Arizona republican., 1901-10-27
FIRST PARACHUTE JUMP.
Start of a Sport Which Has Now Be-
 come Common.

The parachute jumper is a recent product in the profession e. belloonirg
 The first parachute jumper was sam Baldwin. now a successful manufac- turer of balloons. He. his brother ana Prof. Van Tassel, all three gas balloon men, happened to meet in a Los An geles hotel in the summer of 1887. Each had a hard luck story to tell and it was unanimously agreed that the business had gone to the dogs. As a means Of resuscitatihg it. Baldwin suggested th- parachute leap. The others did not be- lieve it possible for a man to make the jump and live. None of them was will ing to make the experim mt. so bag ! of sand was used. The balloon was sent | up with q long string attached to the parachute rope. When the bag mad risen three-quarters of mile the cord was pulled and the chute cut loose. | It dropped like a log for 100 feet, then opened and came slowly down to earth. Repeated experiments convinced the | trio that it was a safe trick with d man in place of the bag or sand. Then Van Tassel went to San Francisco to interview the newspapers and get them to send reporters to Los Angeles, but | while he was away the impatient Bald- | wins experimented themselves and Sam made the first jump in history safely and easily.
 The Baldwius were quick to realize the money value of being first in the | field and they started east to intro duce the sport there. Greatly incensed. | Van Tassel broke with them and get tlng an outfit began making ascents himself.
 The new act leaped into popular ia = vor at once. The daring of the per formance and the seeming fact that it l was more than an equal chance that the aeronaut would be dashed to pieces drew crowds wherever the leap was l advertised to take place. The man who rode the bag" could command almost any price he asked. For some time the three balloonists had the field to them selves. Most of the other aeronauts were afraid of it. With four assistants and pushing manager the Baldwius made a tour around the world. In a year and a half they netted S10O. 900 1T cash.
 With the advent of other riders ot the bag prices began to drop. From 5000 that was once paid for a Fourtr of July performances at a big resort prices went steadily downward unti $250 was reached. Still more recruits came, and nowadays the ruling price is $25 to $40. No one has ever compiled
 
 who depend upon the parachute jump ing as a means of livelihood, but esti- mates range from 300 to 800.
 The public craze for novelty com Joined with the desire to excel caused a number of innovations. First came the man and a woman, then later tnC dog was added First the man anc woman rode on the same bar. Later they had separate parachutes tied [. t1 ing a bicycle in midair. When he lef the ground he was pedaIing at a grea rate. This he kept up as long T., was in sight. It looked very risky. bu it wasn't.
 Later came the man who fired him self out of a cannon in midair. Thi. was spectacular and taking, but : | great deal of a fake. The folded chuIe was first placed inside a big tube O tin mounted on stanchions and car. riage of the same flimsy material painted black to resemble iron. Ther the performer crawled in. He had con cealed in the breast of his ''leotard, the half coat used by all tumblers an. trapeZe performers. pistol, provided with blank cartridges. The balloon wa: released in the ordinary manner. ana when it reached a proper height thu aeronaut exploded his cartridge. an. the human cannon ba1l' dropped int, view.
 Down in an Indiana town an aero naut with gas balloon successful!