Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-04-13
Dropped TWo!M miles.

at is claimed by the halloonist
Baldwin that he has dropped 5000
thousand feet from his balloon with a
parachute. | shall drop at least ten
thousand feet, and shall attempt what
no other balloonist ever did shall
drop with the parachute closed. leav-
ing it entirely to the fall to open it. i"
So said Edward D. Hogan to a
a group of newspaper men who had
assembled at Jackson, Mich, last
Wednesday morning on vacant lot
northwest of the town to see him
make his foolhardy venture.
Hogan lives with his family at No.
32l Van Buren, street. He was for
fourteen years employed in planning
mill and only during the last four
years has devoted himself to balloon
ing as profession. He has studied
the subject thoroughly, however, for
many years, having from childhood
taken the keenest inte rest in it, He
rugged up worksb op at mis- home
and there he spent every spare mo.
ment experimenting in the construc-
tion of balloons, and during the past
twenty years has made frequent short
ascensions. During the past few
months he has given his attention to
parachutes, and on Feb. 9th. last an
nounced that he would ascend to an
altitude of 10000 feet aud drop from
the car
There is no use," be said, unless
l can beat all previous records and
fall further than any living man. A
few hundred feet less or few hum
dred feet more will count nothing for
me. / must at least double the Ills.
tance"
He repeated this talk when getti ng
his car ready, and at twenty five m IN
utes to ten the balloon ascended. As
it left the earth one of the guy ropes
holding the parachute broke. AS
soon US possible Hogan descended.
"It'll go up again in an hour" be
said.
The second trial was success
The balloon at five minutes past
eleven shot up to distance of fully
200 feet. 1t then settled about 800
feet and hung like ball in space
The crowd watched the balloon with
bated breath Observers provided
with powerful glasses saw Hogan
make ready to jump. He'll weaken"
said some one NO" cried another
watcher. che is getting out" Hogan
drew up the parachute till he reached
the guy ropes, to which he lashed
himself. He did not expect the para
chute to open for the first two or three
hundred feet, and be was afraid be
might be shaken loose by the rapidity
of the drop unless he took the pre-
caution to fasten himself.
When Hogan stepped on the edge
of the car to spring into space the
watchers grew pale and sick. Surely
this daring man was going to certain
death. A shout of horror went up.
Hogan had dropped.
Down like cannon ball he fell for
500 feeet. The parachute had not yet
opened. Down it came. like gigan-
tic, elongated bird. Suddenly shout
went up. The parachute had caught
the air. 1t opened like the wings of
monster eagle. Hogan's flight
downward was almost stopped with
| q jerk.
Then the parachute settled down to
steady journey earthward with its
passenger, and in three minutes from
the time the reckless man left the bal
loon car he landed safely in an open
field some little distance from where
| the ascent was made.
The correspondent was almost the
first to grasp the hand of the aero
naut. II lost my BREATH" Hogan said,
"when l shot down so fast, but L
caught it again after a while. 1t was
a great Jump, wasn't it ?"
He had never seen a man jump
with parachute, and his was home
made, containing 100 yards of stout
cloth He was much disappointed at
the slow time made, expecting to
come down in ninety seconds.
The parachute was twenty feet in
diameter. Oscillation was guarded
against by means of a four-inch hole
in the apex.