Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-09-29
DROPPING 10000 FEET.
a eALlOONlST'S DARING LEAP WITH
A BIG PARACHUTE.

4 Michigan Man Keats the Record =.
''in tho Interssts Of sctencc"-Fni
ing like . Meteor-snfe on Terra
Firma.
at is claimed by the balloonist, Baldwin,
that he has dropped 5000 feet from balloon
with a parachute. shall drop at least
10. 900 feet, and shnl attempt what no other
balloonist ever did shall drop with the
chute closed, leaving it entirely to the air to
open the chute"
so said Edward d. Hogan to a group of
newspaper men, who assembled one morning
not long ago on large vacant lot northwest
Of town to him make his foolhardy
venture. Hogan is a local acronaut. He
was for fourteen years employed in plan
ing mill here, and only during the last four
years has devoted himself to bailooning as
profession He has studied the subject thor ,
oughiy, however, for many years, having I
from childhood taken the kecnest interest I
and delight in the science OF smiling air ships
| He rigged up a workshop at his home, and
| there he spent every spare moment expert
m>itng in the constructing Of balloons and
on every possible occasion had made an
ascension, frequently going up to consider
able heights.
| THE PARACHUTE.
There is no use, he said, "of my attempt
| ing to do anything unless can beat all pre-
vious records and fall further than any living
man A few hundred feet less or few hun
dred feet more will count nothing for me. !
must at least double the distance"
He repeated this talk when getting his
car ready, and at 0:35 the balloon ascended
As the balloon left the earth one Of the guy
ropes holding the chute broke.
To describe this particular "chute" it Is
only necessary to imagine white globe
twenty feet in diameter, cut through the
center: in this way you have two parachutes,
the professor only having one It contained
100 wards of stout cloth. 1t Is not unlike
mammoth umbrella without a stick, the
braces being flexible cords running down
twenty five feet, and fastening to an iron
ring two feet in diameter. The other cords
all run clear up to the seams OF the Chute
so they cannot give way. This parachute
was fastened to the outside of the hot air bal
Icon in a perpendicular form by cord
When the balloon at the proper height
the professor intended to take hold OF the
iron ring, swing clear from the balloon, de
pend on the air to initiate the chute, ana
: take his chances of reaching terra tlrma III
! safety The balloon was inflated by 10000
feet of hot air, balloon parachute and ap
|
Mr. Hogans own manufacture. AS he
4 stepped in the car and gave orders for the
o ropes holding the balloon to tho ground to
he cast OH, the professor said to the CORE
. spou,leut who took what the latter believed
II TO be final leave of a daring and reckless
man:
"My balloon ought to take me up two
miles at least. The parachute won't initiate
y inside of 800 feet from the time leave the
:, balloon This distanc" will occupy three
u seconds, after that | expect to come down al
u right inside of one minute and thirty seconds
y Let her 60"
: At the word the ropes were cut and the
u :, monster went sailing upward.
v "The chute's guy has broken" cried Hogan
5 Instantly. 'Tl hnye to come down ani
y start over" AS soon Us possible Hogan de
scended. "rll go up again in an hour" h
said
THE SECOND TRIAL
g The second trial was success. The bal
loon shot up almost straight to a distance q
IS fully 10000 feet. II then settled about 40
y feet and hung like bnll in the heavens. Th
~ anxious and excited crowd of people on til
p ground watched the balloon with BATE
Z breath The reporters were provided wit
Is powerful glasses, and saw Hogan make read
: to jump.
Is Hell weaken" said some one.
NO" cried another, 'he is getting out"
The chute was closed Hogan drew 1t II
till he reached the ropes to which he lashe
himself He did not expect the chute to ope
n, for the first go or 800 feet, and he afrai
he might be shaken of the bar 10y the rapidt
a. of the fall unless he took the precaution t
- :, fasten himself When he stepped on the edg
:. Of the car to spring off into space some of II
daring man was going to certain death.
.+ shout of terror goes up. Hogan hh
'ir Jumped Down like cannon ball he fell fc
,s, 500 feet. The chute has not yet opened
~ Down it came like gigantic elongated bri
90 He was falling like a meteor, and the specti
NV tors shut their eyes while still keeping the
~ Glasses elevated Suddenly a shout goes VI
= - The chute has caught the air. 1t opens ill
~ lie wings OF monster eagle. Hogans Gigl
i, downward almost stopped with a jer
a. Then the chute settles down to stead
~, journey earthward with its passenger, al
-. il, three minutes from the time the reckle
Wv man left the balloon he landed safely in a
" open field some little distance from whel
-, the ascent was mace.
10 Correspondent was almost the first to gras
nd the hand of the aeronaut.
~ II lost my breath" said he, when | sh
40 down 30 fast but | caught it again after
m time 1t was Il great jump, wasn't 5f'
~ Professor Hogan was spleared with smu
iea, De had never s4en man jump with chut
lie was rauch disappointed at the slow tin
made, expecting to come down III ninety Sc
onds The chute was twenty feet il diamete
Oscillation was guarded against by means
ns four inch hole in tue apex. He was owe
ny yhelmed with congratulations, I'D was qui
at the hero Of the Eour. JACKSON tMich.) Co
'eo Globe Democrat
ng "
IL