The San Francisco call., 1898-07-24
dered unconscious.


 child and as young woman she often appeared before local audiences as a singer and dancer. A year ago she made tour with a theatrical company, doing a soubrette turn. That was not exciting enough for her.
 Less than two weeks ago she read an advertisement for young Iadv 10 make balloon ascensions and para chute leaps. She answered it.
 T picked her out from among q dozen applicants" said Manager George L. Johnson, who inserted the advertisement. T thought she had the necessary nerve. I told her what She would have to do and how easy II would be to learn to jump with the chute. Her eyes sparkled. She said sEe would like TO do it. I engaged her.
 She saw Tom Cowan, our aeronaut. go up twice. He showed her how to make the leap. On the Fourth of July She was ready to begin. She went up with Cowan and made a successful leap She is the nerviest girl ever saw"
 Last Sunday the accident occurred which tried and proved her nerve as the nerve of no woman was ever tried and proved before. She was to go up again with Cowan They were to lean st the same moment and race back to earth in their parachutes. It was +o be record breaking event. With the expectation of going up 10000 feet the pig SO-1oot hot air balloon was over charged. When it was released it shot up as if discharged from huge mor- tar Almost in a twinlzling it was up 1900 feet.
 men the multitude below saw puff or smoke rise from the apex of the big cordaSe bag. The balloon had burst
 Miss Nevins told the story as she lav oA her Dack on cot in the dressing room or the Electric Park pavilion. we were sailing toward the skv haa just looked down at the great crowd or people in the park and way cd my hand at them, and had turned my head for a look downward and could 6areIy distinguish objects and suuuenly l felt a severe jar occasioned Dy the sudden slackening of the hal loon night. l knew something had happened, but I did not know what if was. l turned to Cowan He had beAn performing on his trapeze when the shock came. He climbed quickly up on his oar and looked above
 What has happened. Tom?' I cried to him. He looked above I looked too. ] saw a little cloud of smoke above us and more of it pouring from the top of the balloon.
 Already l could feel that we were descending There was a rush of air upward as We began to shoot down. ward
 She has explodedr shouted the professor. 'Cuti'
 T looked for my cut away rope which had been hanging within easv reach of my hand. It had been borne out beyond my reach by the spreading or my parachute, caused by the de- scent Of the balloon.
 T stretched my hand toward if hut ] might as well have reached for the branch of tree on the distant hin tops.
 We're falling. Cut, Mildred. cut,' shouted Cowan again.
 The canvas was Tapping hideousIv The not air was rushing with misses from the balloon. The wind was roar Ing and Whirring past my ears.
 barely heard Cowans shouted words. He was only a few feet from me, but his voice came to me through the unearthly noises as it mivht have sounded coming from the ground be- low.
 made another frantic effort to reach my cut-away rope. but 1t swung mockingly further from me.
 l felt the balloon tighten, and look ed over where Professor Cowan had been. He was gone. I saw him tiIting his parachute and working out from under the balloon, which now was nothing but great expanse of flap ping canvas
 T was alone. I knew I was better or alone, because there was that much less weight on the balloon, and it's de- scent would not be so rapid, but an awful feeling Of loneliness took pos session of me.
 l looked down for an instant on the crowd, and my thoughts took a fan tastic turn. It seemed to me I was doomed to remain always suspended there, to see people go and come and not be able to speak to them or they to me, to hunger and thirst and not be able to reach the food and drink which I could see down below
 Then my mind came back to the terrible reality. The excess of danger seemed to bring an unnatural calm to me. I clutched the handles of my par- achute and closed my eyes. I thought l was going to be killed, but the thought did not terrorize ne It made no distinct impression on me. It did not seem to be anything in which was interested or concerned.
 At times I felt the canvas abo,,t me. Again I could feel that I swung clear and knew that but for my hold on the parachute bar I would dron straight to earth like thing of lead
 My whole life seemed to pass in re- view in those few seconds. I imagined saw everything flash panorau1icalIv before my eyes, from my early child hood to the minute the balloon burst It was an instantaneous picture. how ever. I was not at all frightened bv if Naturally, l thought of those near and dear to me-especially my sister She has been my confidante. my hest friend. and J began to refect-if there is such thing as beginning in hay. ing the notion to thrust on you by sucb an awful sensation--how she wouId take my death. how she would grieve perhaps. and above all what a shock 1t would prove to her to find out that I had taken to ballooning
 My family was not aware that had become an aeronaut and it was only after the accident that my sister learned of my occupa ton. My father does not yet know what am doing: not that I am ashamed of the business.