The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-03
VAN TASSflL's Big JUMP.
Ne Leaves His Balloon 1000 Feet
in the Air.
Thrilling Aerial Experience That
was Witnessed by Thousands
Of People.

p,af 3 A. Ea1 I8szel E1eNezzfHliv made
his balloon ascension aHss parachute jump
Tss.e-Iay afternoon n The sight Of many
thousand peoPle-
Van Tasseils balloon had remained "a.
,alaipv the smaller Of the two reservoirs Of
he gas company on Jackson street, since
the day before, s tg0inch maia heiaz
tayvea asG p0arlng gas into The air sAgp
gos sbaui four bogfs daring TUESDAY after
anon. The carren; Nss shHf Of at ri
TuesdaT and IL xss renewed again yesssr-
Ssy morniag At y o'elock when ~
yesssl cs7aiai aei about q 90 eabae .seezf.
pss. Il vas announced that il vas ~ 10
male The veyage through she az sHvan
Tsssetf began bis fiasl arrseKerneBts The
psrAchBso vas fastened ~ is iop TO tie
s.de o. the balloon By ilzhtgope.
rHE v0TAGE EEGuS.
A. one o'clock. when large crowds had
collected ct the gas works, along the
rysr front. and at various poirfs o. san.
tags about the clIy, the areopant cast OF
IL sandhsEs that held the balloon 70 the
gr8gnd Then. p.eeirg himself securely
IN iarFs ifnn fiaV Wnlcl was substituted
n. IT. basket amt was IN Feara Of fAe
ropes Of TIE parachute, the vessei was al
LOVED 10 ascend gfadEaily until clear OF
The buildings. and fiIen ala restraining
rgfges wefe east of end Van TAzseiI started
o. his aerial voyage. Tie balloon shot
xtrHlehf up y the zenith. until II rsaf. ned
hight % hb0ut go feet. aad then.
striking Az upper stratum 81 air, Il
s'arsed fJr the nNTshwezt. directly To-
xards the hat5gr. TIE 4 u ~ tue 4yar-
aehats unbalanced tt,e ha s. ard caused
Il 70 turn Fofini AMI go -. 4 the ring In
which Van TssseH es med himself
~. - =.
silkeB ElD1e ffIosef 2 ross a8GYe the city
thousands OF people attracted BY the 40.
rJsr OF tire crows that WIS rushing toward
the water ffoni, abandoned their vpeaiious
and gathered BE- tle streets 70 gaze upward
a. slle moving balloon and The pendent
body Of the air v0ysger that was hardly
disiingHlshaDle AZ thai great distance.
OYER TIRE wkrKn's EDGE.
As the balloon approached the harbor Il
began % veer around toward the north and
10 follow the Hs'eFline down towards
North z attic Three OF four tags and
steamers aud tweufy row boats started in
the wake ofthc balloon. hired. perhaps By
Van Tassell offer 81 SO aud six bat 20
the first who picked hlm up. During the
time the ba loon had been moving towards
and along the line Of the harb0f. Il had
never ceased ascending. and when Van
Tassell reached the point at which he con.
eluded to make bis jump. he was about
roo feet above the earth Carefully fssten.
ing one wrist "a the ring 81 The parachute
81 means Of q strap. aud grasptng the sides
OF the ring ia both hands, he pulled the es-
cape valve of the balloon and made his
leap ont igtp space.
THHLLISG DEscEST.
Van Tasseil's experience In the descent
was .indescr ABLY thrilling. The para
chute for the fFst few seconds failed to
open up aud sic sronaHt shot towards the
earth with frighffHi velocity. The nm
brcila inAlly spread snd the descent Of the
parachute was checked 70 suddenly that
NanTasseli lost hiA hold on the ring aud was
saved from making the remainder Of tho
trip alone only hy the strap around his
wrist lie made strenuous efforts 70 re
gal8 bis hold. bat the parachute BEGAN to
swing from side 10 side. terribly Jerking
the arouauts body in its broad sweeps,
and almost causing him 10 give up
his Efforts 10 regain bis grasp He finally
succeeded and was able 10 finish his
journey in comparative security, though
almost worn ont by his exer.lous. Tho
parachute slowly came down inside the
seattle, Lake shore & Eastern trestie. near
the barrel factory, Van Tassell struck In
with his parachute by two fishermen. lie
was hgoaght back to the Occidental Hotel,
not much the worse for his experience,
WHERE Tue BALLOON WENT.
when the rronaut started on his descent
the balloon, ilghtened OF his weight and
that a the parachute, shot quickly up
wards sud then continued ia the direction
Of smith's Cove. Il tame down near the
cove upon tree Two slight rents were
msae IN 1t bat no material damage was
done
WATCHED By THOUSANDS,
The efouaut's descent was watched
with an Nious interest bv the thousands OF
people whose eyes had followed his course
through The air The parachute seemed TO
descf nd very SLOWLY, and the struggles he
was making 10 secure hi~ hold on the ring
were perhaps realized hy none. The
movements Of the parachute from side 10
side seemed IN the crowd 20 Dc 81 smsil
moment, but when it 10 stated that each
sweep covered space Of perhaps io0 feet.
the seriousness 81 the merauauis situation
eau b. better appreciated. The journey
from the clouds down was made In about
tive minutes, aud AT an average velocity OF
80 seet per second
TIE BALIooS
The ball0oulst had intended to make the
ascension from barge Ia the harb0r, bat
the diaieglty of conveying the balloon
through the streets when inflated caused
him 70 abandon the idea. This was The
hrst ascension ~ this balloon. The vessel
of oiled silk, and Is "a feet b.gh. The
parachute is q feet aeross the top when
spread ana about % feet ia length,
OTHER AsCENsIoNs,
an Tasscll. with his wife aud his man
s-seF. Mr. J. j. Movers. viii leave shortly for
San Francisco, where two Rscensions are
contemplated one OF them will embrace
adouhle parachute jump by Van Tassell
and his wife. from the same balloon, with
direreai Parachutes. They viii then go to