Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-09-08

Lewiston, Me.-The festivities at
the Maine state fair Wednesday after
cident which will in all probability
cost the life OF Carl smith, a daring
young aeronaut from BrOcktOn, Mass,
who In company with Miss Ida Merrill
Of Boston had been engaged to give
l.-Ily N,ssIlOOII anoeuslOnn ana pOrO-
chute drops during the fair. Mr..
Smith and Miss Merrill were to as
cend together and make a double
parachute drop.
They were at the fair on Tuesday,
but owing to the high wind which
prevailed did not venture to make the
ascent. Wednesday, however, was
still and calm and at o'clock they
began to fill their balloon prepara-
tory to going up. The balloon was
filled quickly and without accident,
but it is said that the men in charge
were not so careful as they should
have been in their preparations.
Ferdinand e. Stevens of this city,
who is one of the Sturgis deputies, and
who a number Of years ago was an
aeronaut himself and made many
successful ascensions in this vicinity,
was standing nearby watching the pro-
ceedings and remarked to friend
during the preparations that some one
would get hurt if they were not more
careful.
n frr
4.3O o'clock, and promptly at that
time the balloon was inflated and
really for the ascent, being held down
by the usual crowd Of bystanders men
and boys. The two aerOnauts took
their places with their hands grasp
to the balloon side by side. They gave
the signal, the crowd released their
hold and the balloon Immediately shot
up.
The air was so still that it went up
at the start almost perpendlcularly.
1t had reached a height variously es-
timated at from 100 to $50 feet and
Mr.. Smith had just begun some gym
nastic evolutions on the trapeze, when
suddenly, to the horror of the great
throng which was looking on from the
grandstand and the field within the
track of the fair grounds, the rope
which held the trapeZe and para
chute, broke and he fell to the ground.
The distance was too short for the
parachute to open and his fall was
not impeded. In falling he appar-
emily endeavored to pull the parachute
which was folded up into a compact
bundle under him, so as to break the
force of the fall, but if so his effort
was in vain, and he struck the
ground within less than 100 feet of the
spot, somewhat upon his side, re-
bounding from the ground so that
the ground could be seen under him.
He then lay in heap.
The crowd at once rushed to him,
but a squad of police was at hand and
quickly TOped off large space.
An ambulance was telephoned for
and as soon as possible he was taken
to the Central Maine general hospital
where a more thorough examination
was made. 1t was found that his neck
was broken and his breast bone
crushed His left leg was badly.frac-
tured at the ankle and his left arm
at the wrist, The physicians say that
it is almost an impossibility for him
to recover
Miss Merrill went up for about a
thousand feet before she cut loose
from the balloon. She also had a mar
velous escape from death, as she fell
directly in the path Of the high ten
sion feed wire from the big Libby and
Dignley dam to the electric light sta
tion in the city. She fortunately saw
the wires as she came down and by
swinging her body to one side sue
ceeded in avoiding them, though she
says they passed within three inches
Of her face. She is completely pros
trated this evening and in fact at
times delirious.
The cause of the accident is vari-
ously interpreted. One story is that
some Of the bystanders saw the rome
burning as he ascended. This is
doubted, however, as others who saw
the whole accident clearly saw moth.
ing of the sort. The more probable
cause is found in the fact that lust as
they were about to give the word for
the ascent, the parachutes of Mr..
Smith and Miss Merrill became en-
tangled, and it is thought that the
knife which was to cut loose the para
chute of Miss Merrill must have
frayed and partially cut that of Mr..
Smith. Mr.. Smith is IS years old.