Evening star., 1896-12-21
DOWN FROM A BALLOON.
A Parachutfst Tells of His Daring
Adventures.


A Parachutfst Tells of His Daring
Adventures.
From the Cincinnati Commercial Tribunc.
Edward Baltz of Buffalo is famous
parachutist He is twenty-eight years old.
small of stature. weighs about 10 pounds.
and appears to be a bunch of muscles and
nerves. He talks very modestly of his
L aerial adventures, not at all boastingly or
with vanity. His dangerous work brings
him an income of 800 to 500 week, and
1t is estimated that he has earned between
$sOOO0 and $4,000 by his flights into
cioudland.
THE sensation of going up in a balloon"
he says, 'fs rather peculiar. and different
from what most people imagine II to be,
for instead of experiencing the sensation
that you are stationary, and that the earth
itself is falling away from you. The earth
appears to be floating. the atmosphere be-
comes lighter ard more exhila rating. the
trees and other objects rapidly become
specks; but about that time 1 haven't
much time to make close observations of
what the Inhabitants look like at long
range.
MY sole thoughts then are about my
balloon. parachute. and how to get back
upon the earth without getting injured or
killed.
For the first 800 or 1000 feet up 1 i'm
agine the ascent must be at velocity
equal to a mile or two minute.
My first parachute jump was In Ken
lucky. in 1886. within few weeks after
Baldwin tried it successfully.
"One Of the liveliest adventures / ever
had was at Carolina Beach, about fifteen
miles from Wilmington. N. c., few years
ago. There was a good breeze blowing up
above, and after / was up about a mile
my balloon drifted out over the ocean.
fell into the ocean with my parachute
about a mile of the shore. near the fishing
banks. Fortunately, am good swimmer
and as the sea was calm. 1 managed to
swim ashore.
Some men came to my rescue in boat
and sent them after my balloon and para
chute, which were drifting out to sea.
'Oh, l don't know that 1t requires much
nerve to drop with a parachute, but it does
require cool head and close attention A
number Of fatalities have occurred which,
In my judgment, were due 10 carelessness
and lack Of judgment.
Some parachutists take a drink of
whisky or wine to steady their nerves just
before they go up. but 1 never do. nor do
hours before making a trip. I attribute a
number Of accidents to this bad practice Of
drinking before going UP.
While l was at Celoron, n. Y, 1 had
little mishap which came near ending my
career. 1 was over the lake, and my para
chute came down over the water not a
great distance from the shore. About ten
feet above the water l left my seat on the
and jumped into the lake The water was
not much over my head. but stuck in the
mud at the bottom of the lake. and had
desperate struggle for my life. 1 was near
ly gone before help reached me, as in try
ing to extricate myself from the mud /
swallowed a great deal Of water and was
pretty well exhausted. I thought my time
had surely come.
when l cut loose l am firmly seated on
the trapeze bar. and my arms are stretched
out, my hands firmly grasping the ring
above. Then i release the cord, and away
go toward the earth at a frightful pace, but
1t gradually but quickly lessons till the
parachute is widespread and then the
downward speed is rapid but regular, and
the sensation of falling is lost.
"A parachute like mine, which is about
hfteen feet In diameter, reaches the earth
at speed equal to that of jump of three
feet For instance stand on a table and
Jump to the moor. and then you'n know the
rate of speed 1 acquire in getting back to
land.
In landing. I can best liken it to the
feat OF jumping from a car going at a mod
crate rate Of speed. You've got to be lively
on your feet. or you'l go rolling over and
over.
Il don't care how strong the wind blows
above, but when 1t blows heavy on land ii
Is hard to initiate the balloon without ignit-
ing 1t. l use a balloon 75 feet high and 20
feet in diameter. pear-shaped, and made of
Irish linen. With strong seams and without
the usual network Of cords surrounding
ORDINARY balloons, and am very careful
about 1t.
Several tunes my balloon has caught fire
from the blaze beneath II just as / cried
Let go! and was forced to jump with the
parachute at short distance, but, of
course. I'd go up far enough to insure the
opening Of the parachute before striking
the earth. As a matter of fact 1 have to
keep my eyes on the balloon in going up as
1t might collapse before 1 could cut loose II
I were not watching 1t.
sometimes holes Unexpectedly appear In
the balloon, and then I've got to look out
for sudden collapse Of my carrying agent
After 1 cut loose, the large balloon, owing
to Its being top-heavy, overturns and emits
the hot air and then rapidly falls to the
earth. On Thursday many people thought
the falling balloon would strike my para
chute and destroy me. but in reality It
passed more than 1000 feet beyond me- II
It should come dangerously close. I could
shift the parachute and sail away from it
1t seldom comes within 100 feet of me-
THAT day I landed on top of a tree and
I had to swing with one hand from the
parachute ring while smashed the
branches from the tree with the iron bar of
nv traDeze TO allow the ra chufo IN Ion .,