The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-28

DuG III OO6S require d cOUl nett't niA oAoSe
attention. A number OF fatalities have
occurred which, in my judgment, were
due to carelessness and lack of Judgment
"Some parachutists take drink OF
whisky or wine to steady their nerves
just bef,re they go up, but L never do,
nor do l take any stimulants of any kind
for several hours before making trip.
l attribute number of Incidents TO this
bad practice of drinking before going up.
"While 1 was at Celoron, N. Y. had
little mishap which came near ending
mr. career. | was over the lake, and my
great distance from the shore. A bout
| ten feet above the water lefs my seat on
the trapeze bar on the descending pnra-
chute and jumped into the lake. Ths
water was not much over my head, but
| stuck in the mud at the bottom of tue
lake, and had a desperate struggle for
my life. was nearly gone before help
reached me, as in trying to extrioate my
self from the mud l swallowed a great
deal of water and was pretty well ex.
hausted. thought my time had surely
come.
s'When cut loose / am firmly seated
on the trapeze bar, and my arms are
stretched out, my hands firmly graspins
the ring above. Then I release the cord,
and away 90 toward the earth at
frightful pace, but it gradually but
quickly lessons till the parachute is
| he dow N vx5a ri
speed is rapid but regular, and the SEN
sation of falling is lost.
"a parachute like mine, which is
about fifteen feet in diameter, reaches
the earth at a speed equal to TINT OF a
| Jump of three feet. Bor instance, stand
on table and jump to the floor. and
then you'll know the rate of speed / ao-
quire in eating back to land
Gin landing, I can best liken it to the
feat of jumping from car going at a
moderate rate of speed. You've got to be
lively Oh your feet, or you'll go rolling
over aud over.
~ don't care how strong the wind
blows above, but when it blows heavy
ON land it is hard to initiate the ba loon
without igniting it. 1 use balloon ID
feet high and 30 feet in diameter, pear
shaped, aud made of Irish linen. with
strong seams and without the usual net
work of cords surrounding ordinary bal
looms, and am very careful about it.
| Several times my balloon has caught
! fire from the blaze beneath it just as
cried Let got and was forced to jump
with the parachute at a short distance,
but, of course l ID go up far enough to In
sure the opening of the parachute before
striking the earth. As matter of fact
| have to keep my eyes on the balloon in
going up. as it might collapse before !
could cut loose if were not Watching
ii.
Sometimes holes unexpectedly appear
| in the balloon, and then I've got to look
out for a sudden collapse of my carrying
agent. After cut loose, the large bal
loon, owing to it's being top-heavy. over
turns and em1ts the hot air and then
rapidly falls to the earth. On Thursday
many people thought the falling balloon
would strike my parachute and destroy
me, but In reality it passed moro than
| ], 900 feet beyond me. II it should come
dangerously close, could shift the pnra-
| cb ute and sail away from 1t. 1t seldom
comes within 100 feet Of me.
| "That day landed on top of u tree,
and had to swlng with one hand from
the parachute ring while | smashed the
branches from the tree with the iron bar
of my trapeze to allow the parachute to
Iand."