Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-10
DARING FEAT IN AIR
Antony Janus Drops Para
chutist From AeropIane.
DEMANDS NERVE AND SKILL
Machine Rears Like Frightened
Horse on Release of the
Weight.

Details have been received in WASH
ington of a parachute drop from an aero
plane engineered by Antony Janus. d
Washington boy. at st. Louis last week.
Janus was one of the first persons in
Washington to handle an aeroplane. He
created considerable interest here by his
passenger-carryinc flights on the speed
way last year.
The parachute Jump was made by Bert
Berry. professional jumper. The OBJ
iect was to see how an aeroplane would
behave under the sudden release of a
heavy load. The trial was spectacular;
but ii was not made with the idea of
furnishing a thriller. merely to see what
practical use could be made of such an
arrangement in war time
Interesting to Army Men.
ing by army men, a. ii shows that troops
can he quickly transported long distances.
deposited and the machine sent back
for more men without even alishting at
their destination.
Janus practiced nrst with sand ha -
and finally with anvil, dropping them
from the machine On the last day of
February he was satisfied with the be-
havior of the machine and took up Berry
and the parachute. Carrying a parachute
meant greatly increased wind resistance
TO the flight of the aeroplane This was
reduced as much possible by folding
the parachute inside a case like short
wide mesaphone. This could be swung
UP under the lower plane of the machine
and did not offer any great resistance
being carried small end forward.
Machine 1900 Feet in Air.
The start was made at kinloch Field,
an aviation ground outside st. Louis The
machine was flown to Jefferson barracks
about eighteen miles away. Berry and
Janus had rehearsed before starting the
part each was to play. SO there was no
need for shouting directions when the
time came. When the machine was over
the barracks and about 1.5OO feet high,
Berry crawled out over the front of the
machine and. loosening the parachute
trapeze, swung himself under the ma
chine.
The shifting of half its load and the
greatly increased head resistance. slowed
up the machine. 1t lost between .n3
and 500 feet of altitude. and threatened to
stall When the aeroplane is stalled
in the air it loses Roadway and conse-
respond to the rudder Janus damned
his foot down the throttle and with
the engine wide open, its peaceful drone
rose to foar and the aeroplane drove
forward under the increased thrust of the
propeller.
Berry did not wait eten for his body
TO stop oscfllating as he dropped to the
trapeZe, but puiied what, is lec.ancaiiy
known as the '.snatch-bock'' and cut
loose from the supporting machine. He
went down like a stone l.. ..,,. ..s....
the parachute opened and he tioated gent
~ to earth. That part of the drop was
as uneventful as an ordinary drop from
. balloon.
Reared Like Frightened Horse.
Meanwhiie,f when the great weight of
the parachute and its passenger was cut
lose fromth e. front of the aeroplane
It threw up its head like a frightened
horse and began to climb In an instant
Janus had his craft back under control,
but he had to make two circuits OF the
field to lose the altitude attained by the
machine and its runaway jump. he
c1rcled slowly and landed in front of the
coloneFs quarters at the post. Janus
and Berry have both received offers from
amusement park managers to feature
their act, but neither of them wants to
try that end of the business. They pro-
pose to try one more drop for demonstra-
ton purposes and then quit that part OF
the game. =.
Entries for Bennett Cup Race.
Notice has been received by the Aero
Club of America that there will be four
foreign entries-Great Britain, Holland,
Belgium and France-for the Gordon
Bennett Cup race, to be held in this
country next fall The Aero Club of
Great Britain is not altogether salts
ned with the guarantee of the Wright
Company not to interfere with the
foreign ayiators who COME to the meet
What Wilbur Wright. the president of
the Wright Company, guaranteed was
that there would be no interferences
with the foreigners coming here to fly
in the cup race. The British aero club
wants to have this guarantee extended
TO cover three months after the inter-
national meet. This would give margin
money by exhibitions. Wright. however,
stands pat on his offer and declines 10
add anything to it.
Precision in Dropping Bombs.
News has also been received from Lieut.
Riley Scott. L. S. A. retired, who was
practicing at College Park last summer
with bombrdropping device for aero
planes. The device consists of a swing
ing telescope and graduated scale.
There are two sets of tables prepared in
advance and the telescope is set al the
proper angle for the height and speed of
the machine. When the missile is drop
ped. the angle indicated by the telescope
makes allowance for the DETECTION caused
by the forward speed of the machine.
1t was the only instrument of precision
used for bomb throwing Lieut.. Scott
found he could place shots inside a
sixty-foot circle from a height of 5000 feet
The award of prizes has not yet been
made. but there Is an aggregate of