ANDRÉE AND HIS BALLOON [Illustration: THE DEPARTURE OF THE BALLOON. Copyright Archibald Constable & Co.] ANDRÉE AND HIS BALLOON By HENRI LACHAMBRE and ALEXIS MACHURON 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. TO A. S. ANDRÉE A FERVENT BELIEVER IN THE AËRIAL CONQUEST OF THE NORTH POLE WE DEDICATE THIS BOOK H. LACHAMBRE A. MACHURON LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE THE DEPARTURE OF THE BALLOON, 11TH OF JULY, 1897 _Frontispiece, in Colours_ SALOMON AUGUSTE ANDRÉE 9 VIEW OF THE LOWER PART OF THE BALLOON 21 VALVES FOR WORKING THE BALLOON 27 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 STAFF-OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 47 THE FIRST FLOATING ICEBERGS 55 DANE’S ISLAND AND THE PIKE HOUSE 63 DANSK-GATT 69 ARRIVAL OF A GENERATOR 77 ARRIVAL OF A GAS GENERATOR 83 THE “EXPRESS”, THE “ERLINE JARL”, THE “VIRGO”, DEPARTURE OF THE “VICTORIA” 91 DANE’S ISLAND 97 SMEERENBURG GLACIERS 103 THE “VIRGO”. AMSTERDAM ISLAND 109 ARRIVAL OF THE CAR 115 AN EXCURSION TO MAGDALEINA BAY 123 SOLAR OBSERVATIONS AT MAGDALEINA BAY 129 THE “VIRGO” DECKED FOR THE 14TH OF JULY FÊTE 135 STRINDBERG 141 THE CUPOLA OF THE BALLOON (TOP OF THE SHED) 147 THE BALLOON IN THE SHED DURING ITS DEFLATION 155 THE SHED AND THE BALLOON CASE 161