New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-05
"Tom" Moore'S Parachute Fails
to Work and He Drops
Hundreds of Feet at
Jersey Resort.
10000 LOOK ON H0RRIFiED
Victims Partner, Descending,
Sees Body Dash Past Him
and He Nearly Faints-
Moore Long Time
Daring Aeronaut.

TON" Moore. who for seven years had
made balloon ascensions and dropped
with the aid Of parachutes at Hillside
Pleasure Park. Belleville, y. j., was
killed there yesterday afternoon. There
were not less than twenty thousand per
sons in the park at the time.
Moore was only twenty-five years old,
and yesterdays accident was the first
that he had ever had, though he had
been doing aeronautic stunts for years.
His home was at Jacksonville. Fla, and
he worked in the South in the winter.
| 1t had been advertised that Moore and
his partner. William Gillen. would make
sensational drops as a special feature of
the celebration of the Fourth, and the
crowd at the Belleville park was larger
than it had ever been. While Gillen was
to use only one parachute, Moore had
intended TO use three in his descent.
going to a height sufficient to permit
him to make the three stages easily.
The balloon with its two passengers
went up at precisely / o'clock. and just
before the ropes were cut William Thai
Ter. the manager of the park, noticed
that Moore did not have on the belt
usually worn by aeronauts to enable
them more securely 10 attach themselves
10 the trapeze bar while ascending.
Moores attention was called to the fact.
but he said that the belt was not neces-
| (.
Moore and Gilen were greeted with
cheers from thousands Of thrOats as III"
big sphere left the ground and leaped
skyward. 1t went up until an altitude OF
more than one thousand feet was
reached. and Gillen, who was TO he the
first TO drop. prepared for his descent
His parachute opened at the proper time
and he heard Moore call goodhy.
Gilen had gone about half the distance
to the ground when he heard scream
above him. and. looking up, saw Moore's
body hurtling through the air. II al
most caused GilLen TO lose his grasp on
the parachute bar. and as the body OF
Moore passed him he nearly tainted.
Gnlen reached the ground about n
hundred feet from where he had seen
the body OF Moore fall and he ran TO II.
Others had come UP by this time. but
there was nothing that they could do for
Moore. His neck had been broken.
From the ground no one could tell just
what caused Moore 10 fall. He dropped
from the balloon safely and the first Of
i.
Using the first parachute Moore de-
scended several hundred feet. when he
let go and attempted 10 use the second
one. a red, white and blue striped affair
But The second parachute would not
take the wind, and Moore's body shot TO
the ground like an arrow i'll its down
ward flight
The thousands who had watched the
ascent averted their faces when they
saw that the man had lost control Of the
second parachute. and "A cry Of horror
went up from the throng. Doctors who
examined the body said ;hat death must
have been instantaneous.
Moore had about decided 10 give up
ballooning and take to the aerOplane
He had been so fortunate I'm his Nights
that he believed no accident was likely
to happen 10 him.
The body was taken to the Beleville
morgue TO await the arrival OF relatives
from the South, as Moore was not mar
ried and none Of his family lived in the
North.
Gillen was so unnerved by the acci-
dent that II probably will be long time
before he makes another ascent. If he
ever goes up again.