The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-08-09
FELL
From the Oak
Trees Top
To the Ground Did
AerOnaut.
ARMS BROKEN
InSiCkeningAcCident
at the Lake.
Unfortunate Feature in the
Big Logan County Day
Celebration.


thirty, molder by occupation, whose
home is at 81 south River street,
Springfield. Ohio. met with quite
serious injuries at Silver Lake park
Thursday afternoon at shortly after
four O'Clock while making q balloon
ascension and parachute drop The
injuries were sutsined the result OF
his parachute falling in a tree from
which position Asper fell to the ground
distance of more than forty feet.
In falling he struck a limb which
turned MIN over causing him to alighi
on his right side. The fall was wit
messed by scores who stood powerless
to assist him to get from his perilous
position. For fully five minutes Asper
hung to the trapeze urging some one to
get a ladder and tnen exhausted to
such an extent that he could hang no
longer, he loosened his hold and in an
instant later struck the ground with
such force that persons standing sew
ersl hundred feet away could plainly
hear tine sound made by his body COM
ing in contact with the earth. Nc
sooner had he fallen than hundreds
gathered and every thing possible as
done to relieve his sufferings. DR..
Germaine B. Hale. of West Liberty.
ex-county coroner, was on the grounds
and he with means at hand temporarily
reduced fractures of the right arm al
the wrist and attended to dislocations
of the right and left wrists and the left
knee and the unfortunate man was as
sisted to a carriage and brought to the
hospital, north Main street, by Doctor
Jones, of Huntsville; J. NJ. Ritchie,
the high cycle diver; and Mr.. Ritchie'
manager, e. G.. Prothew. Here 81
examination was made by Drs. P. d.
CovingtoD and Edward Henning, Of
Bellefontaine. and Doctor Jones and
Asper's injuries found to consist o.
dislocated right and left wrists and lef
knee, of a compound fracture of th'
right wrist, the bones protrudins
through the flesh, a bad sprain and +;
slight fracture of the left wrist AMI
bruises about the right side and tn
abdomen. An anasthetic was admins
tered and these dislocations, fracture
and bruises properly attended to an'
today the injured man is resting a
well as could be expected. The fract
ures will inconvenience him for prob
ably eight weeks.
When seen by a press representa-
tive Friday Asper stated that his as
cension of Thursday was the FIRST b
had made this season and that
would be the last he would ever make
He never made an ascension unit
last season during which year he mad
a number. In all Of these he escape,
injury save in the last made at Colum
bus when he was slightly hurt, he be
ing thrown by the parachute against
horse and vehicle. He says that h
did not reach higher elevation
Thursday than GOO feet when the ba
loon started to descend. the csnvs
not having the power to carry hi
weight higher. When 1t started o.
the descent it was over the lake an
Asper feared to cut loose and drop int
the water, he having heard of mum
Der losing their lives in such acts. Fl
accordingly did not cut loose until h
found he must or go into the tree
with both the balloon and parachut
and when he did cut off the parachut
shot rapidly downward it being c
such dimensions that il would nc
carry MIN down slowly. He according
ly found it impossible to govern tn
canvas and steer it away from tn
tree. Asper weighs about 175 pound
and the parachute he used is made
carry weight of but 120 pounds.
| Gus Keifer. a young married man {
Springfield, was to have made tl
ascension but was kept from doing Z
by a telegram sent here by his vii
to Sheriff r. S. Kerr in which 81
! ordered that he be restrained frol
making the ascension. She announce
in the telegram that she would prose
cute if Gus was allowed to make tn
trip. This message evidently put tt
scare over Keifer as he did not show u
! at tine lake and Asper volunteered
do the act in order that the crow
should not be disappointed. Keifel
it will be remembered, came near NEE
! ing with serious injuries at the LAX
on Springfield Day the result of b
balloon becoming caught in a tree ju
as it had left the ground for tine a
cent.
The balloon used Thursday was nj
the repaired Keifer canvas but OIL
borrowed for the occasion by Keife
, ] Az,,ar o1d GaorUa W Ram tha In