The age-herald., 1901-04-14
AM AerONaut's SNrvXlNa Story

Riding the bag is boys play nova days" said the retired aeronaut, as he tossed aside a batch of circulars ex- plaining how easy and safe parachute jumping Is in this age of mechanical achievement, and incidentally calling at- tentions to the extraordinarily low prices for which aerial outfits were offered. Tt wasn't so ten years ago.
 Then a man made an ascent that was an ascent. He didn't begin working the lever the moment he got above the tree tops and could just about make out where to land. Instead he let the ma- chine almost reach the cloud line; then he let loose and came down in full view of the people for miles around. Such an ascension was worth while seeing, and 1t was we'll worth making.
 Parachute jumping Is modern ad- junct to the ballooning business. The records are silent as to the identity of it's inventor, but 1t is not more than fourteen or fifteen years since 1t was first attempt ed. Hundreds and even thousands of dol lars were paid in those days for a single ride.
 "Out at Quincy, H., along in 1888, lived two young fellows named Baldwin. By dint of long practice In the gymnasium they became experts on the bar and tra- peze. Both were daring athletes, and they turned their training and nerve to good account They were among the first to take up the new idea, and gave exhi- bitions of dropping from the clouds in various parts of the world, including Con- stantinople Berlin, Vienna and Calcutta. They came home in 1890 with 500, 900 clear money. Today they are among the sub stantial citizens of their home town, own CTS of the baseball park and proprietors of big factory which turns out every thing needful for an aeronaut.
 Another of the pioneers was Professor Van Tasel He taught his wife the busi- ness, and the pair of them made big mon- ey before competition cut prices to pieces Van Tasel, by the way Is dead now. About four years ago he went to the Ha- waiian Islands and made the first ascen- sion ever witnessed in Honolulu. Unfor- tunately for him he dropped into the Pa cific ocean and was eaten by sharks be- fore the eyes of his wife, who had come out in a tug boat for the purpose of pick ing him up.
 'T took my first lesson in riding the bag from Van Tasel It came about in cu- rious way. About eight years ago the Union Pacific Railway began it's attempt to make the Great Salt Lake in Utah a popular inland seaside resort. All sorts of attractions were offered. Among them were various sorts of outdoor perform ances of the kind made familiar by the circus.
 My partner and were doing a trapeze turn at the beach, One day as we sat at lunch in a downtown restaurant my eye fell upon big three-sheet poster an- nouncing the first balloon ascension by the great Van Tasel at Garfield Beach on the following day Parachute jumping was little known in those days. and we made merry over the impossibility of do- ing what was set forth on the poster.
 At the next table sat a man who seem ed to be mighty interested in our conver- sation. The bills set forth some immense sum that was to be paid the famous trav- eler of the air, and remarked that I would be perfectly willing to make the trip for $10o. The next day as we were walking on the beach the man we had seen in the restaurant approached and began talking balloon. He asked if was prepared to make good the offer of the day before. I was decidedly taken aback and began to stammer reply.
 Then he explained that he was Van Tasel. and that he and his wife lived in San Francisco The engagement had been made by telegraph, and in the hurry of packing his canvass the balloon used by his wife had been substituted for his own.