The sun., 1908-06-01
AERONAUT DROWNED IN RIVER
WENT UP FROM BELLEVILLE AND
CAME DOWN IN THE PASSATC.
Flag Carried by Young Fred Wood OF New
Haven Was Wound Around His Logs and
He Couldn't swim-Men on inc Bank
CAPPED while He struggled In the Water.

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BEIL.RvniLE. N. j.. May si.-A twenty
year-old aeronaut, Fred l.. Wood Of $50
Chapel street, New Haven. Conn, pumped
down into the Passaio River with his para
chute after balloon ascension from Hill
side Pleasure Park in Belleville this after
noon and was drowned. An American flag
which he had been waving got entangled
with his legs and prevented him from swim
ming ASHORE.
Wood mastered the trick OF navigating
hot air balloon at the White City In New
Haven. For this season he has been en-
gagged to go up every Sunday afternoon in
Belleville. To-day as he was buckling
around his waist the strap that would keep
him glued to the parachute in case OF fall
ne said to bystander: Know where, I'm
going to land this time? tn be either in
the lake over there 1.-THE artificial lake in
Hillside Pleasure Parkl or over in the
Passaio River. But I'm good swimmer.
Don't worry
The balloon, plump with the smoke and
vapor from burning straw. shot up several
hundred feet and was borne northeasterly
across the Nutley town line. q mile from
Belleviller A crowd Of eight or nine thou
sand persons In the park hurrahed for the
young Icarus and waved their handker-
chiefs when he shook loose a 5x20 American
flag.
Still waving the flag he cut away from the
balloon with his parachute. The big um-
brella opened all right. Wood swung by
one hand from the trapeze bar and saluted
the crowd with the other. His descending
form passed out of sight across the skyline
OF trees and the folks in the park went home
supposing that they had seen a successful
flight.
But persons along the banks of the Pas
sale near Avondale and the bridge whereby
you cross to Nutley at that point saw
that something was out OF kilter with
the outfit slanting toward them from
the sky The aeronaut was shouting and
apparently trying to unfurl the flag which
the wind had blown around his legs.
The parachute carried him out over the
middle of the river and dived in. The
cloth Of which its covering was made got
waterlogged right away and down went the
parachute INODOuy ouW IL ditci tuas,
though it is supposed to have been still
buckled TO Wood with the strap and prob
ably helping to prevent him from kicking
out and swimming ashore.
Wood came to the surface at onoe and
shouted "Help!" The persons along shore
scurried up and down and called out to
each other what they all knew-that a man
was drowning-but no move was made to
save him. The balloonist sank again and
again came up fighting to free himself
and shouting for assistance. He appeared
to make more progress this time. but pres
emily disappeared. A man with boat
there are several boats along the shore
at that point but this was the first one
touched in the course Of tho episode-put
out and grappled for the body. but 1t has
not been found.
Last Sundays parachute trip for young
Wood landed him in the top Of tree. He was
little hurt. 1t was in the same park last
year that the parachute Of Aeronaut Charles
Raymond, while he was trying to do the
Cannon act caught fire from the ex-
ploding powder that supplied the cannon
illusion while the balloon was high over
head Raymond was burned badly before
he got back to earth. and spent six weeks
in the hospital.
Wood was one Of the few aeronauts who
refused to take life preserver with him
ON his trips. He always said that II he landed
in the water he was good enough swimmer
To oet ont of the acraDa