The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-11-26
VAN TASSELL TALKS.
A Scrap of History of the Lost Bal
loonist.

The Van Tassell brothers are to-day,
beyond all question, the most daring
balloonists and parachute jumpers in the
world. Both brothers have time and
time again jumped from balloons when
over a mile and half from the earth,
and even handsome Mrs. Van Tassell
has made one jump from balloon over
a mile from the earth. An Exposition,
Fresno, Cala.), reporter called at the
Hughes Hotel to-day and asked for Mr..
Park Van Tassell. A gentleman weigh
ing about 200 pounds, built like an
Apollo and very handsome, answered
the summons and giving the reporter a
hearty grip with his small yet muscular
hand, he said, "what can l do for you"
"What brings you to Fresno, pro-
fessor?"
81 have heard so much of this town as
the best little city on the Coast that
concluded to come here and see whether
or not l could arrange to jump from
balloon a mile above the earth, or even
higher, for l would just as soon jump
from balloon two miles high as mile
high" o.,
"How many jumps have you made !"
~ have made in all twenty-eight
jumps, none of them under a mile; Joe
has jumped six times and Mrs. Van
Tassel has jumped once"
Chow does it happen that your wife
has made but one jumpW
Because, sir, l wouldn't endure the
agony l suffered when she did jump for
ali the money on earth. 1t was at Los
Angeles on July 4th, two years ago.
There was no need OF her jumping, but
she coaxed and finally l consented.
From the moment l cut the balloon
loose until she was again on earth l
think suffered thousand deaths. She
went up 900 feet, but she will never do
it again. Joe and 1 will do the jumping
hereafter"
"How did you happen to start para
chute jumping?"
"Well, have been balloonist for
twelve years. One day when ! was at
work in the Mechanics Pavilion in San
Francisco, l got to thinking about jump
ing from balloon and / rigged up
parachute and attached weights to it.
Well, to make a long story short, ex-
perimented until got parachute that
would let 210 pounds down easy; then L
built big one, about the time | met
Baldwin, and he coaxed me until let
him make the first jump ever made in
the world from a balloon. Since then
he has become famous and / have kept
I'D jumping. Joe made his first jump a
H., tha hi1haCf INN IN 10 Of
Sunday at Santa Monica, when he sprang
from the balloon over mile and half
from the earth. He was clear out OF
sight, the clouds being very high, and
prettier sight you never saw than when
the clouds opened, it seemed, and let
him fall through"
81 came down terribly FAST" said Joe
who was standing by.
eyes," said his brother, "too fast"
"Isn't this parachute jumping very
dangerous ?"
at is, and it isn't" said Park Van
Tassell "You have to be very careful
to see that everything is right before you
Jump, for there is no such thing as stop
ping to fix things afterwards"
"Can you describe a jump? Tell me
how it feels to fall a mile through the
air."
"Well, that's hard to do. We go up
in a balloon which holds $1,000 cubic
feet of gas and lifts $500 pounds. Only
one goes up for a reason you will under
stand later on. The parachute is fas-
tened to the side of the balloon with a
rope. 1t has no ribs, like an umbrella,
but is perfectly flexible all over.
1t is made of .pongee silk with
SO ropes sewed in it like ribs of an
umbrella, and then all brought together
at the bottom. Underneath the para
chute is an ordinary trapeze. When we
get ready to jump, we swing out of the
balloon throwing one leg out OF the
trapeze under the parachute. Then we
cut 1t loose at the same instant pulling
cord that collapses the balloon. Wefall
the first two hundred feet with terrible
rapidity and then comes the most dam
gerous part of the jump, next to land
ing, for in falling the two hundred feet
the parachute opens and it brings up
with Jerk that almost hurls you of
the bar. 1t did hurl that poor fellow off
in Texas the other day. Well, again,
after the first jerk you fall again quite
TdDlulH anu bilCA COAAACo aiAObaO4 l<AAt
after which it is very pleasant until you
get close to the ground. Now, if your
parachute was to touch the roof OF
four-story building say, it would in
stantly turn aideways, collapse and you
would fall the rest of the way like a
rock. So far have been very fortunate,
but have had some narrow escapes"
"What do you propose to do here, pro-
lessor ?"
81 am going to try and arrange for a
Jump during your fair and also arrange
for a Jump on Saturday week, that is
week from tomorrow. There has never
been but five jumps made in the State"
"One more question, professor, and
then [ am DONE What was the most
thrilling experience of your life in the
air"
"My jump a year ago at Seattle. l
came nearer death than / will ever be
again and not de-" said the aeronaut.
ii had been having awful luck and was
broke. / advertised to drop mile and
l had guarantee of $1,000, if l did so.
l went up a mile and half, but when l
got ready to jump my heart stood still.
| could see no place where I could alight
safely. 1t was nothing but timber, tres
ties over the sound and houses. 1t was
one chance in q thousand that ] would