The Yellowstone journal., 1894-05-07
THE rsRRoSs OF skLLOONlNG.
a woman's Exciting Fali Through spac
and Escape From Death.


and Escape From Death.
Mrs. Carl E. Myers, the parachute
jumper. told of an exciting experience
of hers at the fair grounds at Ottawa
that. as she said. began like a com
edy and nearly ended in a tragedy:
1T was the narrowest escape I've
ever had, and incidentally and acci
dentally the first parachute descer'
ever made in America. 1t wasn't
regular parachute either, but I'll tell
YOU about that when l come to il
The occasion was big fair, and the
,grounds were packed with people,
the biggest and most uncomfortable
crowd | have ever seen. We had
funny time getting the balloon to the
place. II was brought up on the
iother side of the river in tow of |"
,comotive and was TO be towed across
Iby line OF canoes padded by In
idians. We got it fastened TO the ca.
noes. and it lifted the first three into
the air, spilling their occupants OUT
That was too much, even for aborig
inal stolidity. The other Indians de
camped in haste.
They afterward sai6 that if the,
had to go upward TO Il Great Spirit
they preferred TO die lirst and have
the benefi, of decent Irial. The next
move was TO fasten e balloons guy
rope to the stern o. a small steam
tug. The tug start up. a pJlf of
wind lifted the bal BON little, ard
up came the stern the boat out ol
the water. The : kept on putting,
the screw revol' d wildly, and the
crowd howled W n laughter. 1t was
zoo ridiculous, Il reminded me of a
kitten held up l. the air by the tai
and wildly scratching to get a foot
hold on the floor beneath.
Finally, bigger boat got the big
gas bag over safely, but so denseiy
packed was the crowd that had -
walk on the shoulders of the people
10 the balloon In their eagerness -
get up close the people broke the
concentrating ring which gathers tn.
balloon ropes before they are fasrei.
hole in the bag. In view of this, Mr.
Myers wanted me 10 give up the "trip.
but | insisted on going. and tirally
fastened the ropes tn the basket. The
rapidity with which | shot up was
alarming. and was three miles high
o.t,ra stopped Then l began To
Ir.p pretty fast. bur | knew | could
stop Lat when ! wanted 10, and |
.a.I D.-tgrr. suddenly | heard a tire
naudJu- ripping and tearing sound.
The air pressing up a. | fell had start.
81 the hole made 10y the crowd ana
the top Of the bag.
Il began To drop with fright
rapldity. and for minute | gave n
self up for lost and sank down in L
basket Then it flashed into my mlI.
that still had chance if | could so
turn the balloon as to bring the torn
parts underneath. and thus keep some
of the gas in the bag. II was a case
of working against time, FOR every
second was bringing me nearer 70 q
terrible death In the one glauct
that took downward | could see the
earth !eapIng up, as 1t seemed, tc
meet me. Iquickly shifted all my
sand bags. and to my joy the balloon
turned 80 az TO form a sort Of para
chute, and the speed was greatly de
creased. | was still dropping at {
dangerous rate, however.
Looking down below, saw no
far distant patch Of spruce trees
Toward this ! directed my fall ant
managed TO land there. Righ
through the trees Swent, breakin.
every branch that touched, but tn,
trees saved me. for landed on tn,
ground badly shaken, but unhurt.
had travelled an actual distance of /:
miles horizontally and three mile
downward in five minutes. My fal
had been slanting That was th'
only time that l ever gave up hops
even for a moment. New Yorl
Sun.