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[Illustration: THE DEPARTURE OF THE BALLOON.
WITH COLOURED FRONTISPIECE AND FORTY-FOUR FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
Westminster ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO. 1898
BUTLER & TANNER, THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS, FROME, AND LONDON.
A FERVENT BELIEVER IN THE AËRIAL CONQUEST OF THE NORTH POLE WE DEDICATE THIS BOOK
THE DEPARTURE OF THE BALLOON, 11TH OF JULY, 1897 _Frontispiece, in Colours_
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
THE “EXPRESS”, THE “ERLINE JARL”, THE “VIRGO”, DEPARTURE OF THE “VICTORIA” 91
THE “VIRGO” DECKED FOR THE 14TH OF JULY FÊTE 135
THE CUPOLA OF THE BALLOON (TOP OF THE SHED) 147
THE BALLOON IN THE SHED DURING ITS DEFLATION 155
DANE’S ISLAND SEEN BY THE MIDNIGHT SUN 203
VIEW OF THE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN GAS FOR THE BALLOON 229
SKETCH OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS-PRODUCING APPARATUS 247
THE INFLATED BALLOON IN ITS SHED, THE NORTHERN PART OF WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ITS DEPARTURE 267
ON THE BRIDGE OF THE “SVENSKSUND,” MESSRS. FRAENKEL, ANDRÉE, SVEDENBORG AND STRINDBERG 283
VIEW OF THE BALLOON TAKEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER ITS DEPARTURE 297
On the afternoon of Sunday, the 11th of July, 1897, the balloon _Ornen_ left the port of Virgo, Spitzbergen, carrying in its car Messrs. Andrée, 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, pessimistic or favourable comments and prognostications, articles full of hope or criticism,—each, in short, looking upon this extraordinary expedition 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 Andrée’s expedition had been killed, on the 22nd of July, by one of the seamen of the fishing boat _Alken_, between the Spitzbergen 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 _Alken_ returned to Hammerfest; it was couched in the following terms:—