Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-30
HOW PARACHUTE JUMPERS FACE TERRIBLE DEATH
only pay They Daily Even Take We'rd
Pleasure in Their Fascinating Perils
Fror the Kansa CITY Star
he Kansas city star.

day and i'm making the drop | drifted
into the column Of warm air from
smokestack. | couldn't work the chute
out of that streak of hot air. Usually /
guide the chute considerably by rock
ing it and causing it to slide sideways
upon the compressed air beneath it, but
this time I couldn't. | fell straight
down on the top Of the chimney.
II would have fallen into II but when
I came within reach of its top | gave IL
a violent kick. 1t broke my ankle, but
il saved my life. The chute dropped
across the chimney top and stuck.
There I hung. 1872 feet from the ground
until the fire department came with
ladders and took me down.
"Another narrow escape | had was
while making ascensions at Lake Con-
trary, near st. Joseph, last summer.
made seven jumps there, and six times
1 alighted in the lake and the seventh
time fell squarely into the middle of
the Missouri river. Each time 1 let
loose the chute when was within 40
feet of the water and plunged I'm and
swan ashore When fell in the river
lost my balloon. You see was pretty
tired when | struck the river, and
had quite time swimming ashore.
When my engagement was over Palm
er Clark. the manager of the resort,
gave me $40 more than he'd agreed to.
He said: You've done double stunt.
engaged you to make balloon ascen-
sions, and you've given us a high dive,
too
zone of the most dangerous ascen-
sions ever made was a few weeks ago
at political picnic down here in Ath-
erton" continued Clark. ut rained
hard and the big bag and chute were
soggy and heavy. It's risky working
under such conditions because your
chute is likely to stick and not open,
and you know what that means. My
manager begged me not to go up at all,
but the people were there to see us,
and | wasn't the one to disappoint
them, and, besides, needed the money.
So up went in pouring rain, against
the advice of my manager ] didn't go
up very far, the bag was too heavy, but
it was far enough for good-by Mary
Ann If that chute failed to open. AS l
was preparing to drop my manager, still
uneasy about me, hallooed to me:
Don't cut loose, ride down.
"He meant for me to stick to the big
bag until she settled to the ground. But
l was there to make a parachute jump,
and what's the use of being in the bus
iness if little rains going to scare you
so dropped and made it all right.
you ought to go up with me some
time and see the scenery" he said with
a laugh. IT'S great"
do you enjoy the scenery?"
Yes, sir. / always take a good look
down and all around. It's a great sight
to see the fields and the rivers winding
through them l like it. 1t kind of
cheers fellow up, you know"
There is balloon factory in this city.
A hot air balloon is made of doubled
sheeting cut into forty segments and all
stoutly sewn together. The standard
balloon is sixty feet high and 100 feet
around. balloon of this kind costs
only $50.
When an ascension is to be made the
balloon is suspended from two upright
poles, its mouth over the chimney of a
small furnace in the sround. A fire is
kindled, the hot air fills the balloon ana
when fully distended it will go up quick
ly, carrying the aeronaut to 1000 feet
above the earth.
The parachute is shaped like an UNI
brella, is thirty feet across when open
and has thirty cords reaching from
around its edge to a small ring below,
from which. the aeronauts trapeze is
suspended. 'fN ,.
chute hangs by a rope from its lower
edge. Attached to the rope is a sharp
knife. When the aeronaut wishes to de-
scend he pulls a cord attached to the
knife and this cuts the parachute loose.
AS it descends the pressure of the air
forces open the parachute.
L. M. Bales of this city is in the bus
iness Of supplying balloon acts to fairs
and parks,
II can get all the men / want to ride
a balloon and make parachute jump
for S. a jump he sad. Il can even get
them for nothing. 1t seems like some
people have a mania for rsking their
lives in a spectacular way and 1 have
men and women come here and beg me
to let them try it. But l never expert
ment with raw hands when 1 can get
old heads at the business for So a jump.
Last summer 1 advertised for "a man