The work connected with the shed had been pressed forward, and as Andrée
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 13th._—On Sunday we had arranged to 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 14th._—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 completely 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 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 carefully 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 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 preserved.
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. Andrée warmly thanked Lieutenant Norselius for the zeal and
skill he had displayed in this difficult operation.
_June 15th._—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 the shed, and
afterwards hoisted on to the flooring.
[Illustration: THE GAS APPARATUS.]
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 Andrée, but the process
was a very lengthy one, as the inflator was very feeble.
_June 16th._—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_, which 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 Tromsö
before the 20th of June, otherwise Andrée will have to pay a heavy fine
for every day’s delay.
It took two days to re-varnish the seams. On the 18th 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 connected with the nozzle
through an opening 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 Stockholm 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 meanwhile 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 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 water that falls from the rose
attached to the top.
[Illustration: SKETCH OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS-PRODUCING
APPARATUS.]
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 traverses a chamber “H,” from which
two tubes lead to the dryers “S”; these dryers consist of rectangular
boxes containing purifying materials 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 thermometer,
a hygrometer, and some litmus-paper; glass sight-holes are provided to
facilitate inspection.
Pressure gauges fixed in various positions show the pressure of the gas
current.
This voluminous apparatus is capable of producing 5,297 to 7,000 cubic
feet of gas per hour, but Andrée 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 20th._—During the first twenty-four hours about 42,379 cubic feet
of gas were generated.
Andrée and Fraenkel are busy to-day superintending the inflation of
the balloon; the rest are preparing for a trip northwards with the
steam-barge commanded by Lieutenant Norselius.
[Illustration: GETTING THE BALLOON CASE ASHORE.]
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 numbers 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 algæ,” 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 enveloped us for
two hours. We were very anxious to get back on board the _Svensksund_ to
warm ourselves once more, for we had not brought any warm clothing.
_June 21st and 22nd._—The inflation of the balloon still progressing. As
it fills we re-varnish the outside seams.
Meantime, Andrée 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 Andrée
thinks this useless.
V
Amusements at Spitzbergen—Testing 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 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 deafening 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 became exiles.
Absorbed by vague thoughts, my looks mechanically tend towards the open
sea, hoping to descry a sail coming to call on us and bring us news from
home. But the horizon is bare, except that here and there a few icebergs
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 Brazilian Military Authorities!
[Illustration: ON THE TOP OF THE BALLOON.]
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 Smeerenburg, a group of seals, disporting themselves
on the ice, attracts our attention. It is impossible to get near them by
water; we therefore alight and drag our boat up on to 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 disappeared, 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 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 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 _Svensksund_ 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 25th._—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 region like Spitzbergen,
can ever know the joy experienced when a chance mail unexpectedly 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_, chartered at Tromsö 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
shipwrecked; our tourists will find boats there to replace those they
have lost.
_June 26th._—Stake, the engineer, spent yesterday 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 strips enabled us to perceive
the slightest traces of an escape of gas. But the practical application
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 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 satisfactory. We found in this manner some very slight
escapes of gas, which were at once carefully stopped.
_June 27th, Sunday._—We received a visit from a Norwegian vessel, the
_Lofoten_, commanded 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 Andrée 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 residence 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 Hammerfest on the 23rd of June,
brought us some letters and papers. Unhappily some of the Swedish
journals contained the sad news of the death of Baron Dickson, the
generous Mæcenas of M. Andrée, who, on the eve of our departure from
Gothenburg, invited all the members 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.
VI
The Last Preparations—Anticipations
_June 28th._—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.
[Illustration: THE INFLATED BALLOON IN ITS SHED, THE NORTHERN PART OF
WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ITS DEPARTURE.]
The work of looking for escapes was concluded on this day.
The cover for protecting the balloon from snow and rain was placed over
the dome.
Andrée has finished adjusting the hoop to the car; the systems of
pulleys, tackle, rigging attachments, etc., had all been most carefully
prepared.
_June 29th._—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 ground. Under these
conditions, the balloon will always keep its centre of gravity, even
when exposed to a storm. The above-mentioned 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. Andrée 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, sextants,
telescopes; photographic appliances and accessories; pharmaceutical
preparations; culinary articles, lamps and electric batteries, arms,
ammunition, etc., etc.; no space but what is utilised or is set apart for
some particular purpose, and still a large space is left for a bed and
some furs.