Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-14
FIVE MILES HIGH
ON A TRAPESE

tWf and yet there are people VINO VIII
I risk them daily for q small sum Of
money. OF this class the aeronauts,
not the scientists who 90 up in the air to
study the clouds and atmosphere, but the dar-
ing men who make balloon voyages Tor the
amusement Of the onlookers.
10 enhance the attraction of these ascents,
~ soon became necessary to add to the peril,
anc In consequence, these aeroBauts now
make 1t practice to discard the car, substi-
.uting trapeze. and generally descending to
tne earth by means of parachute.
!, PROFESSOR Higgins, of England, was one OF
the most famous of these aeronauts, and a
recent ascent of his is worth recording. 1t
was from the fair grounds at Croydon, and
ehe balloon, which had capacity of twelve
five o'clock.
ngglns said the direction of the wind,
wnicn was northeast, would necessitate his
travelling considerable height, but he hoped
70 return to the grounds in about half an
nous. When he gave the signal to the at
ally rose.
-, Upon reaching an altitude of something
nay iour thousand feet, the parachute be-
came detached from the net of the balloon,
whicn was evidently proceeding upward at a
great rate, as the parachute was fully ex-
panded. although inverted.
~ was now evident that something was
less excitement, the parachute dropped % from
tne balloon and fell into a garden in East
CROYDON, while the balloon rapidly disap-
peared IN the clouds.
=, according to Professor Higgins, this was
tne @ most wonderful Of all his aerial voyages.
Wnen ne had reached height of four thou
rant ases a ne pegan to get into a strong cur
rens, and the balloon twisted right around.
The current then caught his parachute,
causing the wooden ring Of it to catch him
very tightly under the arms. The test cord
which held the parachute then broke.
Directly that happened, he saw that the
parachute was hanging below him fully in
hated, and the pressure ON him was so great
that Il was impossible for him TO descend
into the middle of j, the town with anything
hke safety. He therefore opened his pen,
away.
:, This caused the balloon to shoot up six
thousand feet higher, and on reaching that
aiIitude, he met another current, which
brought him back, and he saw nothing until
ne passed through some sleet and snow. He
could hear, however, the sound Of trains
All OF sudden he found himself in dark
ness, caused, he presumed, by the snow and
the thick atmosphere. He was in this snow
storm for at least ten minutes. and when he
brightly.
Below him he could see what appeared to
be. snowy mountains rising up and down for
miles. lie could see distance of some forty
clear miles, and was able to discern the sun
glistening on the water at Brighton
He found the air getting very sharp and
keen; icicles were hanging from his mus
tache. and he had no sooner rubbed them off
than others formed.
For few minutes he was quite deaf He
now seemed TO be descending on the noun
tain of snow. Thinking he was coming down.
ne took hold of four of his guy-ropes
and pulled the balloon partly over on one
side to allow the gas to escape at the mouth.
The balloon then turned round three times.
and he felt he was descending. He did moth
ing more to the balloon, merely sitting on
his trapeze watching for terra frma, which
he did not see for some time.
At length he saw plowed fields, and close
by there was what he took to be large park
with white roads across it. He then Travelled
five six miles very rapidly, and saw more
plowed fields, which he thought would be a
suitable place for him to land on.
When he was about two thout and feet from
the earth, he prepared to descend by banging
by one arm to his trapeze rope as If he was
using his parachute.
When his feet touched the ground, the bal
loon, which was in front OF him dragged
him for ten yards and then rebounded some
sixty feet in the air, between two trees, Two
laborers ran from opposite directions. and in
response to his signals, they arrived Just as
he came down second time, and held the
balloon until he let out the gas.
During this voyage, the professor is conf
dent he was five miles above the earth, sitting
on a trapege. And to add to his danger. the
balloon had escape valve