Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-10-13


$3.50 wss reached. Still more recruits
came. and nowadays the ruling price is
from So to sac. No one has ever com
piled an accurate list of the number OF
men who depend upon The parachute
jumping as a means OF livelihood. but
estimates range from 500 to 500.
The public craze for novelty. COM
bined with the desire 10 excel. caused
number OF innovations. First came
the man and e woman, thea later the
dog was added. First the man and wo-
man rode on the same bar Later they
had separate parachutes. tied to. the
same bar. Then came tue man riding
bicycle in midair. When he left the
ground he was pedaling at a great rate.
This he kept up as long as he was in
sight. IL looked very risky, but 1t
wasn't
Later came the man who fired HIM
self out of cannon In midair This
was spectacular and taking. but a great
deal OF a fake. the folded chute was
first placed inside big tube of tin
mounted on stanchions and carriage
Of the same flimsy material painted
back to resemble iron. Then the per
former erawled in. He had concealed
in the breast OF his "leotard." the half
coat used by all tumblers and trapeze
artists. a pistol provided with blank
cartridges. The balloon was released
in the ordinary manner. and when Il
reached proper height the aernout
exploded his cartridge. and "the human
cannon balf' dropped into view.
Down in an Indiana town an aearon-
aut with gas balloon successfully
made an ascension with big farm
wagon attached. 10 add TO the real
ism the performer sat on the front seat
and piled a long whip. Then came the
gang chute. Four men, each with
little chute OF his own. went up with
balloon. A big bar like while
tree was attached to the balloon. 10
this the chutes were tied in row.
One by one they dropped safely to the
earth.
The first two or three seconds after
cutting loose is the time when the only
real terror is felt. No matter how
many times the parachute jumper re-
peats the experience he cannot escape
the sensation the complete goneness at
the pit OF the stomach. When he IS
ready to let 20 he takes a long. full
breath-several of them-in fact, and
sets his muscles hard After he does
cut loose he dares not breathe. 10 do
so would cause suifocation, a fainting
spell. II the chute did not open at all
no would never feel the pangs of death
He would have lost all Feasibility cong
, before the earth was reached. Some
times when the chute is slow in UNI
| folding consciousness is lost, but il is
only momentarily.
As seen from the bar of a parachute
all things on earth are grotesquely
small, but as distinct ana clear cut as
cameo. The appalling thing is the
4 tremendous. awful silence that prevails
| A dogs howl or birds song is heard
last of all as one ascends After that
a great silence comes If there is a
strong wind blowing the aeronaut does
not know It, 1t never passes him. He
goes with it and just as rapidly as it
travels. A match can be struck in mid
air in the fereest wind.
The spectacular part of the aseen-
sion is to be found in the acrobatic
feats while the outfit Is mounting heav-
onward This Is nerve-racKlng to the
spectator, but not disconcerting to the
performer. II must be remembered
| tnat ne reefs no sensation OF the rush
| through the air, TO ann everything
appears stationary, save the earth
which is dropping away from fim. II
he bangles by one hand. he knows.
though the crowd doesn't, that the web
bandage which secures him by the
wrist will grip him secure. If he hangs
head downward he knows that pair OF
horses could net pull him away from a
trapeze in the corners of which he has
planted his toes.