The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-03
AERIAL ADVENTURES.
Sensations Of n Parachutist Float
ing Through Space.
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.

ing Through Space.
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
Edward Baltz. of Buffalo, is a famous
parachutist He is 2S years old. small of
stature weighs about 100 pounds. and APP
pears to be a bunch of muscles and nerves.
He talks very modestly of his aerial adj
ventures, not at all boastlngly or with
vanity. His dangerous work brings him
an income of $500 to $500 a week, and it is
estimated that he has earned between $50,-
900 and $4,000 by his flights into cloudland.
THE sensation of going up in a bal
loom" he says, is rather peculiar and
different from what most people imagine
it 20 be, for instead of experiencing the
sensation of being dragged through space,
you feel that you are stationary, and that
the earth appears to be floating, the at
mosphere becomes lighter and more ex-
hilarating, the trees and other objects rap
idly become specks: but about that time
/ haven't much time to make close obser-
Vations 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 500 or 1000 feet up i'm
agine the ascent must be at a velocity
equal to a mile or two a minute.
My first parachute jump was In Ken
lucky, in 1886, within a few weeks after
Baldwin tried 1t successfully.
zone of the liveliest adventures I 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 l was up about a mile
my balloon drfted out over the ocean.
fell into the ocean with my parachute.
about asmlle off shore, near the fishing
banks. Fortunately, L ann a good swim
mer, 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 par
achute, which were drifting out to sea.
''Oh, don't know that it requires much
nerve to drop with a parachute, but IL does
require a cool head and close attention. A
number of fatalities have occurred which,
in my Judgment. were due to carelessness
and lack of Judgment.
"Some parachutists take a drink of
whisky or wine to steady their nerves just
before they go up but never do, nor do
take any stimulants of any kind for sew
eral hours before making a trip. i attrib-
ute a numbers of accidents to this bad
practice of drinking before going up.
1 while L was at Celoren, N. Y, had a
| little mishap which came near ending my
| career. ] was over the lake, and my par
l achute came down over the water, not a
! great distance from the Shore About ten
| feet above the water left my seat on the
! trapeze bar on the descending parachute
| and jumped into the lake. The water was
/ not much over my head, but I stuck in
| the mud at the bottom Of the lake, and had
| a desperate struggle for my life. i was
nearly gone before help reached me, as In
trying to extricate myself from the mud
/ swalloed a great deal or water and was
pretty well exhausted. / thought my time
| had surely come
"When cut loose I am firmly seated on
the trapeze bar, and my arms are stretch
ed out my hands firmly grasping the ring
above Then release the cord, and away
l go toward the earth at a frightful pace.
but it 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
fifteen feet In diameter reaches the earth
at speed equal to that of a jump of three
feet For instance, stand on a table and
jump OH the floor, and then you'll know
the rate of speed acquire in getting back
to land.
'In landing. can best liken 1t to the
feat of jumping from a car going at
moderate rate Of speed. You've got to be
lively on your feet, or you'll go rolling
over and over
II don't care how strong the wind blows
above, but when 1t blows heavy on land 1t
II hard to initiate the balloon without igntt-
Ing IL. use u DdllOOn bSVenLy-IlNe EeeC
high and fifty feet in diameter, pear
shaped, and made of Irish linen, with
strong seams and without the usual net
work of cords surrounding ordinary ball
looms, and am very careful about II.
Several times my balloon has caught
fire from the blaze beneath 1t just as
cried Let go! and / was forced to jump
with the parachute at a short distance.
but, of course, I'd go up far enough to
insure the opening of the parachute be-
fore striking the earth. As a matter Of
fact, / have to keep my eyes on the bal
loon In going up, as it might collapse be-
fore could cut loose IL were not watch
ing 1t.
Sometimes holes Unexpectedly appear
In the balloon, and then I've got to look
out for a sudden collapse of my carrying
agent After l cut loose, the large ball
loon, owing to It's being top-heavy. over
turns and emits the hot air and then rap
idly falls to the earth. On Thursday
many people thought the falling balloon
would strike my parachute and destroy
me, but in reality it passed more than
1000 feet beyond me- If 1t should come
dangerously close. 1 could shift the para
chute, and sail away from it. 1t seldom
comes within 100 feet of me.
THAT day ] landed on top of tree,
and j had to swing 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
land"