LETTERS FROM THE ANDREE PARTY. 409 



ACCOUNT OF THE START OP ANDREE, BY AXEL STAKE.^ 



I was the chemist of the expedition which fitted out Andree for his 

 North Pole journey. I made the gas which carried his balloon away 

 to the north. I kept a diary of all the events that happened from the 

 time the expedition was first assembled in Sweden until Andree and 

 his companions disappeared beyond Fogelsang on the northern horizon. 

 From what I have seen printed in the papers both here and abroad I 

 do not think that all of the happenings of the departure can be known 

 to the public at large. For instance, it may not be known generally 

 that Andree was very reluctant to depart on his voyage on that rather 

 memorable July 11. His own wish was to defer the start to the next day. 

 I do not believe he would have gone on the 11th had he not been urged 

 to go by his companions. He is very painstaking and careful as a 

 rule, and in his middle age far more discreet than the youth of his 

 companions allowed them to be. But Strindberg and Frankel had 

 waited so long and hoped so much for a breeze from the south that 

 they were eager to be off". They were afraid the breeze would die away 

 and the expedition would be left stranded on Danes' Island, as it was 

 in 1896. 



I remember very well the morning of the 11th. Strindberg and I 

 occux)ied the same cabin on board the Swedish gunboat which carried 

 us up to the island. Strindberg came running to me that morning and 

 awoke me in my bunk, crying, " The breeze ! the breeze ! We shall sail 

 to-day. The wind is from the south." I laughed at him, for I did not 

 believe it was possible. But when I came out on the deck I found that 

 the preparations for the start had already begun. Andree was doubt- 

 ful. In his mind this southerly wind might be a false alarm. He 

 thought they had better wait a day or so and see if it would continue. 

 A conference was held on the vessel, after which, reluctant as yet, 

 Andree went ashore to the balloon house to see if the breeze was quite 

 as strong there as it was on board the gunboat. During the morning 

 he had been making meteorological observations, and the results added 

 force to the pleadings of his companions. He came on board the ves- 

 sel again, and a second conference was held. It was finally decided 

 to go that day, and immediately the order to knock down the front 

 section of the balloon house was given. This was at 10.30 a. m. At 

 2.30 in the afternoon the balloon sailed away. 



Andree went away with the impression that the balloon would float 

 at least six weeks. Indeed, it was his idea in 1896 that he could keep 

 in the air for a year or more if necessary, but the trouble we had with 

 escaping gas soon dispelled this notion. I think that even after he 

 found how impossible it was to confine the gas he overrated the time 

 he would be able to keep afloat. The expert from the balloon factory 



' Published by McClure Syndicate, March 13, 1898. Not included in the magazine 

 article. 



