Mr。StanleySpencermadehimselfearlyknowntotheworldbyaseriesofparachutedescents，performedfromtheroofofOlympia。Itwasaboldandsensationalexhibition，andontheexpirationofhisengagementtheyoungathlete，profitingbyhometraining，feltfullyqualifiedtoattemptanyaerialfeatconnectedwiththeprofessionofanaeronaut。AndatthisjunctureaneminentAmericancyclist，visitingthefather’sfactory，suggestedtoStanleyabusinesstourinSouthAmerica。
Asanextraattractionitwasproposedthatayoungladyparachutistshouldbeoneofthecompany;so，afterafewsatisfactorytrialexhibitionsinEngland，thepartymadetheirwaytoRio，Brazil。Hereanascentwasarranged，andbythedayandhourappointedtheballoonwassuccessfullyinflatedwithhydrogen，anenormousconcoursecollected，andtheladyperformeralreadyseatedinthesling。Thenastrangemischancehappened。Bysomemeans，neversatisfactorilyexplained，theyoungwoman，atthemomentofrelease，slippedfromherseat，andtheballoon，escapingintotheair，turnedoverandfellamongthepeople，whovindictivelydestroyedit。
Thenthecrowdgrewungovernable，andthreatenedthelivesoftheaeronauts，whoeventuallywere，withdifficulty，rescuedbythesoldiery。
Thiswasabadstart;butwithaspareballoonafreshattemptatanascentwasarranged，though，fromanothercause，withnobettersuccess。Thistimeafuriousstormarose，beforetheinflationwascompleted，andtheballoon，carryingaway，wastorntoribbons。Yetathirdtime，withahotairballoonnow，aperformancewasadvertisedandsuccessfullycarriedout;but，immediatelyafter，Mr。Spencer’sAmericanfriendsuccumbedtoyellowfever，andtheyoungman，beingthrownonhisownresources，hadtofighthisownwayuntilhisfortuneshadbeensufficientlyrestoredtoreturntoEngland。
AfewmonthslaterhesetsailforCanada，whereforseveralmonthshehadamostprofitablecareer，ononeoccasiononlymeetingwithsomedifficulty。HewasgivinganexhibitiononPrinceEdward’sIsland，notfarfromthesea，butonadaysocalmthathedidnothesitatetoascend。Onreaching3，000
feet，however，hewassuddenlycaughtbyastronglandbreeze，which，erehecouldreachthewater，hadcarriedhimamileouttosea，andherehewasonlyrescuedafteralonginterval，duringwhichhehadbecomemuchexhaustedinhisattemptstosavehisparachutefromsinking。
Earlyin1892ourtravellervisitedSouthAfricawithahotairballoon，and，fortunecontinuingtofavourhim，hesubsequentlyreturnedtoCanada，andproceededthencetotheUnitedStatesandCuba。ItwasatHavannahthatpopularenthusiasminhisfavourransohighthathewaspresentedwithamedalbythetownsfolk。Itwasfromherealsothat，alittlewhileafter，tidingsofhisowndeathreachedhim，togetherwithmostgratifyingobituarynotices。Itwouldseemthat，afterhisdeparture，anadventurer，attemptingtopersonatehim，metwithhisdeath。
InNovember，1897，hefollowedhiselderbrother’sfootstepstotheEast，andexhibitedinCalcutta，Singapore，Canton，andalsoHong—Kong，where，forthefirstandonlytimeinhisexperience，hemetwithseriousaccident。Hewasabouttoascendfortheordinaryparachuteperformancewithahotairballoon，whichwasbeinghelddownbyaboutthirtymen，oneamongthembeingaChinamanpossessedofmuchexcitabilityandverylongfingernails。Bymeansoftheselatterthemancontrivedtogougeaconsiderableholeinthefabricoftheballoon。Mr。Spencer，toavoidadisappointment，riskedanascent，anditwasnottilltheballoonhadreached600feetthattherentdevelopedintoalongslit，andsobroughtaboutasuddenfalltoearth。Alightingonthesideofamountain，Mr。SpencerlayhelplesswithabrokenlegtillthearrivalofsomeBritishbluejackets，whoconveyedhimtothenearestsurgeon，when，afterdueattention，hewassenthome。Otherremarkableexploits，whichMr。StanleySpencersharedwithDr。
Bersonandwiththewriterandhisdaughter，willberecordedlater。
CHAPTERXXIII。NEWDEPARTURESINAEROSTATION。
AfterMr。Coxwell’sexperimentsatAldershotin1862themilitaryballoon，asfarasEnglandwasconcerned，remainedinabeyanceforninelongyears，whentheGovernmentappointedaCommissiontoenquireintoitsutility，andtoconductfurtherexperiments。ThemembersofthiscommitteewereColonelNoble，R。E。，SirF。Abel，CaptainLee，R。E。，assistedbyCaptainElsdale，R。E。，andCaptain（nowColonel）Templer。Yetanothernineyears，however，elapsedbeforemuchmorewasheardofthismodernisedmilitaryengine。
ButaboutthebeginningoftheeightiestheGovernmenthadbecomefullyalivetotheimportanceofthesubject，andRoyalEngineersatWoolwichgrewbusywithballoonmanufactureandexperiment。Soon\"theskyaroundLondonbecamespeckledwithballoons。\"Themethodofmakingso—calledpurehydrogenbypassingsteamoverred—hotironwasfullytested，andforatimegainedfavour。Theapparatus，weighingsomethreetons，wascalculatedtobenotbeyondthecarryingpowersofthreeservicewaggons，whileitwascapableofgeneratingenoughgastoinflatetwoballoonsintwenty—fourhours，asingleinflationholdinggood，underfavourablecircumstances，foralongperiod。AttheBrightonVolunteerReviewof1880，CaptainTempler，withninemen，conductedtheoperationsofacaptivereconnoitringballoon。ThiswasinflatedattheLewesgasworks，andthentowedtwoandahalfmilesacrossariver，arailway，andalineoftelegraphwires，afterwhichitwasletuptoaheightof1，500feet，whence，itwasstated，thatsogoodaviewwasobtainedthat\"everymanwasclearlyseen。\"Beitremembered，however，thatthecountrywasnottheSouthAfricanveldt，andeverymanwasinthestrikingEnglishuniformofthatdate。
JustatthisjuncturecametheEgyptianWar，anditwillberecalledthatinthebeginningofthatwarballoonswereconspicuousbytheirabsence。Thedifficultiesofreconnaissancewerekeenlyfeltandcommentedon，andamongotherstatementswefindthefollowinginthewarintelligenceoftheTimes:——
\"AsthewantofaballoonequipmenthasbeenmentionedinlettersfromEgypt，itmaybestatedthatalltheWarDepartmentballoonsremaininstoreattheRoyalDockyardatWoolwich，buthavebeenrecentlyexaminedandfoundperfectlyserviceable。\"AnassertionhadbeenmadetotheeffectthatthenatureofthesandinEgyptwouldimpedethetransportoftheheavymaterialnecessaryforinflation。Atlast，however，theordercameforthedespatchoftheballoonequipmenttothefront，andthoughthisarrivedlongafterTel—el—Kebir，yetitisrecordedthatthefirstascentinrealactiveserviceintheBritishArmytookplaceonthe25thofMarch，1885，atSuakin，andballoonsbecomingregardedasanall—importantpartoftheequipmentofwar，theyweresentoutintheBechuanalandExpeditionunderSirCharlesWarren，thesupplyofgasbeingshippedtoCapeTownincylinders。
Itwasatthisperiodthat，accordingtoMr。Coxwell，LordWolseleymadeascentsathomeinawarballoontoformhisownpersonalopinionoftheircapabilities，and，expressingthisopiniontooneofhisstaff，saidthathadhebeenabletoemployballoonsintheearlierstagesoftheSoudancampaigntheaffairwouldnothavelastedasmanymonthsasitdidyears。Thisstatement，however，shouldbereadinconjunctionwithanotherofthesameofficerinthe\"Soldier’sPocketBook，\"that\"inawindycountryballoonsareuseless。\"IntheBoerWartheusefulnessoftheballoonwasfrequentlytested，moreparticularlyduringthesiegeofLadysmith，whenitwasdeemedofgreatvalueindirectingthefireoftheBritishartillery，andagaininBuller’sadvance，wheretheballooniscreditedwithhavinglocateda\"death—trap\"oftheenemyatSpionKop。Otherall—importantservicewasrenderedatMagersfontein。TheServiceballoonprincipallyusedwasmadeofgoldbeaters’skin，containingabout10，000cubicfeetofhydrogen，whichhadbeenproducedbytheactionofsulphuricacidonzinc，andcompressedinsteelcylinders。Aspecialgasfactorywas，forthepurposeofthecampaign，establishedatCapeTown。
ItisherethatreferencemustbemadetosomeofthespecialworkundertakenbyMr。EricS。Bruce，whichdealtwiththemanagementofcaptiveballoonsunderdifferentconditions，andwithasystemofsignallingthusrenderedfeasible。Mr。Bruce，who，sinceMajorBaden—Powell’sretirementfromtheoffice，hasdevotedhisbestenergiesassecretarytotheadvancementoftheBritishAeronauticalSociety，wastheinventorofthesystemofelectricballoonsignallingwhichhesuppliedtotheBritishGovernment，aswellastotheBelgianandItalianGovernments。Thissystemrequiresbutaverysmallballoon，madeofthreeorfourthicknessesofgoldbeaters’skin，measuringfrom7to10feetindiameter，andneedingonlytwoorthreegascylindersforinflation。Withintheballoon，whichissufficientlytranslucent，areplacedseveralincandescentlampsinmetalliccircuit，withasourceofelectricityontheground。Thissourceofelectricitymayconsistofbatteriesofmoderatesizeoraportablehanddynamo。Inthecircuitisplacedanapparatusformakingandbreakingcontactrapidly，andbyvaryingthedurationoftheflashesintheballoontelegraphicmessagesmaybeeasilytransmitted。Toovercomethedifficultyofunsteadiness，undercircumstancesofroughweather，inthecaptiveballoonwhichcarriedtheglowlamps，Mr。Bruceexperimentedwithguyropes，andgaveamostsuccessfulexhibitionoftheirefficiencybeforemilitaryexpertsatStamfordBridgegrounds，thoughastiffwindwasblowingatthetime。
Itmustbeperfectlyobvious，however，thatacaptiveballooninawindisgreatlyatadisadvantage，andtocounteractthis，attemptshavebeenmadeinthedirectionofacombinationbetweentheballoonandakite。ThisendeavourhasbeenattendedwithsomemeasureofsuccessintheGermanarmy。Mr。
DouglasArchibald，inEngland，wasoneofthefirsttoadvocatethekiteballoon。In1888hecalledattentiontotheunsatisfactorybehaviourofcaptiveballoonsinvariablewinds，droppingwitheverygustandrisingagainwithalull。InproofhedescribedanexpedientofMajorTempler’s，whereanattemptwasbeingmadetooperateaphotographiccamerahoistedbytwotandemkites。\"Theballoon，\"hewrites，\"wentupmajestically，andallseemedverysatisfactoryuntilamileofcablehadbeenrunout，andthewinderlocked。\"Itwasthenthattroublesbeganwhichthreatenedthewreckageoftheapparatus，andMr。Archibald，inconsequence，stronglyrecommendedakiteballoonatthattime。Twelveyearslaterthesameableexperimentalist，impressedwiththesplendidworkdonebykitesaloneformeteorologicalpurposesatleast，allowedthathewasquitecontentto\"letthekiteballoongoby。\"
ButtheGermanschoolofaeronautsweredoingbiggerthingsthanmakingtrialswithkiteballoons。TheGermanSocietyforthePromotionofAerialNavigation，assistedbytheArmyBalloonCorps，werebusyin1888，whenaseriesofimportantascentswerecommenced。UnderthedirectionofDr。Assmann，theenergeticpresidentoftheaeronauticalsocietyabovenamed，captiveascentswerearrangedinconnectionwithfreeascentsformeteorologicalpurposes，anditwasthuspracticabletomakesimultaneousobservationsatdifferentlevels。Theseexperiments，whichwerelargelytakenupontheContinent，ledtoothersofyethigherimportance，inwhichtheunmannedballoontookapart。ButtheContinentalannalsofthisdatecontainoneunhappyrecordofanothernature，therecountingofwhichwill，atleast，breakthemonotonyattendingmereexperimentaldetails。
InOctober，1893，CaptainCharbonnet，anenthusiasticFrenchaeronaut，resolvedonspendinghishoneymoon，withthefullconsentofhisbride，inaprolongedballoonexcursion。ThestartwastobemadefromTurin，and，thedirectionoftravellyingacrosstheAlps，itwasthehopeofthevoyagerseventuallytoreachFrenchterritory。Theascentwasmadeinperfectsafety，aswasalsothefirstdescent，atthelittlevillageofPiobesi，tenmilesaway。Hereahaltwasmadeforthenight，andthenextmorning，whenafreshstartwasdeterminedon，twoyoungItalians，SignoriBottoandDurando，weretakenonboardasassistants，fortheexploitbegantoassumeanappearanceofsomegravity，andthisthemoresowhenstormcloudsbeganbrewing。Atanaltitudeof10，000feetcross—currentswereencountered，andthecoursebecomingobscuredthecaptaindescendedtoneartheearth，wherehediscoveredhimselftobeindangerousproximitytogauntmountainpeaks。Onobservingthis，hepromptlycastoutsandsoliberallythattheballoonrosetoaheightapproaching20，000feet，whenarapiddescentpresentlybegan，andrefusedtobechecked，evenwiththeexpenditureofallavailableballast。
Allthewhiletheearthremainedobscured，but，anticipatingafallamongthemountains，CaptainCharbonnetbadehiscompanionsliedowninthecarwhileheendeavouredtocatchsightofsomelandmark;but，quitesuddenly，theballoonstrucksomemountainslopewithsuchforceastothrowthecaptainbackintothecarwithaheavyblowovertheeye;then，boundingacrossagulley，itstruckagainandyetagain，fallingandreboundingbetweenrockywalls，tillitsettledonasteepandsnowyridge。Darknesswasnowclosingin，andtheparty，withoutfoodorpropershelter，hadtopassthenightasbesttheymightonthebarespotwheretheyfell，hopingforencouragementwiththereturnofday。Butdawnshowedthemtobeonadangerouspeak，10，000feethigh，whencetheymustdescendbytheirownunassistedefforts。Afteralittleclamberingthecaptain，whowasinaveryexhaustedstate，fellthroughahiddencrevasse，fracturinghisskullsixtyfeetbelow。Theremainingthreestruggledonthroughouttheday，andhadtopassasecondnightonthemountain，thistimewithoutcovering。Onthethirddaytheymetwithashepherd，whoconductedthemwithdifficultytothelittlevillageofBalme。
Thisstory，byvirtueofitsromance，findsaplaceinthesepages;but，saveforitstragicending，ithardlystandsalone。
BallooningenterpriseandadventureweregrowingeveryyearmoreandmorecommonontheContinent。InScandinaviawefindthenamesofAndree，Fraenkal，andStrindberg;inDenmarkthatofCaptainRambusch。BerlinandParishadvirtuallybecomethechiefcentresofthedevelopmentofballooningasascience。
IntheformercityachiefamongaeronautshadariseninDr。A。
Berson，who，inDecember，1894，notonlyreached30，000feet，ascendingalone，butatthatheightsustainedhimselfsufficiently，byinhalingoxygen，totakesystematicobservationsthroughouttheentirevoyageoffivehours。Theyearbefore，incompanywithLieutenantGross，hebarelyescapedwithhislife，owingtotangledropesgettingfoulofthevalve。TouletandthosewhoaccompaniedhimlosttheirlivesnearBrussels。LaterWolfertandhisengineerwerekillednearBerlin，whileJohannsenandLoyalfellintotheSound。Thuseverfreshandmoreextendedenterprisewasembarkeduponwithgoodfortuneandill。Infact，ithadbecomeevidenttoallthattheContinentaffordedfacilitiesfortheadvancementofaerialexplorationwhichcouldbemetwithinnootherpartsoftheworld，Americaonlyexcepted。
Anditwasatthisperiodthattheexpedientoftheballonsonde，orunmannedballoon，washappilythoughtof。Oneoftheseballoons，the\"Cirrus，\"amongseveraltrials，rosetoaheight，self—registered，of61，000feet，whileapossiblegreaterheighthasbeenaccordedtoit。Ononeoccasion，ascendingfromBerlin，itfellinWesternRussia，onanotherinBosnia。Then，in1896，attheMeteorologicalConferenceatParis，withMascartasPresident，GustaveHermite，withcharacteristicardour，introducedaschemeofnationalascentswithballoonsmannedandunmanned，andthisschemewassoonputineffectunderacommissionoffamousnames——Andree，Assmann，Berson，Besancon，Cailletet，Erk，deFonvielle，Hergesell，Hermite，Jaubert，Pomotzew（ofSt。Petersburg），andRotch（ofBoston，Mass。）。
InNovember，1896，fivemannedballoonsandthreeunmannedascendedsimultaneouslyfromFrance，Germany，andRussia。Thenextyearsaw，withtheenterpriseofthesenations，theco—operationofAustriaandBelgium。Messrs。HermiteandBesancon，bothFrenchaeronauts，werethefirsttomakepracticaltrialofthemethodofsoundingtheupperairbyunmannedballoons，and，asapreliminaryattempt，dismissedfromParisanumberofsmallballoons，alargeproportionofwhichwererecovered，havingreturnedtoearthafterlessthan100miles’flight。Largerpaperballoonswerenowconstructed，capableofcarryingsimpleself—recordinginstruments，alsopostcards，whichbecamedetachedatregularintervalsbytheburningawayofslowmatch，andthusindicatedthepathoftheballoon。Thenextattemptwasmoreambitious，madewithagoldbeaters’skinballooncontaining4，000cubicfeetofgas，andcarryingautomaticinstrumentsofprecision。ThisballoonfellintheDepartmentoftheYonne，andwasreturnedtoPariswiththeinstruments，whichremaineduninjured，andwhichindicatedthatanaltitudeof49，000feethadbeenreached，andaminimumtemperatureof—60degreesencountered。YetlargerballoonsofthesamenaturewerethenexperimentedwithinGermany，aswellasFrance。
Alackofpublicsupporthascrippledtheattemptsofexperimentalistsinthiscountry，butabroadthismethodofaerialexplorationcontinuestogainfavour。
Distinctfrom，andsupplementing，therecordsobtainedbyfreeballoons，mannedorunmanned，arethosetobegatheredfromanaerostatmooredtoearth。Itisherethatthecaptiveballoonhasdonegoodservicetometeorology，aswehaveshown，butstillmoresohasthehigh—flyingkite。Itmustlonghavebeenrecognisedthatinstrumentsplacedonornearthegroundareinsufficientformeteorologicalpurposes，and，asfarbackas1749，wefindDr。Wilson，ofGlasgow，employingkitestodeterminetheuppercurrents，andtocarrythermometersintohigherstrataoftheair。Franklin’skiteanditsapplicationismatterofhistory。Manysincethatperiodmadeexperimentsmoreorlessinearnesttoobtainatmosphericobservationsbymeansofkites，butprobablythefirstinEngland，atleasttoobtainsatisfactoryresults，wasMr。DouglasArchibald，who，duringtheeighties，wassuccessfulinobtainingvaluablewindmeasurements，asalsootherresults，includingaerialphotographs，atvaryingaltitudesupto1，000or1，200feet。
FromthatperiodtherecordsofseriousandsystematickiteflyingmustbesoughtinAmerica。Mr。W。A。Eddywasoneofthepioneers，andaveryserviceabletaillesskite，inwhichthecross—barisbowedawayfromthewind，ishisinvention，andhasbeenmuchinuse。Mr。EddyestablishedhiskiteatBlueHill——thenowfamouskiteobservatory——andsucceededinliftingself—recordingmeteorologicalinstrumentstoconsiderableheights。Thesuperiorityofreadingsthusobtainedisobviousfromthefactthatfreshair—streamsareconstantlyplayingontheinstruments。
AyearortwolateratotallydissimilarkitewasintroducedbyMr。LawrenceHargrave，ofSydney，Australia。Thisinvention，whichhasprovedofthegreatestutilityandefficiency，would，fromitsappearance，upsetallconventionalideasofwhatakiteshouldbe，resemblinginitssimplestformamerebox，minusthebackandfront。Nevertheless，thesekites，intheirpresentform，havecarriedinstrumentstoheightsofupwardsoftwomiles，therestraininglinebeingfinesteelpianowire。
Butanotherandmostefficientkite，admirablyadaptedformanymostimportantpurposes，isthatinventedbyMajorBaden—Powell。Themainobjectsoriginallyaimedatintheconstructionofthiskiterelatedtomilitaryoperations，suchassignalling，photography，andtheraisingofamantoanelevationforobservationalpurposes。Intheopinionoftheinventor，whoisapracticedaeronaut，awindofoverthirtymilesanhourrendersacaptiveballoonuseless，whileakiteundersuchconditionsshouldbecapableoftakingitsplaceinthefield。Describinghisearlyexperiments，Major，thenCaptain，Baden—Powell，statedthatin1894，afteranumberoffailures，hesucceededwithahexagonalstructureofcambric，stretchedonabambooframework36feethigh，inliftingaman——notfar，butfarenoughtoprovethathistheorieswereright。Lateron，substitutinganumberofsmallkitesforonebigone，hewas，onseveraloccasions，raisedtoaheightof100feet，andhadsentupsandbags，weighing9stone，to300
feet，atwhichheighttheyremainedsuspendednearlyawholeday。
Thisformofkite，whichhasbeenfurtherdeveloped，hasbeenusedintheSouthAfricancampaigninconnectionwithwirelesstelegraphyforthetakingofphotographsatgreatheights，notablyatModderRiver，andforotherpurposes。
Ithasbeenclaimedthatthefirstwell—authenticatedoccasionofamanbeingraisedbyakitewaswhenatPirbrightCampaBaden—Powellkite，30feethigh，flownbytwolines，fromwhichabasketwassuspended，tookamanuptoaheightof10feet。
Itisonlyfair，however，tostatethatitisrelatedthatmorethanfiftyyearsagoaladywasliftedsomehundredfeetbyagreatkiteconstructedbyoneGeorgePocock，whosemachinewasdesignedforanobservatoryinwar，andalsofordrawingcarriagesalonghighways。
CHAPTERXXIV。ANDREEANDHISVOYAGES
Amongmanysuggestions，alikeimportantandoriginal，duetoMajorBaden—Powell，andcomingwithinthefieldofaeronautics，isonehavingreferencetotheuseofballoonsforgeographicalresearchgenerallyandmoreparticularlyfortheexplorationofEgypt，which，inhisopinion，isacountrypossessingmanymostdesirablequalificationsonthescoreofprevailingwinds，ofsuitablebase，andofgroundadaptedforsuchsteeringasmaybeeffectedwithatrailrope。AttheBristolmeetingoftheBritishAssociationtheMajorthuspropoundedhismethod:\"I
shouldsuggestseveralballoons，oneofabout60，000cubicfeet，and，say，sixsmalleronesofabout7，000cubicfeet;then，ifonegetstornordamaged，theothersmightremainintact。Afteratime，whengasislost，oneofthesmalleronescouldbeemptiedintotheothers，andtheexhaustedenvelopedischargedasballast;thesmallerballoonswouldbeeasiertotransportbyportersthanonebigone，andtheycouldbemoreeasilysecuredontheearthduringcontrarywinds。Overthemainballoonalightawningmightberiggedtoneutralise，asfaraspossible，thechangesoftemperature。Alightningconductortothetopoftheballoonmightbedesirable。Alargesailwouldbearranged，andabifurcatedguideropeattachedtotheendofahorizontalpolewouldformanefficientmeansofsteering。Thecarwouldbeboat—shapedandwaterproof，sothatitcouldbeusedforareturnjourneydownariver。Watertankswouldbefitted。\"
Thereasonablenessofsuchaschemeisbeyondquestion，evenwithouttheworkingcalculationswithwhichitisaccompanied;
but，erethesewordswerespoken，oneofthemostdaringexplorersthattheworldhasknownhadbeguntoputinpracticeayetbolderandrasherschemeofhisown。TheideaofreachingtheNorthPolebymeansofballoonsappearstohavebeenentertainedmanyyearsago。Inacuriouswork，publishedinParisin1863byDelavilleDedreux，thereisasuggestionforreachingtheNorthPolebyanaerostatwhichshouldbelaunchedfromthenearestaccessiblepoint，thecalculationbeingthatthedistancefromsuchastartingplacetothePoleandbackagainwouldbeonlysome1，200miles，whichcouldbecoveredintwodays，supposingonlythattherecouldbefoundamoderateandfavourablewindineachdirection。Mr。C。G。
Spenceralsowroteonthesubject，andsubsequentlyCommanderCheyneproposedamethodofreachingthePolebymeansoftripleballoons。AsimilarschemewasadvocatedinyetmoreseriousearnestbyM。Hermiteintheearlyeighties。
SometenyearslaterthanthisM。S。A。Andree，havingobtainedsufficientassistance，tookuptheideawiththedeterminedintentionofpushingittoapracticalissue。Hehadalreadywonhisspursasanaeronaut，asmaybebrieflytold。InOctober，1893，whenmakinganascentforscientificpurposes，hisballoongotcarriedoutovertheBaltic。Itmayhavebeenthestrengthofthewindthathadtakenhimbysurprise;but，therebeingnownoremedy，itwasclearlythespeedandpersistenceofthewindthatalonecouldsavehim。Ifachancevesselcouldnot，orwouldnot，\"standby，\"hemustmakethecoastofFinlandorfallinthesea，andseveraltimesthefallintheseaseemedimminentashisballooncommenceddropping。
Thisthreateneddangerinducedhimtocastawayhisanchor，afterwhichthevergeoftheFinlandshorewasnearlyreached，whenachangeofwindbegantocarryhimalongtherockycoast，justasnightwassettingin。
Recognisinghisextremedanger，Andreestoodontheedgeofthecar，withabagofballastreadyforemergencies。Heactuallypassedoveranisland，onwhichwasabuildingwithalight;
butfailedtoeffectalanding，andsofellintheseaonthefartherside;but，theballoonpresentlyrightingitself，Andree，nowgreatlyexhausted，madehislasteffort，andasheroseoverthenextcliffjumpedforhislife。Itwaspast7
p。m。whenhefoundhimselfonceagainonfirmground，butwithasprainedlegandwithnoonewithincall。Seekingwhatshelterhecould，helivedoutthelongnight，and，beingnowscarceabletostand，tookoffhisclothesandwavedthemforasignal。Thissignalwasnotseen，yetshortlyaboatputofffromanisland——thesamethathehadpassedtheeveningbefore—
—androwedtowardshim。Theboatmanovernighthadseenastrangesailsweepingoverlandandsea，andhehadcomeinquestofit，bringingtimelysuccourtothecastaway。
Brieflystated，Andree’sgrandschemewastoconveyasuitableballoon，withmeansforinflatingit，asalsoallnecessaryequipment，asfartowardsthePoleasashipcouldproceed，andthence，waitingforafavourablewind，tosailbyskyuntiltheregionofthePoleshouldbecrossed，andsomeinhabitedcountryreachedbeyond。Theballoonwastobekeptneartheearth，andsteered，asfarasthismightbepracticable，bymeansofatrailrope。Theballoon，whichhadacapacityofnearly162，000cubicfeet，wasmadeinParis，andwasprovidedwitharuddersailandanarrangementwherebythehangofthetrailropecouldbereadilyshiftedtodifferentpositionsonthering。Further，toobviateunnecessarydiffusionandlossofgasatthemouth，theballoonwasfittedwithalowervalve，whichwouldonlyopenatamoderatepressure，namely，thatoffourinchesofwater。
Allpreparationswerecompletedbythesummerof1896，andonJune7ththepartyembarkedatGothenburgwithallnecessariesonboard，arrivingatSpitzbergenonJune21st。Andree，whowastobeaccompaniedonhisaerialvoyagebytwocompanions，M。NilsStrindbergandDr。Ekholm，spentsometimeinselectingaspotthatwouldseemsuitablefortheirmomentousstart，andthiswasfinallyfoundonDane’sIsland，wheretheircargowasaccordinglylanded。