The Washington times., 1903-10-21
EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD.
ALL BONES BROKEN
Hazardous FeatS OfSt. Louis
Lad Since a Child.
SOARING IN BALLOON
Considers It Play and Invents the
Death Dealing LOOP
the-LoOp."

ST LOUIS oct 2l-That boy
should choose TO be a human cannon
BALI or human bomb is not remark
able. for almost every man can remem-
Der the day when he would. If he had
been permitted 60 do SO. have chosen
the most hazardous occupation he could
think OF for his lifework. But that he
should continue in the business after
he had received more than 100 injuries
resembles folly.
Ray Stevens. one of the young men
who are making balloon ascensions at
the St. Louis fair. thinks his is the
finest business i'm the world. lie is
eighteen years old. and has been a
bulloonist and parachute jumper ever
since he was eight years old.
Stevens spent his childhood in St
Louis and has returned to il to live
after having travelled into every State
i'm the Union and into Canada and
Mexico In that time ne has been up
in "A balloon and fired out of cannon
more than 1000 times
An Aeronaut at Eight.
When he was eight years old he was
visiting relatives in Omaha, and went
out to see the balloon 20 up at the fair
grounds He watched the big gas bag
aeronaut came out in his tights and
spangles. Stevens hung around until he
got a chance To speak TO the man. He
begged to be allowed 90 go up in the
balloon The man gave him his card.
and the next day Stevens found him
and renewed his request. He begged
so hard that at last the aeronaut con
scented to let him try it. The boy got
n nice pair of pink tights. and when
the balloon was loosed and scared into
the sky ne was clinging To the bar. He
descended safely hanging TO the para
chute. and made seventy-siX successful
ascensions before his parents saw him
again.
The following year Ray ran away
from home and Joined the aeronaut
again. Then his troubles began one day
he made an ascension at Council
Bluffs. Iowa. and IN coming down in the
country struck a moving freight train
A brake rod struck him on the head
and knocked hole In his skull HC
hung TO the moving train until he was
knocked of. When ne was taken to q
hospital il was discovered that both
legs were broken above the ankles anc
that eight ribs had been fractured. H'
Iay i'm the hospital eight months recoV
ering after the doctors had tre9hinec
his skull and incased him in a suit OF
plaster.
Landed N Tree.
stevens had scarcely recovered from
those injuries when he fell from a bal
loon into tree and ran brancl
through his hand. This. however. was
comparatively slight accident and wal
followed from time TO time by beint
knocked against chimneys. dragged
through trees and scraped along bari
wire fences until he has more than 10
scars on his body. Two years ago, whil'
coming down in a parachute at Aims
worth. Neb.. ne fell into "A quarry an'
broke all the toes on one foot
In indianapolis last May ne took il
another occupation more haZardoui
than baIloOning. He invented the bust
ness Of looping the loop on rule
skates.
Stevens performed the trick of sue
cessfully five times. but at the siXtl
trial ne fell from the top Of the loop OF
his head. wrenching his spine and injur
ing his internal organs. He lay in tn
hospital forty-five days but as soon a
he was out he tried u again, and tina
time succeeded in shooting on the loo
onto his face. completely slunning II AM
breaking both knee caps: The very mex
day his partner VIII Zimmerman. tel
on the loop and was killed.
stevens had no further accident unit
September g. when looping the loop a
Richmond, Ind. he fen and broke al
arm
Receives $3.50 Per Week.
For risklng his life daily ne receive
$50 "A week and his expenses.
His cannon ball and bomb tricks D
considers mere child's play in compari
son with looping the loop on role
skates.
In the bomb trick Stevens rolls him
self up ia a bomb Z by 30 feet IN cir
cumference. This IL placed in "A morta
attached 20 a balloon. When the ballOo
Is high enough he receives a sigma
from the ground and fires himself frOr
the mortar As he feels himself fallin
he lights fuse. the bottom IS blown on
OF the bomb. and. NJ falls thruug
the air hts parachute opens and let
him descend softly TO the ground.