
 then very favourable, would not last long. 
 He was very vexed, but he hoped that before 
 long there would be other currents of air, more 
 stable and more favourable. Nevertheless, he 
 said when once the 15th of July was past, he 
 would start on the first opportunity, even if the 
 atmospheric conditions were only moderately 
 favourable ; but now he feared to compromise 
 the success of the expedition by a premature 
 departure. 
 
 It will be seen that Andree combined great 
 prudence with his scientific experience ; more- 
 over, his predictions proved correct. The next 
 day, the south wind was succeeded by a north 
 wind, and we still waited. 
 
 July gtk. — Bad weather, rain arid a west 
 wind. A Norwegian sailing vessel took refuge 
 in our bay. It was returning from the ice-field, 
 where the crew had been hunting seals, and 
 had killed more than 700. The sailors were 
 engaged in cutting up the animals ; the skins 
 were salted and the fat stored in barrels to be 
 melted down. 
 
 Jtily lotk. — The bad weather continued, with 
 cold fogs and rain. 
 
 The Lofoten visited us for the second time 
 287 o 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 with more tourists. Amongst them, I was 
 pleased to meet some friends of our family : 
 M. and Mme. H. Vieillard, and two other 
 French travellers, M. Obermeyer, editor of the 
 Figaro, and his wife. I much regretted not 
 having time to say much to my fellow-country- 
 men. The Lofoten is engaged in a regular 
 service between Hammerfest and Advent Bay ; 
 she had little time to spare, having extended 
 her trip to come to Dane's Island, and could 
 not stop more than an hour in Virgo Bay. 
 
 In the evening the sky cleared, the rain 
 ceased, and a strong wind blew from the south- 
 west. The barometer, which had been falling 
 for two days, still continued to do so slowly. 
 We now had a chance of a wind favourable to 
 our expedition. 
 
 288 
 
VIII 
 The Departure 
 
 r^UNDAY, July iitk.—A decided south 
 O wind ! Would it last this time, or would 
 it again prove a delusion ? 
 
 Andr^e and his companions consulted for 
 some time the various instruments from each 
 post of observation. The atmospheric con- 
 ditions seemed favourable. 
 
 Together with Andree, we went to the top 
 of the shed to examine carefully the work that 
 had been done, and to arrange about the pre- 
 parations for starting. The wind was very- 
 violent. The wooden structure trembled under 
 our feet ; I feared sometimes that it would be 
 blown down, and the balloon destroyed. But 
 this apparently light structure was really very 
 solidly built, of which fact it had furnished 
 excellent proofs. Moreover, it was sheltered 
 by a hill 329 feet high. 
 
 After having enumerated the various opera- 
 tions to be performed, Andree returned to his 
 
 289 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 observations for a few minutes. The result 
 was favourable. The direction of the wind 
 seemed quite settled ; but he did not give the 
 order to start. This time he dared not take 
 the sole responsibility of this decision, so he 
 consulted his fellow-travellers. It was a very- 
 delicate question for the members staying be- 
 hind, Svedenborg and myself, to decide ; the 
 decision rested rather with those directly in- 
 terested. Strindberg and Fraenkel wished to 
 start at once, and besides, what were we wait- 
 ing for.^ Time was passing, the season was 
 advancing ; therefore, the sooner, the better. 
 
 Andree did not express his opinion ; it was 
 not necessary, we guessed it. He was burning 
 to set out for the conquest of the Pole ; and he 
 only said, ** The departure Is decided upon." 
 
 We returned on board the Svensksund, 
 where the sailors in uniform, and in the pre- 
 sence of the officers, were attending a short 
 religious service, after having been reviewed as 
 usual on Sunday. 
 
 As soon as the decision was known. Captain 
 Ehrensvard gave orders for the whole crew to 
 resume their working clothes immediately. 
 
 Two Norwegian sailing vessels, returning 
 290 
 
K. FRAENKEL. 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 from the north, entered the bay, and made 
 ready to cast anchor opposite the shed. Signals 
 were exchanged, to ask them to take up a 
 different position, so as to leave a free passage 
 for the Andr^e balloon, which would start in a 
 few hours. 
 
 The workers are ready, and are being taken 
 ashore by the boats. 
 
 The carpenters and a detachment of sailors 
 go quickly up into the shed, and demolish the 
 northern portion with surprising rapidity. 
 
 It is II o'clock in the morning. Andree is 
 standing before the shed, observing everything. 
 His orders follow one another, brief and rapid ; 
 his voice resounds, rendered still stronger by a 
 speaking trumpet. Nothing is heard but the 
 crackling of the wood as it is broken away, and 
 the wooden beams as they come crashing to 
 the ground. A detachment of men clear away 
 the rubbish as it falls. 
 
 On the south side, at the top of the shed, 
 sailors are stretching the canvas between the 
 masts, thus increasing by 13 feet the height of 
 the roof 
 
 Everywhere is feverish activity ; the prepa- 
 rations go on rapidly. 
 
 293 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 We now turn our attention to the balloon, 
 which slowly rises, as the bags of ballast are 
 slowly let down from mesh to mesh until they 
 stop at the hoop. 
 
 The wind becomes more and more violent. 
 Puffs reach the balloon, which sways greatly 
 from side to side ; the equatorial straps support 
 it well, and restrain its movements. 
 
 The cords are then arranged which work the 
 valves and the rending flap. These delicate 
 parts require constant inspection during these 
 last operations, in order to prevent their work- 
 ing badly. Stadling hangs over the circle, on 
 to a horizontal rope, a series of baskets in 
 which were the carrier pigeons. This pre- 
 liminary part of the preparations being con- 
 cluded, the ballast bags are withdrawn until the 
 balloon is properly balanced. The hoop re- 
 mains firmly held to the ground by three cables 
 long enough to enable it to rise sufficiently 
 high for the car to be fixed in position. The 
 rest of the ballast bags are collected into 
 three groups, hung to the hoop by three 
 ropes. 
 
 The car, which, with all its contents, weighs 
 nearly i, 102 lbs.. Is brought under. It is slipped 
 
 294 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 into its place, and quickly tastened to the hoop 
 by the six cables supporting it. 
 
 Andree walks round the balloon and round 
 the shed, giving a last glance at every detail, 
 satisfying himself that everything is ready and 
 in good working order. 
 
 The solemn hour has arrived. 
 
 Strindberg, who has always been a great 
 friend of mine, as we have a mutual sympathy 
 with one another, begs me to send his fiancee 
 proofs of the last photographs that I shall 
 succeed in developing, and which would in- 
 terest her. He shows great emotion while 
 speaking to me ; it is not fear of the perils that 
 he is about to face, but other sentiments that 
 are agitating him at this moment. It is easy 
 for me to guess what they are. 
 
 When will he see again that charming 
 Swedish girl, whose photograph which he 
 has so often shown me, and carries next his 
 heart ? 
 
 How many days, how many months, will she 
 be anxiously waiting, and receiving no news ? 
 
 What anxiety, what suspense, await that 
 poor young girl ? 
 
 But what joy will follow the glorious return 
 295 
 
ANDRfiE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 of her beloved ! What firm bonds of affection 
 will bind them together after this long, hard 
 separation ! 
 
 Oh ! how I wish them this happiness with 
 all my heart ! 
 
 Greatly affected myself, I shake convulsively 
 the hand of my friend, who is leaving all that 
 he holds dearest in the world for the glorious 
 accomplishment of a scientific enterprise, and 
 with a final clasp I promise him once again 
 that his wish will be a sacred duty to me ! 
 
 He gives me a last letter for \\\^ Jia7icde ; then, 
 controlling the emotion which was overcoming 
 him, he rejoins Andree and Fraenkel, who are 
 also taking leave of their friends. 
 
 Andree is thanking all the members of the 
 expedition for the help they have rendered him 
 in his enterprise. He gives the captain several 
 telegrams written in haste at the last minute ; 
 one, addressed to the King of Sweden, is 
 worded thus : — 
 
 " SPITZBERGEN.yi^^/j/ Wth, 2.25 p.m. 
 
 ''At the moment of their departure, the 
 members of the expedition to the North Pole 
 beg Your Majesty to accept their very humble 
 
 296 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 salutations, and the assurance of their deepest 
 
 gratitude. 
 
 " Andri^e." 
 
 Another telegram, addressed to the A/ton- 
 bladet, Stockholm, said : — 
 
 '* In accordance with our decision previously 
 arrived at, we commenced on Sunday, at 10.45, 
 the preparations for our ascent, and at this 
 moment, 2.30 p.m., we are ready to start. 
 
 "We shall probably be driven in a north- 
 north-easterly direction. We hope gradually 
 to reach regions where the winds will be more 
 favourable to us. 
 
 "In the name of all our comrades, I send 
 
 our warmest regards to our friends, and to our 
 
 country ! 
 
 "Andr^e." 
 
 The last farewells are brief and touching ; 
 few words are exchanged, but hearty hand- 
 clasps between those whose hearts are in 
 sympathy say more than words. 
 
 Suddenly Andr^e snatches himself away 
 from the embraces of his friends, and takes 
 his place on the wicker bridge of the car, 
 from whence he calls in a firm voice : — 
 
 299 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 " Strlndberg, — Fraenkel, — let us go ! " 
 
 His two companions at once take their 
 places beside him. They are all three armed 
 with a knife for cutting the ropes supporting 
 the groups of ballast bags. 
 
 This being done, Captain Ehrensvard and 
 Lieutenants Norselius and Celsing give their 
 sailors orders which are at once put into exe- 
 cution. 
 
 The equatorial straps fall at one stroke. 
 
 The balloon, freed from this restraint, moves 
 slightly ; it quits the state of torpor in which it 
 seemed to be plunged ; it now seems to have 
 come to life, and, notwithstanding its shelter, 
 it rolls greatly on its lower moorings, from 
 which it tries to free itself. 
 
 We wait a few seconds, in order to seize a 
 moment of calm, before the order is given to 
 start. 
 
 Three of the most adroit sailors, armed with 
 knives, hold themselves in readiness, at a 
 given signal, to cut the three cables by which 
 alone the balloon is now held captive. 
 
 The entire crew of the Svensksund are pre- 
 sent, and also the crews of the three Nor- 
 wegian whaling vessels anchored in Virgo Bay. 
 
 300 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 There is profound silence at this minute ; 
 we only hear the whistling of the wind through 
 the woodwork of the shed, and the flapping of 
 the canvas, which hangs over the upper part ot 
 the south side. 
 
 Amongst the cordage of the car are seen the 
 three heroes, standing admirably cool and calm. 
 
 Andr^e is always calm, cold, and impassible. 
 Not a trace of emotion is visible on his counte- 
 nance ; nothing but an expression of firm reso- 
 lution and an indomitable will. 
 
 He is just the man for such an enterprise ; 
 and he is well seconded by his two companions. 
 
 At length the decisive moment arrives. 
 
 "One ! Two ! Cut ! " cries Andree in Swedish. 
 
 The three sailors obey the order simultane- 
 ously, and in one second the aerial ship, free 
 and unfettered, rises majestically into space, 
 saluted with our heartiest cheers. 
 
 We rush to the doors to get out of the shed. 
 I have the chance of getting out first through a 
 secret opening I have made in the woodwork, 
 .so as to be able to rush to my photographic 
 apparatus and have time to take a few snap- 
 shots at this stupendous moment. 
 
 Being encumbered with the heavy cordage 
 301 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 that it takes with it, the balloon does not rise 
 to a height of 328 feet. 
 
 It is dragged by the wind. 
 
 Behind the mountain that is sheltering us 
 stormy winds are raging, and a current of air 
 sweeps down from the summit and attacks the 
 balloon, which for a moment descends rapidly 
 towards the sea. This incident, which we had 
 foreseen before the departure, but the natural 
 cause of which struck few of the spectators at 
 the moment, produces great excitement amongst 
 some of us. The sailors rush to the boats to be 
 ready to lend assistance to the explorers, whom 
 they expect to see engulfed in the waves. Their 
 alarm was of short duration; the descending 
 movement soon becomes slower, and the car just 
 touches the water and ascends again immediately. 
 
 Unfortunately, the lower parts of the guide- 
 ropes, which were made so as to become de- 
 tached if they should be caught in the ground, 
 have remained on the shore. At the start the 
 ropes were caught in some rocks on the shore, 
 and the screws for separating the parts worked. 
 But Andree is well provided against this loss, 
 so that this accident is not likely to have 
 serious consequences. 
 
 302 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 At the edge of the water, on the beach 
 studded with rocks and large stones, we all 
 stand, breathlessly watching the various phases, 
 rapidly following one upon another, of the 
 commencement of this stirring and unpre- 
 cedented aerial journey. 
 
 The balloon, which has now righted itself at 
 about 164 feet above the sea, is rapidly speeding 
 away ; the guide-ropes glide over the water, 
 making a very perceptible wake, which Is visible 
 from its starting point, like the track made by 
 a ship. The state of affairs seems to us on the 
 shore to be the best that could be hoped for. 
 We exchange last signals of farewell with our 
 friends ; hats and handkerchiefs are waved 
 frantically. 
 
 Soon we can no longer distinguish the 
 aeronauts ; but we can see that they are 
 arranging their sails, as these latter are dis- 
 played in succession on their bamboo mast ; 
 then we observe a change of direction. The 
 balloon Is now travelling straight to the north ; 
 it goes along swiftly, notwithstanding the 
 resistance that must be offered by the dragging 
 ropes ; we estimate its speed at from 18 to 22 
 miles an hour. If It keeps up this initial speed 
 
ANDREE AND HIS BALLOON 
 
 and the same direction, it will reach the Pole 
 in less than two days. 
 
 The aerial globe seems now no bigger than 
 an egg. On the horizon an obstacle appears 
 in the route ; this is the continuation of a 
 chain of mountains about 328 feet high right 
 in the path of the balloon, which seems very 
 close to the obstacle, and some of the sailors 
 round me, who have never before seen a balloon 
 start on its trip, seem in great terror ; they 
 think the balloon will be hopelessly wrecked. 
 I reassure them, telling them that the balloon 
 is still far away from the hills, which will be 
 easily surmounted, without there even being 
 any necessity to throw out ballast. 
 
 The balloon travels on, maintained at the 
 same altitude by the guide-ropes. In the 
 neighbourhood of the hills there is an upward 
 current of air ; the balloon will follow this ; 
 it would only risk striking against the obstacle 
 if the movement were downwards, which is not 
 the case. Moreover, the guide-ropes first rest 
 upon the rocks and thus lighten the balloon, 
 which gradually rises. 
 
 We see it clear the top of the hill, and stand 
 out clearly for a few minutes against the blue 
 
 304 
 
THE DEPARTURE 
 
 sky, and then slowly disappear from our view 
 behind the hill. 
 
 Scattered along the shore, we stand motion- 
 less, with hearts full, and anxious eyes, gazing 
 at the silent horizon. 
 
 For one moment then, between two hills, we 
 perceive a grey speck over the sea, very, very 
 far away, and then it finally disappears. 
 
 The way to the Pole is clear, no more 
 obstacles to encounter ; the sea, the ice-field, 
 and the Unknown! 
 
 We look at one another for a moment, stupe- 
 fied. Instinctively we draw together without 
 saying a word. There is nothing, nothing 
 whatever in the distance to tell us where our 
 friends are ; they are now shrouded in mystery. 
 
 " Farewell ! Farewell ! Our most fervent 
 prayers go with you. May God help you ! 
 Honour and glory to your names ! " 
 
 Alexis Machuron. 
 
 305 
 
M^ 
 
 The Last Message from Andree 
 
 THE following message from Andrde shows 
 the progress made by the hardy ex- 
 plorer. We reproduce it in facsimile. 
 
 till AJlonbtad4U.Stocithol*n. 
 
 (i) — The Andrde Polar 
 Expedition to the '' A f ton- 
 blade t,'' Stockholm. 
 
 July \ith, 12.30 /.;//., 
 82°2' north latitude, i^^' 
 east longitude. Good 
 journey eastwards, 10° 
 south. All goes well on 
 board. This is the third 
 message sent by pigeon. 
 
 Andree. 
 
 Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. 
 
The Pupils of Peter the 
 
 Great 
 
 A History of the Russian Court and Empire 
 from 1697 to 1740 
 
 By R. NISBET BAIN 
 
 Author of " Gustavus III. and His Contemporaries," " Charles XII." 
 " Hans Christian Andersen : A Biography " 
 
 WITH PHOTOGRAVURE FRONTISPIECE AND PORTRAITS 
 Demy Zvo, 318 pp. Price i^s. net. 
 
 UNIONS OF THE PRESS: 
 
 " LIGHT ON A LYCEUM PLAY." 
 'Mr. Nisbet Bain's new volume about the makers of Russia could not have ap- 
 red at a time more opportune for the attraction of popular interest than the moment 
 in Sir Henry Irving has taken it upon him to interpret for us, on the st^e of the 
 :eum, the character of Peter the Great. His familiarity with the history and politics 
 ^^orthern Europe in the last century renders him peculiarly fitted for the task of 
 penting us with a picture of the Russian Court and Empire up to the death of the 
 press Anne." — Daily Chronicle. 
 
 • Mr. Bain has here put together from authentic sources an interesting and useful 
 k. Without attempting the picturesque, he has written a book that attracts the 
 ler ; his judgment is sound, he is unprejudiced and tolerant, and he understands the 
 nge world that he is depicting. His portraits have the great merit of fidelity, and 
 las a good knowledge of contemporary European politics." — Manchester Gtmrdian. 
 An excellent piece of historical study, founded entirely on original research, sober, 
 id, and sympathetic in treatment, with a fine sense of historical proportion, and most 
 ninating as respects the light it throws on a dark and ill-known time and country." 
 pectator. 
 
 " A lucid and masterly sketch of the slow development of the modern Russian State 
 «reen the year 1697 and 1740." — Daily News. 
 Mr. Nisbet Bain is, without question, the best informed student of Northern history 
 
 now writes for the British Public, and the volume before us will add to his repu- 
 m." — Manchester Courier. 
 
 WESTMINSTER 
 
 Archibald Constable and Co 
 
 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS 
 1898 
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
 
 The Life of Sir Charles Tilstoi 
 
 Bright 
 
 By EDWARD BRAILSTON BRIGHT, C.E., and CHAR] 
 BRIGHT, CK, F.R.S.E. 
 
 With many Illustrations, Portraits, and Maps. 2 vols. 
 Demy Svo, ^3 ^s. net. {^2 2s. net to subscribers before publicati 
 
 Debateable Claims 
 
 A Series of Essays on Secondary Educati 
 
 By JOHN CHARLES TARVER, 
 
 Author of "Some Observations of a Foster Parent." Crown Zvo 
 
 Dante's Ten Heavens 
 
 A Study in the Paradiso 
 
 By EDMUND GARDNER. 
 Demy Svo. 
 
 A French View of English 
 
 Contemporary A 
 
 By E. DE LA SIZERANNE. Translated by H. M. Poynter. 
 
 Crown 2>vo. 
 
 Highland Dress and Ornament 
 
 By LORD ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL. 
 
 Demy Sz)o. 
 
Announcements 
 
 Andree and his Balloon 
 
 By HENRI LACHAMBRE and ALEXIS MACHURON 
 
 With coloured Frontispiece and 40 full-page plates. 
 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 This volume contains an accurate account of the making and equipping of Mr. Andree's balloon, and a 
 detailed account of the first attempt made in 1896, when, owing to the bad weather, Andree and his two 
 companions could not start, and a detailed and authoritative account of the final preparation and start 
 for the famous flight into the Unknown. 
 
 The volume is fully illustrated, and contains a short biography of Andree. 
 
 The two authors accompanied the Expedition to Spitzbergen, the one author in 1896, and the other in 
 July, 1897. 
 
 The volume is of very great general interest, containing as it does the only authoritative account ot 
 the expedition up to date, and is of special value to all interested in ballooning, as the authors are 
 acknowledged experts. 
 
 This work is being published simultaneously in four different languages. 
 
 The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe 
 
 By ERNEST YOUNG. 
 Fully Illustrated by E. A. Norbury, R.C.A., and from Photographs. 
 
 Demy %vo. 
 
 Constable's " Hand Gazetteer of India 
 
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 A BOOK OF 
 
 Travels and Life in Ashantee 
 
 By R. AUSTIN FREEMAN, F.R.G.S. 
 
 Fully Illustrated, from drawings by the Author, and from Photographs. 2 Maps. 
 
 Demy %vo. 
 
 f Northern Highway of the Czar 
 By AUBYN TREVOR BATTYE, Author of ** Ice-bound on Kolguev." 
 Illustrated. Crown Svo. 6s. 
 i dedication of this volume has been graciously accepted by His Majesty the Czar 
 I! 
 
 .Russia. 
 
Our Troubles in Poona and the Deccan 
 
 By ARTHUR TRAVERS CRAWFORD, C.M.G., late Commissioner of Poona. 
 Fully Illustrated. Demy 8z'o, 14s. 
 
 Few of the troubles we have had in India from time to time have assumed so seriou: 
 an aspect as the recent disturbances in Poona ; but the extreme alarmist view takei 
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 rights and wrongs of the case. The Author of this book, having a large experience , 
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 Tw^o Native Narratives of the 
 Mutiny in Delhi 
 
 Translated from the Originals by the late 
 CHARLES THEOPHILUS METCALFE, C.S.L (Bengal Civil Service). 
 Demy Svo, with large Map. Just Ready. 
 
 These two narratives are a unique and interesting contribution to the literature of th< 
 Indian Mutiny — inasmuch as they are the only ones from a purely native source. 
 
 One is the diary, kept daily throughout the Siege of Delhi in 1857 by Munshi Jeewai 
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 now edited and brought out by his widow. 
 
 Constable's Hand Atlas of India 
 
 A NEW SERIES OF SIXTY MAPS AND PLANS PREPARED FROM 
 ORDNANCE AND OTHER SURVEYS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
 
 J. G. BARTHOLOMEW, F.R.G.S.. F.R.S.E., &c. 
 
 In half-moroccOy or full-bound cioth^ gilt top^ 14^. 
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 without providing himself with 'Constable's Hand Atlas of India.' Nothing half so 
 useful has been done for many years to help both the traveller in India and thej 
 student at home. ' Constable's Hand Atlas ' is a pleasure to hold and to turn over."— | 
 Atheneeum. 
 
 4 
 
NOW READY AT ALL LIBRARIES 
 
 Through China with a Camera 
 
 By JOHN THOMSON, RR.G.S. 
 
 With about lOO Illustrations. Foolscap 4to. One Guinea net. This work contains 
 probably the finest series of pictures of China ever published. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 A Brief Sketch of the Condition of China, Past and Present, 
 The Chinaman Abroad and at Home. 
 
 Chinese Guilds— Hongkong— Native Boats— Shopkeepers— Artists— Music Halls. 
 
 III. The Chinaman Abroad and at Home {continued). 
 Gambling— Typhoons— The floating population of Hong-kong— North branch of the 
 Pearl River. 
 
 IV. Canton and Kwang-tung Province. 
 
 Tea— Foreign Hongs and Houses— Schroffing. 
 V. Canton {continued). 
 
 Its general appearance — Its population— Streets— Mode of transacting business— Sign- 
 boards— Work and Wages— The willow-pattern bridge— Juilin, Governor-General of 
 the two Kwang— Clan fights— Hak-kas— The mystic pills— Dwellings of the poor— The 
 Lohang-tang — Buddhist monastic life — On board a junk. 
 
 VI, Canton {continued). Macao. Svv^atovv. Chao-chow-fu — Amoy. 
 
 The charitable institutions of China— Macao— Description of the town— Its inhabitants 
 — Swatow — Foreign settlement — Chao-chow-fu— Swatow fan-painters— Modellers- 
 Chinese art— Village warfare— Amoy-— The native quarter— Abodes of the poor — In- 
 fanticide — Manure-pits — Human remains in jars — Lekin — Romantic scenery — Ku-Iang- 
 su — The foreign settlement. 
 
 VII. Formosa. 
 
 Takow harbour, Formosa— La-mah-kai— Difficulties of navigation— Tai-wan-fu— The 
 Taotai— His yamen — How to cancel a state debt— The Dutch in 1661— Sylvan lanes — 
 Medical Missions — A journey to the interior — Old watercourses — Broken land — Hak- 
 ka settlers — Poahbe — Pepohoan village — Baksa valley — The name " Isla Formosa" — 
 A long march — The central mountains — Bamboo Bridges—" Pau-ah-Iiau " village— The 
 physician at work — Ka-san-po village — A wine-feast — Interior of a hut — Pepohoan dwel- 
 lings — A savage dance — Savage hunting-grounds — La-lung village — Return journey. 
 VIII FOOCHOW AND THE RiVER MiN, 
 
 The Japanese in Formosa — Cause of the invasion — The River Min— Foochow Arsenal 
 — Chinese gunboats — Foochow city and great bridge — A City of the dead— Its inhabi- 
 tants—Beggars — Thieves — Lepers — Ku-shan Monastery — The hermit — Tea plantation 
 on Paeling hills— Voyage up the Min— Shui-kow— An up-country farm— Captain Sheng 
 and his spouse— Yen-ping city— Sacrificing to the dead— Shooting the Yen-ping rapids 
 A Native passenger-boat. 
 
 IX. Shanghai. Ningpo. Hankow. The Yangtsze. 
 
 Steam traffic in the China Sea— In the wake of a typhoon— Shanghai— Notes of its 
 early history— Japanese raids— Shanghai foreign settlement— Paul Sii, or "Su-kwang- 
 ki" — Shanghai city — Ningpo — Native soldiers — Snowy valley — The Mountains — 
 Azaleas — The monastery of the Snowy Crevice — The thousand-fathom precipice — 
 Buddhist Monks — The Yangtsze, Kiang — Hankow — The Upper Yangtsze, Ichang — 
 The Gorges — The great Tsing-tan rapid — Mystic fountam lights — A dangerous 
 disaster— Kwei-fu— Our return— Kiukiang— Nanking ; its arsenal— The death of 
 Tsing-kwo-fan— Chinese superstition. 
 
 X. Chefoo. Pekin. Tientsin. The Great Wall. 
 
 The foreign settlement -The Yellow River— Silk— Its production— Taku forts— The 
 Peiho River — Chinese progress — Floods in Pei-chil-li — Their effects— Tientsin — The 
 Sisters' chapel — Condition of the people — A midnight storm — Tung-Chow — Peking — 
 The Tartar and Chinese divisions of the metropolis — Its roads, shops and people — The 
 foreign hotel — Temple and domestic architecture — The Tsungli Yamen — Prince Kung 
 and the high officers of the empire— Literary championship — The Confucian Temple — 
 The Observatory — Ancient Chinese instruments — Yang's house— Habits of the ladies- 
 Peking enamelling — Yuen-Ming- Yuen — Remarkable cenotaph — A Chinese army — Li- 
 Hung- Chang— The inn of " Patriotic Perfection "—The Great Wall— The Ming tombs. 
 
Problems of the Far East 
 
 JAPAN— COREA— CHINA » 
 
 By the Rt. Hon. GEORGE N. CURZON, M.P. j 
 
 With numerous Illustrations and Maps. Extra crown Svo, Js. 6d. 
 
 This volume, written by the Under-Secretar}^ of State for Foreign Affairs, is of unusuj 
 value at present, in view of the various questions which will arise in connection with tli 
 position of the great Powers and China and Japan in the Far East. 
 
 " Certainly the influence of Mr. Curzon's. thoughtful generalizations, based as they are upon wid 
 knowledge, and expressed in clear and picturesque language, cannot fail to assist in solving the probleir 
 ef the Far East." — Manchester Courier. 
 
 The Popular Religion and Folk-lore ot 
 Northern India 
 
 By WILLIAM CROOKE 
 
 With numerous Full-page Plates. 2 Vols. Demy %vo, 2\s. net. 
 
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 The Household of the Lafayettes 
 
 By EDITH SICHEL. Demy %vo. \<^s. net. 
 
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 a more vivid picture of the French Revolution." — Glasg&w Herald. 
 
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 Medals and Decorations of the British Arm 
 
 and Navy 
 
 By JOHN HORSLEY MAYO 
 
 {Late Assistant Militaiy Secretary to the India Office). 
 Dedicated by Permission to Her Most Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen andEMPRES 
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 6 
 
The Principles of Local Government 
 
 B) GEORGE LAURENCE GOMME, F.S.A., Statistical Officer of the London County 
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 12 
 
Three Notable Reprints 
 
 BoswelFs Life of Johnson 
 
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 of Rez'ie^^vs. 
 
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 13 
 
POETRY 
 
 Selected Poems 
 
 By GEORGE MEREDITH 
 
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 14 
 
The Cyclists' Pocket Book 
 
 For the year 1898. 
 
 FULL OF INFORMATION. 
 
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New Popular Edition 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Works of 
 George Meredith 
 
 Ci'own Sz'O, 
 
 6/. 
 
 each 
 
 With Frontispieces by Bernard Partridge, Harrisoi 
 Miller and Others. 
 
 The Ordeal of Richard 
 
 Feverel [Ready. 
 
 Rhoda Fleming [Ready. 
 
 Sandra Belloni [Ready. 
 
 VittOria [Ready. 
 
 Diana of the Cross- 
 ways [Ready. 
 The Egoist [just Ready. 
 
 Evan Harrington 
 The Adventures of 
 
 Harry Richmond 
 Beauchamp's Career 
 
 One of Our Con 
 
 querors 
 
 Lord Ormont and His 
 Aminta 
 
 The Amazing Mar- 
 riage 
 
 The Shaving of Shag- 
 pat 
 
 The Tragic ComCj 
 dians 
 
 Short Stories 
 
 Poems 
 
 "bA 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
 on the date to which renewed. 
 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
 trz 
 
 1«r2^^98f3^^ 
 
 ww^nru-^^T^ 
 
 LOAM DEPX* 
 
 
 UOAN DEPT. 
 
 W)6j4ul3S9M 
 
 REC'D LD 
 
 fl [iai4'69-fiftM 
 
 .^^^al 
 
 ICw. 
 
 NOV? 1969 
 
 LD 21A-60m-2,'67 
 (H241slO)476B 
 
 General Library 
 
 University of California 
 
 Berkeley 
 
 .^MMlL 
 
/ 
 
 iM310?80