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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7692, 1 August 1896, Page 2

What will not people do in the pursuit of scientific knowledge ? The silence of the Polar regions remains unbroken by any tidings of Nansen, the bold Arctic explorer, but notwithstanding his almost too certain disappointed fate, another expedition of an even more daring character will set out within the course of a few days in the hope of reaching that summit of scientific ambition, tho North Pole. Three venturesome Swedes, M. Andrh, Dr Aekholm, and Herr Nila Strindberg, are at present) at Spitsbergen preparing for their great balloon adventure. They have erected an immense house, 95ft in diameter and 100 ft in height, io which their balloon will be fitted out and inflated. The balloon, which has been specially constructed for the voyage, is composed of three thicknesses of silk firmly glued together and having five coatings of varnish on the outiide so that there shall be no escape of gas. Outside this is the netting which supports the suspension ring from which depends the car. Tho basket is sairl to be a perfect wonder of ingenuity auj contrivanco for the storage of provisions, instruments, and what not. It. is about 6ft deep, quite round, with a wicker cover. In it is a bedstead for one person, the arrangement being that one person shall sleep while two watch and make observations. These observations will be made from the top of the basket. The travellers will stand on the lid of it, and will have around them, in a ring breast high, all tho instruments which they will require for their observations. For cooking, an apparatus will be dropped down 15tt below tho basket by means of a rope. It will be lighted by pulling a string, and when the cooking is done tho fire will be put out by pulling another string. Then the food will be brought up to the basket and eaten. These precautions are taken to obviate the daDger of having a fire too near the gas of the balloon. This cooking apparatus is the invention of a Swedish engineer, devised purposely to meet M. Andrde's requirements, The total weight of the balloon and all it will carry ia 5,200 kilogrammes. As soon as all is ready and when a strong southerly wind prevails, the lee side of the house will be taken down, which will enable the balloon to float ! out of its prison. As the balloon will travel at an average speed of 12 miles an hour, M. Andrde calculates reaching the North Pole in 1 from six to eight days from the time he sets out on his journey, and anticipates landing in Siberia, or somewhere on the North American continont in from three weeks to a month after he leaves Spitsbergen. The explorers are very confident of success, and to ensure it. For instance, M. Andree have made most complete arrangements has discovered a method of steering his balloon as readily as a ship may be steered at sea. This ia done by meana of trailing a line behind tho balloon from different positions in tho basket and by means of a small sail attached diagonally across the balloon above the suspension ring. He has also a plan of keeping at a uniform elevation not exceeding 150 metres. A number of carrior pigeons will be taken, which will be released from time to time with measages affording to tho world news of the progress of the daring enterprise — information which , will be awaited with breathless anxiety by thousands of people in all part 3of tho globe.