The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
DARING OF PARACHUTE-JUMP

own reward"
DARING OF PARA CHUTE-JUMPERS.
A Business of This Season of tho Year which
| Results in Many Fatal Accidents.
This is the time Of the year when the para
chute-jumper is up in the air. At least II
he Is not up in the air he is down in the
woods dangling among the trees, or lying in
wateTy grave at the bottom Of some lake.
He is daring and spectacular fellow. He
has living to make. and this is his harvest
time. 1t is the time when he goes up and
down the country. in more senses than one,
| giving exhibitions for the amusement of
crowds at county fairs, summer assemblies,
mass meetings, and picnics. II he goes
through the season and escapes with his life
he may consider himself lucky He takes
great risks and demands big pay. Sometimes
he receives 800 or more for a single per-
| Torrance.
1t is perlous business. The other day, at
Corey, Pa, Frank Reynolds an amateur
aeronaut and parachute Jumper, lost his life
because he could not swim. He had never
before dropped with a parachute, but his
| opportunity came when he was engaged as
an attraction for summer assembly at
| Findlay's Lake, fifteen miles from Corey
On the afternoon of July 81, in the presence
OF large crowd. the young man made his
ascension. The balloon went up 1000 feet
| There 1t struck current of air which car
| ried 1t out over the lake. In the great crowd
which watched Reynolds as he swung loose
| from the trapeze-bar of the balloon and open
ed his parachute to drop was his wife, who
suddenly startled everybody by crying: "He
can't swim and he will drown" Boats quick
| ~ put out In response to the alarm, but
Reynolds struck the water where there is
depth of ninety feet. threw up his hands.
| and sank. while the nearest rescuring crew
was 200 feet away He was twenty five vears
old.
hd"ard NJ East. twenty one years old met
similar fate in Minnesota lake, drowning
Lie nrst week IN August He began the ha-
| h"ruous WORK early this season, hoping to
make more money than he could in any other
business His career was cut short at his
hltn ascension. 1t was In the town NJ
| walker. The young aeronaut made his as
cehsion In the evening" and there was a big
G gpo"a on hand to watch the performance
satara1 lar ar paiioon shot up to an altitude OF
several hundred feet, when a strong u,nd
| caught and carried 1t out over the south orr,
oI Leech Lake. Then the balloon was los,
10 slght. steamer fastened to the rescue
Gnu aIthough the balloon was recovered. the
aeionaut was not found A search was kent ~
| az night, but the body was never recoverad
a.. 10 supposed that the parachute failed IN 10
Us s WORK properly and that East, in attemnto
fe eH TO cut himself loose. became excited and
ieil headlong into the lake anu
onaries keef, Cleveland aeronaut mo.
ueatn IN mat city on July TO- in fho ~
n nsnoe OF a crowd which had assembled +,
w. ",'I E's MS ascension and parachute iumn
at Euclid Beach Park. The baIIoor' imp ;
parachute were attached to e''v ana
wnlch IN turn was fastened to a stste'
As the balloon became inflated n swauad
a anu .usged SO powerfully that 1t pulled The
manr,nrs o" ~. .ne ground Released from its
i 'Ss the air ship shot upward with a
suaden Jerk, and the trapeze bar was hro.
hen Dy coming In contact with the Aving
STAKE, STAKE keef chung to the ropes of the hal
t tba s ana almost before any one realized
height of $50 feet. He probably felt thai
~ meant certain death to cling longer 10
tne ropes and allow the balloon TO carrv
n MN ,higher; SO he took the one chance
landed squarely on his feet. Both his
legs were broken and his internal Injuries
were fatal. He died without regainine cnp0
seriousness. 'oh-
one Of the most thrilling fights for life
In mid-air this season was that q, w ne
mayer at Streator, ILL.,. on July 27. Thayer
went to streator from Collins, Mich 20
make an ascension at the picnic given nv
"a o9e local camps of the Modern Woodmen
OF America: Early in the afternoon he
started on his aerial voyage The baIIoon
rose rapidly to height of about 900 feet
ana then drifted toward the southeast. Sud,
a., ueniy the balloon began to descend quick
~ and the parachute opened Thousands
or spectators were watching every mova
ment They saw the frantic but unsuccess-
tul attempts of Thayer to loosen the nara
onute from the balloon. He could be seen
using every effort and strainipe every
muscle and nerve to free himself and his
parachute, until suddenly the balloon COL
iapsed. few seconds later Thayer struck
the ground. He was dead when the frst
man reached his side. He fell 200 feet land
Ing on his back on a railroad track.
Streator furnished another balloon sepsa-
ton this season. Nine Cannon, a profess
sional aeronaut, had a narrow ESCAPE from
death In burning balloon there early in
July. Gasoline was used to hasten the in
nation, and the flames ignited the balloon
some excited spectator shouted to let 90
ana the workmen dropped the guy rope
Mihe' Carmon became entangled in the
ropes, and was carried up head downward
ike hylng-trapeze performer. Thousands
witnessed her perilous ascent. Soon the
names burned hole in the balloon, allow
ing the gas to escape. and this caused a
speedy descent The balloon found a land
Ing on housetop, and the woman curious
to say, escaped with a few bruises
W. A. Ward Sioux City aeronaut, was
equally lucky. He made an ascension at
Lakeview, Ia, on July S. before a crowd of
5000 people, and when at a height of more
than 100 feet his parachute tore loose, but
did not open. He fell to the ground, but
to the great surprise OF the surgeons who
examined him, he did not sustain fatal in
juries.
At Kansas City, earlier in the season.
Howard Twiss son OF a former Mayor n;
that town, borrowed a balloon and attempt
ed an ascension and parachute jump for the
entertainment of his friends. II was at
Chelsea Park. suburban resort on the
Kansas side OF the line. He assembled. as