The Washington times., 1909-05-25
tanning of Safety Device
Blamed for Wilson's
Accident.
INJURED MAN is
NOT BADLY HURT
Near-Disaster Does Not Put Stop
to the Flights at
Park.

IT thought that I was at least 500
feet in the air when 1 released the
Yarachutes and started down. l couldn
see much below me. but 1 was sure that
1 was way up. The first parachute
worked all right. catching III few
seconds and making the fell easier. The
second, though, didn't have time enough
10 open, or else something damned.
ard in an instant 1 struck the trees be-
Meath
Il didn't have time to think much; it
was only a couple of seconds. I suppose,
after I cut loose until I hit the tree. I
crashed down through it with a terrible
SINGING feeling. In another second !
hit branch, not TAR from the ground,
I've been told since After I hit that
1 went cut, and the next thing l really
knew was That L was III a n ann uiance
That is all that AlonZo Wilson. the
twenty seVen-yeaT-Old aeronaut, who
last night fell Is feet in a parachute.
remembers today of ms swift descent
10 what looked like certain death. VII
son was resting easily at Emergency
Hospital this morning. SO far as the
physicians have been able to discover,
he is suffering mainly from bruises
May Be Badly Hurt,
It is possible, however, that he may
be injured internally. The accident will
not Interfere with The ascents at Luna
Park, according to a statement OF the
MANAGEMENT this morning. king"
Kelly, the aeronaut, who Is scheduled
TO make the escents at the resort, ana
whose indispos 4tion yesterday led to tie
disastrous voyage or Wilson, his assist
ant will so up today
Wilson fat was short but thrilling,
and the crowd present at the time was
horror-stricken and breathless In tie
few seconds 1t took him 10 fall from
the balloon TO the tree.
The gas bag. owing TO the cold and
the density OF the air, went up slowly
and never got higher, witnesses say,
reached the bag began moving listlessly
il one direction and then in another,
and il was but few minutes until VIII
son cut the parachute and started 10
drop.
The balloon which Kelly and Wilson
use carries two parachutes- When VII
sen started down last night the nrst
one, which is nearest the balloon and IS
meant to open first, worked all right
and opened properly The second sup
posed TO open within 200 feet of the
ground, either failed TO y, work on account
of tanning" or would lot open be-
cause Wilson WAS too close o the earth.
The management Of the Park thinks
that proximity to the ground. rather
than any failure or the mechanism,
caused the accident
Lands In Tree.
At any rate, Wilson in 3 flash was in
the tree. As the crowd took a deep
breath he hit one branch then another,
and then. after one last bump on a big
limb about twenty feet from the ground,
shot clear and struck the ground. When
the attendants and his companions
reached the spot where Wilson struck
the. expected to find him dead, but bis
means told them he was merely injured.
Willing hands lifted Wilson and bore
him TO the little hospital on the grounds.
He continued TO cry My backs broken,
my backs broken so that the mana &c
luent, noz sure how badly he had been
injured, telephoned for the Washington
ambulance.
Wilson was taken from the park hos
pitsl and hurried down TO a waiting car
of the Mt. Vernon electric line. The au-
thorities gave the car the right of way
and II was rushed to the Capital. An
ambulance from Emergency Hospital
met the car at the Mt. Vernon station.
The first examination showed that his
back was not broken. as he had de-
clared, but the physicians are not yet
certain that he has not sustained in
ternal injuries.