The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-18
AT GOLDEN GATE PARK

and no little incredulity; even the officials of the
traction company which advertised the feat were
not wholly convinced of its possibility. They knew
the aeronaut and had respect deeply his
daring. Two years before he had walked a tight
wire stretched from the Cliff house to point on the
high, prscipitous coast He was bHndfolded, and
away beneath him cresting and pounding the
breakers of the Pacific No such aerial had ever
been attempted before it evidenced daring supreme;
but to drop from the sky to the earth 1000 feet
That seemed beyond the pale of daring; it was sui
ridsl Few had ever attempted it; none had sur
yved it
zone thousand feeti" repeated the doubling of
hcials
eyes or higher" said Baldwin coolly.
'Why do you want to do it," asked
Baldwin laughed. ITS my business said he "T'n
have to charge you dollar foot. I'll drop
than 1000 feet or less but no less than 500. pre-
fer at least 1000 feet You see expect to survive
and collect"
And he did
Thirty thousand persons Hocked out to Golden
Gate park They saw the preparations-a fire built
out Of barrel slaves and coal OIL short, covered
trench leading heap of CLOTH the dirty gray folds
of which began to unroH and dstend with the hot
air inrushing from the trench.
When the balloon was elevated from the ground
and held swaying from guy ropes in the hands Of
dozen men they saw suspended beneath it long
collapsed fold of canvas and tanglc of ropes. The
ropes were arranged in sets of eight and numbered
81 in all They were snap hooked to a metal
ring and underneath hung a trapeze.
There was gasp of excitement when the
naut attired in acrobatic costume walked out of
tent lie seemed the least concerned of all, giving
orders coolly and watching everything with a crit
ical eye To be successful parachute jumper even
today requires scientific knowledge of ballooning
This pioneer aeronaut, however, had nothing what
ever to guide him in the way of previous experience
OF Others. Moreover the responsibility of having
svery single detail OF the ascent perfect lay wholly
upon his shoulders.
He paid most attention to those 81 ropes, seeing
that each hung straight and no danger of be-
coming entangled. If the latter happened it meant
thai the limp canvas sack would not open when it
was cut loose in mdair from the balloon above it;
that it would not float him gently back to earth;
that instead his dangling body would shoot down
like meteor and bury itself in its own sef-made
grave
Shooting High in Air
There was one other rope to be tested, longer
rope than the Others that hung from the very top
the parachute. 1t had a knife attachment at its
upper end which, when the aeronaut pulled it from
his perch on the tapeze below severed the stout rope
that connected the parachute and balloon
This the aeronaut tested and then walked swiftly
TO the trapeze and took firm hold the bar.
"Goodby," he said, and then, suddenly, Everybody
let go~
They saw him shoot swiftly into the air with
force that seemed to elongate his body and make it
stiff and straight a board. Then they saw him
laboriously muscle himself up and swing his legs
the bar. He waved back at them once twice.
and then, their last of applause died away
IL a vast silence of suspense he was seen only as
dangling black speck beneath the balloon shooting
higher, higher
Suddenly the balloon poised for an instant and
then seemed TO drift almost inaudible pistol shot
cracked forth from the heavens. frenzied yell
burst from the crowd. They saw the black speck
pitch suddenly downward, while the balloon at the
same instant turned turtle partly collapsed and
ioated away with the wind
Down, down the speck of humanity and
then suddenly the trailing twisting thing directly
above il spread out like mushroom.
The parachuteF yelled an onooker, and the cry
uon an eyoent nore of relief went echoing over the
s-ounus. They it poised gracefully in midair
nearly thousand feet overhead, and then slowly
descend with a gentle, oscillating motion In Z
moment they were rushing peH NELL over garden.
and shrubbery and in another moment they were
crowding a thousand deep about who hac
stepped out of the clouds and stood upright
upon his feet unframed and smiling back at them
N his grim, confident way. And turning to the
heretofore ncreduous crowd, he said coolly just
Orvilie Wright TO those who saw his first success
ful airship fight at Fort MyeS* why, / knew
could do it."
Baldwin knew he could do it because he had beer