The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-30
AERONAUT'S FALL
MAY BE FATAL
Joseph MCMann, Attempting
Hazardous Act, TumbIeS
to Ground.
PARACHUTE FAILS TO OPEN
BALLooNIST IN HOSPITAL WITH
SMALL CHANCE FOR RECOVERY

With both ankles broken, with possibly
fatal internal injuries. and suffering from
profound shock, Joseph McMann, an
aeronaut, is lying at Holy Cross hospital
as the result of fall from balloon while
making an ascension at the Salt Palace a
) few minutes after 8 o'clock last night
McMann, who is % years old and SINGLE
and whose home is in a small town near
DeS MolneS, Ia, was on the program at
the Salt Palace to give what Is known
as the cannon act' last night His per-
formance was Witnessed by a crowd Of
fully 5000 persons
, The performer is concealed in a large
/ cannon attached to the parachute Of the
! balloon, and when the balloon reaches a
height of 800 to 1000 feet the parachute
! is cut loose. This parachute opens and
| the spectators are thrilled to see the per-
former drop from the mouth of the can
non. A lew seconds after the performer
drops from the cannon a second parachute
opens and he floats safely to the ground
while the first parachute bearing the can
non is still in the air.
McMann had performed this feat, many
times, and had never suffered an accident
He had been in the business for twelve
years and was considered an expert, new
er having been seriously injured.
1 AT the ascension last night McMann as
cended to an elevation of perhaps so
feet, when pistol was fired by his part
ner on the ground. At this signal Nc
cannon in which he was concealed, from
the balloon, and the descent was begun.
Fails to Hear Signal.
McMann failed to hear or failed to re-
gard the second signal which was TO no
tify him to slip from the mouth of the
cannon and begin his descent Independent
of the first parachute.
Slowly the parachute descended carried
southwark from the Salt Palace by a gen
the breeze, and the crowds waited expec-
/, family to see him complete the perform
ance by making the second drop.
When the cannon was within 80 az 10
, feet of the ground. McMann made the
second cut.
His partner was Mortified to see the
man and the parachute drop like a bull
let The man had delayed the second cut
too long and was too near the ground 10
give the parachute chance to open
properly.
Down he whizzed, gaining momentum
every second. The spectators gazed in
, horror, or turned from what they be
j lieved must inevitably be the death Of the
1 / aerOnaut.
) For fully 100 feet McMann fell, almost
? in the twinklng of an eye, the parachute
refusing to open. McMann seemed 10 be
: falling straight to the top of a tall poplar
tree, and the spectators hoped that this
. might break the fall.
! Just a moment before the parachute
; with its burden of humanity was due 10
strike the tree. the parachute began TO
l
: which swung it free from the treetop.
Down McMann fell with terrific force,
landing at a point near Tenth South and
Main streets in field.
; Picked Up Unconscious.
c. NJ. Hawley, who has charge of tbs
} balloon feature of the Salt Palace enter
! tainment program had noted the di
, rectiOn of the wind, and had gone to
Tenth South street before the ascension,
to meet the aeTOnaut.
When McMann fell Hawley was near by
; and he and Adolph Levy of 958 South
Tenth East street, who was driving i'm
the vicinity, ran to his aid McMann was
unconscious, and it was seen that he was
dangerously injured. He was placed in
Levy's carriage and was taken to the
Salt Palace, where Dr. c. V. Parmelee
was called to examine him and give him
: first aid.
, Dr. Parmelee ordered McMann removed
to Holy Cross hospital, where he was ia
ken in an ambulance.
DR.. E. +. Root was summoned, and
2 after as thorough an examination as
{ could be given under the circumstances.
reported that McMann had suffered Sc
we're fractures of both ankles. bad cuts on
the lead, and possibly dangerous internal
injul .es McMann was in a semi-cOn-
seriously from shock that complete
- animation could not be made. II is
+ fought that he may have a fighting
chance sOr recovery.
the business. said last night that it was
, an error of judgment on McMann's part
that caused the accident.
, 'McMann is a perfectly sober man .
! he said never indulging in the use OF
: Intoxicating liquors. He has been in the
] business for a dozen years and never had
an accident of a serious character before.
OF course, he has had small falls, but this
was the first time he has ever suffered
q a broken done
ct was an error of judgment on Nc
] I hot III,
He made the first cut from the balloon
exactly right. There was not a hitch
! when the cannon started to drop. on the
first parachute.
: Delay Causes Accident.
Everything went well until McMann
should have made the second drop.
? cannot understand why he delayed max
| why he did not slide from the cannon
> when at least six or seven hundred feet
, from the ground.
, ''McMann did not leave the cannon I'M
til he was about 80 feet from the ground.
. A parachute drops from $50 to 80 feet
from any height before il will properly
) open. McGann's experience had taught
/ him this, and he must have over-estimat-
: | ed his height from the ground.
; THE parachute did not open as quickly
: as it seemed to me it should have opened.
In the cannon act the parachute is rolleJ
up like handkerchief and II takes
| little longer to open than when IL u
hanging free like 1t does when attached
to a balloon.
II THAT McMann was not killed is un-
doubtedly due to the fact that he fell in
: | cultivated ground. If he had fallen on
2 building or on roadway, believe he
would have been broken 10 bits"
F. Coleman and Hawley. who are as
sociated with McMann in the ascension
business will give a benefit performance
for him at the Salt Palace tonight. While
McMann made large wages, ne had no
savings according to his partners. They
will also start a subscription list in an
effort to secure funds to defray the cost
, of his hospital and medical attention. -
1t was rumored in the streets last
that Bert Nelson, who mad~
5 oaccfri balloon ascension dIss