The herald., 1897-01-24
*SssSSsSsss%SSSSSsSSSSSSss
ADVENTURES IN THE AIR
HA4A&&&A&A&AA&AAAA&44AAA4'
Edward Stolz of Buffalo is a famous

Edward Stolz of Buffalo is a famou:
parachutist. He is 2S years old, small
of stature, weighs about 120 pounds ant
appears to be a bunch of muscles ant
nerves, says the Cincinnati CONNER.
cial Tribune. He talks very modestly o.
his aerial adventures, not at all boast
! ingly or with anity. His dangerous
work brings him an income of $500 to
$500 week and it is estimated that he
| has earned between $4,000 and $75, ZOO
by his flights in cloudland.
THE sensation of going up in a bal
| loon," he says, "is rather peculiar, and
| different from what most people i'm
| agine it to be, for instead of experience
ing the sensation of being dragged
through space you feel that you are sta
tionary and the earth appears to be
floating, the atmosphere becomes lighter
and more exhilarating. 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 500 or 1000 feet up i'm
agine the ascent must be at velocity
equal to mile or two minute
My first parachute jump was in Ken
lucky, in 1885, within a few weeks after
Baldwin tried it successfully.
zone of the liveliest adventures I ever
had was at Carolina beach, about fifteen
miles from Wilmington, North Carolina
few years ago. There was a good
breeze blowing up above, and after I
was up about a mile my balloon drifted
out over the ocean. 1 fell into the ocean
with my parachute, about a mile off the
shore, near the fishing banks. Fortu-
nately am good swimmer, and as the
sea was calm l managed to swim ashore
Some men came to my rescue in a
boat, and l sent them after my balloon
and parachute, which was drifting to
sea.
"Oh, I don't know that it requires
much nerve to drop with a parachute,
but it 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 drink of
whisky or wine just before they go up,
but never do, nor do / take any slim
ulants of any kind for several hours be-
fore making a trip. ! attribute number
of accidents to this bad practice of drink
ing before going up.
while 1 was at Celoron, New York,
I had a little mishap which came near
ending my career. I was over the lake
dIu lily CdIHe QOWH over Tile
water and a great distance from the
shore. About ten feet above the water
l 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 stuck in the mud at the
bottom of the lake and had a desperate
| struggle for my life. was nearly gone
| before help reached me, as in trying to
extricate myself from the mud 1 swal-
| lowed great deal of water and was
pretty we'll exhausted. 1 thought my
| time had surely come.
when cut loose am firmly seated
| on the trapeze bar and my arms are
stretched out, my hands firmly grasp
| ing the ring above. Then I release the
cord and away go toward the earth al
frightful pace, but it gradually but
quickly lessons till the parachute is
| widespread, and then the downward
speed is rapid, but regular. and the SEN
| sation of failing is lost.
| "A parachute like mine, which is
! about fifteen feet in diameter, reaches
| the earth at a speed equal to that of a
Jump Of three feet. For instance, stand
~, = t~h'o n~d f,-r>r tho f7oo~ rT