The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14
THRILLING EXPERIENCE
Had By an Aeronaut Who Fell Into
 River With Alrship.


 From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
 In the half dozen years I have been experimenting with airships, aero planes and other apparatus for navi gating the air have had more sensa- tional falls and escapes than any man who has made this his profession. One of my arms is so badly broken that it can be bent into almost any conceiv able shape. l hardly think that 1 have bone in my body that is not fractured , in some way. The time that I felt was nearest death, however, was on ! October 23, 1905, when I went up in Ludlow's aeroplane above the Hudson l river. It was almost my first expert ence with a machine of this kind, but l it had been so widely advertised that l was determined to go, and there were some two thousand New Workers there to see the spectacle. II was well along in the afternoon when the preparations were all completed for the flight From the open roadway the ickety, erea6- ing, fragile machine shot into the air as if pro elled from a cannon. I was in the center, enmeshed in piano wire girders and guys and supported by network of bamboo poles. I felt like giant monkey with my hands and legs outstretched
 The machine went up propelled by nothing, but it was drawn by rope attached to the stern pitts of the Moran tug Dewitt c. Irans It went far out into the river, eading down stream against the wind as fast as the kicking screw could take 1t. The aeroplane Asheered and rocked like boys kite in gale, and I felt that was absolutely powerless and at the mercy of the wind Up it shot, 200 then 300 feet creaking and cracking, so that the sound was distinctly heard by the crowd below. I don't believe that a spider ever tried more desper- ately 10 hold on to a few more min utes of life than I did, for I felt that I would never come out of 1t alive.
 The machine took a dive to the right and then I would make a plunge to the left to retain the equilibrium Once in a while I could hear a faint shout from below and I could see the river winding along through the city. Not for an instant from the time the machine darted upward from the ground until it began to settle slowly
 
 life. It was a frantic battle for equi- librium When it had reached height of $50 feet the ferry boat Albany got in the way of the tug and compelled it to veer up stream. That left the aeroplane in the air without any pro- polling power and it commenced to sc tie down. As we commenced to go down after the rope slackened 1t fell in a bird-like, swinging motion from left to right. I felt that had only a few minutes more of life, and could dimly see the launches, rowboats, sail boats, tugs and yachts making for the point weher l was doomed to strike. When we finally struck the water I was relieved of a tremendous strain. If l had got separated from the aero plane in the air and had fallen the $50 feet by myself would have been instantly killed The launch Arcadia. owned by J. D. Roach, got to me first just as the entire machine was sink ing. Although it was cold the per spiration was running down my face in streams, so great had been the struggle to keep the machine from collapsing under me. It was the most exciting experience I have ever had in my five years of ballooning, and I want no more of 1t. I was never cold for an instant, because I had to work so hard to make the aeroplane keep it's balance If had missed one jump or had mistimed one there would have been a tragedy, and would have been the nrinciDal