The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-18
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in Tokyo he dropped into morass and had sunk to
his neck before rescuing party arrived
His most miraculous escape from death. however
happened at his home town Of Quincy, Ill He, had
previously made descent here of 5000 feet Later,
after perfecting his parachute by halvng the
weight and doubling its resistance area, he deter
mined to jump 10000 feet
Parachute Fails to Work
The afternoon of the ascent wind of considerable
and increasing velocity sprang up. Howeve, he
passed through this and was in comparasAe calm
when he cut loose, two miles above the earth
Down he shot, and then that horror Of the para
chute jumper happened His parachute would not
openl The wind had tangled the ropes.
That midair descent strahgled him and all but de-
stroyed his consciousness. He remembers very little
except that he passed suddenly into the semi dark
ness of black cloud and felt force about him.
He had dropped into the wind strata and was being
whirled diagonally along with terrific force That
wind which had caused ms undong might prove his
savior of its transverse force would only buoy him
up enough-and if that force would continue all the
way down to earth.
He had no hope. however. Like other aeronauts
in similar predicaments. he accepted death-even
calmly voiced that acceptance to himself
AS he was swept over the city he was conscious OF
his townspeople below, and strange thought en-
tered his mind, They could see him and were aware
of his fate They knew that he clinging bhndly
to an instrument of certain death Would they judge
him coward if he continued to hold on? They knew
and held him highly brave mans Would It not be
better to perpetuate that reputation If he were to
die any way, ought he to make fitting ending
to his career by deliberately dropping just over the
city of his own free will7
Something checked the resolve almost the moment
he made it; it that grim determination to live so
fundamentally strong in all of In another mo
ment he watching the racing earth beneath him
wood, river, an open ield-speculating his
chances if that wnd~stratum lasted, eyes wide open
muscles tense and ready for some extreme effort
They found him in that open field stunned and
bleeding, but alive and whole. Today he laughs
the episode-if fall Of 10000 feet may from any
standpoint be styled episode" Baldwin's career
of lighting the air. he calls it. IS most remark
able one. He has never suffered injury serious
as the breaking of bone.
The big feees received by the pioneer parachute
iumpers1Baldwin got nearly $1,000 and medal
worth several hundreds for single descent at Quincy
and Stevens often made $500 for one days work
attracted many daring and irresponsible persons into
the field. Some rowing spirits to whom chance
misfortune made ready money seem more to be de-
sired than life. They had courage, but no aeronaut-
ical knowledge, and many were kiled-so many, in
fact, that several states fastened pass laws pro-
hbiting the dangerous ascent. In New York state
the statute still holds.
There dangers enough in the air, it would seem,
for the experienced alone Stevens tells of
able height two adverse currents Of air caught his
balloon and exploded it would burst in
fated paper bag in the hands.
He dangling from the bar when he heard the
sharp report, and in instant the balloon, para