The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-22

secured by hidden safety appliances
to the wheel .A
Later came the man who fired him
self out of cannon in mid-air This
was spectacular and taking. but a
great deal of fake. The folded chute
was first placed inside a big tube of
tin mounted on stanchions and car
riage of the same flimsy material,
painted black to resemble iron. This
was attached to The parachute Then
the performer crawled in. He had con-
cealed in the breast of his leotard the
half coat used by all tumblers and
trapeze artists pistol, provided with
blank cartridges. The balloon was
released in the ordinary manner. and
when it reached the proper hight the
aeronaut exploded his cartridge, and
"the human cannon ball" dropped into
view. Down in an Indiana town an
aeronaut with a gas balloon success
fully made an ascension with big
farm wagon attached. To add to the
realism, the performer sat on the front
seat and piled a fong whip. Then
came the gang shute." Four men,
each with little chute of his own,
went up with the balloon. A big bar
like a whiff1etree was attached to the
balloon. To this the chutes were tied
in a row. One by one they were
dropped safely to the earth.
Balloons, ROSTERS, cats and other
domestic animals have been among
those harnessed to little parachute
and set free to ride down to earth.
Others have taken pigeons, ducks,
doves and other good flyers and let
them loose in mid-air. Advertising
matter was set adrift in the same man
ner.
The parachute jumper as rule Is
not inclined to speculate on his chances
of getting back to earth safely after
he has once started on the upward
journey. Being a rather philosophic
sort of a fellow, he makes up his mind
before adopting it as a steady pro-
fession that it is worse than idle
to trouble himself about that
part of his work. If he doesn't come
down he. won't need the money. he con-
cludes and likely as not the most dis
tressing thought he has as he is being
yanked upward at terrific rate is that
maybe his new tights have got soiled.
Almost the first thing he tries. to dis
cover as soon as he gets his bearings
is whether that careless helper of his
forgot to put the cover on the smoke
stack. &
After a mere half dozen shortcomings
to and fro the ascent is almost directly
upward. The man who is quitting the
earth at SUCH a pace is curiously
enough the only one who doesn't com
prehend that he is doing anything of
the kind. AS he sits in his trapeze and
gazes downward there is no sensation
of motion or of giddiness. The earth is
dropping away from him. He is sitting
still suspended from nothingssIt is just
as though he had sat himself in high
swing and dropped a broad object
downward
To the novice it is wonderful sight.
The earth seems to be saucer-shaped.
the valleys and hills and rivers mere
miniatures in wax that the sun has
melted and caused to run. Just beneath
you seems the lowest point, while the
horizons appear to be coming up TO
meet you. You are looking at the earth
through the small end of your opera
glass and some one is rapidly turning
the focusing bar :
The first two or three seconds after
cutting loose is the point where the
only real terror is felt No matter how
many times the parachute Jumpers re-
Keats the experience he can not escape
the awful sensation. the complete
goneness at the pit of the stomach.
When he is ready to let go hes takes
a long, full breath, several of them,
in fact, sets his muscles at a tension
as hard as a rock and keeps them
there. After he does cut loose he .dares
not breathe. To do so would cause suf-
location. a fainting. spell. If the chute
did not open at all he would never feel
the pangs Of death. He would have
lost all sensibility long before the
earth was reached, Sometimes when
the chute is slow in unfolding con-
seriousness is lost. but it is only n1omen-
tarily.
AS seen from the bar of parachute
all things on the earth are grotesquely
small, but as distinct and clear cut as
a cameo. The appalling thing to 'sensi-
tive souls is the tremendous, awful ST.
lence that prevails. A dogs howl or
birds song are heard last of all as one
ascends. After that a great silence
abounds. 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.
match can be struck in midair in the
fiercest wind. 1t won't blow out.
The spectacular part of the ascen-
sion is to be found in the acrobatic
feats while the outfit is mounting heav-
onward This is nerve racking to the
spectator, but not disconcerting to the
performer 1t must be remembered that
he feels no sensation OF the rush
through the air. To him everything ap-
y
is dropping away from him. If he holds
by one hand he knows, though the
crowd doesn't. that the web bandage
which grips him by the wrist will grip
him secure, and if he hangs head
downward he knows that a pair of
! horses could not pull him away from
q trapeze into the corners Of which he
has planted his toes.
Withal it is a hard profession. The
man who faces danger daily may claim
that he becomes so accustomed to its
mien that he fears IL no longer. Exter-
nally this may be true, but the nervous
system has it's limitations, and If the
warnings il sometimes sends out are
not needed death may come in hor-
rible shape.
Thus the ranks are swelled to-day
by the young and daring; depleted to-
morrow by the tried and wise. Few
men grow old in the profession. They
marry and their wives will not hear
70 another ascent They become Grip
pied or frightened into something that
promises longer life. even though the
price is a humdrum youth.