Re: [Leica] Durability of latent picture in the cold

["Dan Post" <dwpost@email.msn.com>]

Tom, it's vitamin A that's toxic in concentrations found in Polar Bear
livers; the reast of the trivia, I have to trust you! <G>
Dan
- -----Original Message-----
From: TTAbrahams <TTAbrahams@aol.com>
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Thursday, December 18, 1997 12:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Durability of latent picture in the cold

>Christoph, The infamous Andree expidition took place 1899, it was an
attempt
>to reach the North Pole by some "early" explorers. The ballon landed on
Bear
>Island and the members of the expidition died ( most likely from vitamin B
>overdoses, eating polar bear livers). In 1931 the camp was discovered and
the
>films recovered. These were not glassplates, Kodak had made a flexible
>filmbase roll, 4,5" wide and the cameras were early focalplane shutter
>cameras. When found the rolls had been stored in metal containers, tightly
>rolled. It took years to unspool and develop these haunting images and last
I
>heard (1989) there are still one or two rolls left to do. Kodak did "clip-
>testing" for the film and made up special developers for the job.
> If you have a chance of going to Sweden, there is a small, rather cute
town
>called Granna, about midway between Stockholm and Malmo, that has a museum
>dedicated to this expedition. They have the cameras and the negatives, as
well
>as the prints made. There is also a book published ( in swedish) about the
ill
>fated trip and some years ago there was a movie made. The ballon was named
"
>The Eagle", preceeding that other statement " The Eagle has landed" by at
>least 70 years.
> There is some controversy going on why the expedition failed, there
certainly
>was inexperience among the crew, national pride was pushing the project
faster
>than it should have been done and the fact that the high Actic and the
North
>Pole are still places that will excert a price on anyone going there.
> I have seen some of the negs from this expedition, I am happy i dont have
to
>print them!! They were also on nitrate base and needed to be handled
>carefully.
> Is there anyone from Kodak on the LUG that could shed some more light on
this
>subject or could one of our Swedish LUGgers find out more? I am 6-7000
miles
>away from the source of this information.
> I think that the movie is available on video although I dont know the
title
>in english.
> The town of Granna was the home to "Ingenjor Andree" ( these were the days
>when you were know by your title and Andree was an engineer), the other
claim
>to fame the town has is that it is home to the " mother of all candy
canes".
>These are 1' thick6-8" long peppermint candycanes. They have probably made
>more dentists rich in Sweden than any other sugarproducts. These candy
canes
>are known as "Polkagrisar", roughly translated " Polkapigs" Ain't trivia
>wonderful!
> Tom A