Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-05
Air Tragedies UnnerUe
Him; He Falls to Death
Thomas Moore, Balloonist
Killed at Hillside, a
Victim of Hallu-
cinations.

aViatQrS VINO were killed Wlluth
the past four days; with the
last farewell of Harriet Quirnby,
who crashed to her death last
Tuesday still ringing in his. ears;
upset by a telegram ne had just re-
ceived notifying him of the miracu-
lous escape Of two intimate friends
in the Lackawanna railroad wreck at
Corning. N. Y, and half-crazed by
the obsession that fate had marked
him for the tenth air victim within(a
week, Thomas Moore. a b%alloonist.
| fell more than 5000 feet from a para
| chute at Hillside Park late yesterday
afternoon, a victim of his hallucina-
lions and careiessness.
/ When Miss Lena Schwenk, the bal
loonist's f1ancee, and some Of the
1900 spectators who witnessed the
| accident rushed over to where Moore
was lying. half buried in the sand,
| they found the spark of life just ex-
piring within him. They found the
telegram with the notification of the
escape of the two girls who were in
the train wreck. The mother of n
Of the girls was first to reach his
side.
Other Accidents Figure.
The girls whose escape so at
| fected Moore are Miss Lulu Fairser-
vice, daughter of Mrs. Robert Fair
service, of Belleville, with whom he
boarded, and Miss Hazel Pinkerton,
of Bergen avenue, this city. Both
were bound for Niagara Falls to pass
their vacation. They had known
Moore three years or ever since he
came to Newark to make flights at
| Hillside Park.
A few hours before the fatal acct
dent Mrs. Fairservice received a mes
sage from Fred Owens. q well-known
aviator. saying both his legs had been
broken In an accident In Baltimore.
Upon receiving this message Mrs.
Fairservice hurried to the park to
notify Moore Of the Owens accident,
but she arrived too late to tell Moore.
She had not heard Of the railroad
wreck, as the girls had depended on
Moore to tell her.
Moore, who was % years old, was
from Jacksonville. Fla. He was ex-
hibiting for the third season in the
park. and was ascending in the bal
loon with William C. Gillen, his as
sistant, for a triple parachute jump.
Everything had been made ready by
one of his workmen, Arthur Christie,
and as Moore gave the order to cut
the swaying balloon loose, he turned
to Miss Schwenk and said:
"Good-by, grille. 1 will see you
when come fsck!" He then cast
off.
The managers of the park. headed
by Colonel Harris, viewed the bal
loon, which vas shooting up at a
tremendous rate, with apprehension.
s.No Danger. He Said.
Moore was noted for his daring, and
in spite of the pleas of his friends
refused to wear a lifebelt such as
usually is used by ~balloonists.
why should I use a belt?" asked
Moore a few minutes before rising on
his fatal trip. There Is absolutely
no danger"
He was scheduled to do a triple
parachute drop, falling in three para
chutes opening one after the other.
Gillen, who was going up with Moore
for the second time. says that when
he was released Moore told him that
they were about 1000 feet up. On his
cutting loose from the balloon 1t
bounded into the air and when it
had reached its highest flight Moore
cut loose.
The first parachute worked we'll; the
second was all right, and the third
also opened. Just as he cast loose
with the last, which was red, white
and blue, he was see to fall.
A wall that could be heard for
half a mile went up from the vast
thropg as the body. which looked not
much larger than a large bird, fell.
turning over and ver In the air.
Many persons. men and in the
crowd tainted.
One of the first to reach Moore was
quarter of a mile from the park, vas
Father William C. Cunningham, of
st. Mary's Church, Nutley, who per-
formed the last rites. There was a
spark of life in the body when the
priest reached him, although prac-
tically every bone was broken. When
DIR. Whalen reached him he was dead.
GiIlen is on the edge of a nervous
breakdown on account IF the acct
dent. He says: Tom and had
been talking over the number of acci-
dents this week and 1t some-
what took my nerve. But ] will
never go up in a balloon or airship
again, not for all the money in the
world. My nerve is completely gone
and I would not go as high as that
house." pointing to a two-story frame
structure.
While he was talking he had FITS Of
shiyering during which he had to
stop, as If short OF breath. He CON
tinued, IT heard the unearthly yell
as he passed me and I believe ]
tainted. If l had not been fastened
to the chute by a belt 1 would have
followed him. After I heard the thud
of the body as 1t fell to the ground
I did not know anything more and ]
came to myself as I was approaching
the ground. The place for me is bed
just now, but you can say for me,
Never again."
Miss Schwenck said that she was
talking with Tom about taking up a
less hazardous occupation and he
promised to give it up at the end OF
the a If he found something
decent to do.
Arthur Christie. the 1~s-year-old lad
who Used to help the baloonist, is all
broken up over the accident, having
been with him for three years and
being as close as brothers, according
to the young fellows expression.
Moore's father, in Jacksonville, was
notified by telegraph of the accident
He has two brothers and two sisters
at horne. His body will be viewed by
County Physician Mckenzie.
This morning william E.. H. Thaller