The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-12-07
LEAPED FROM A
BURNING BALLOON
Boo h e Machine-Gunner
Set Observation
Bags on Fire.
JUMPED INTO SPACE
After Long Time the Wings
of Parachute Opened and
Let Him Down Safely.

How would you liko TO leap into
space with nothing between YOU and
tho earth i.h0o feet below You
wouldn't care for it? Well neither
did G. A. Horppncr OF the purchhf-
Ink department OF the bkhhomt
Producing n Refining corporation
but that happened 10 b" the on y
thing thrrc Was to do. 40 he ava II
Hoeppncr WIS master c.cc'rl'ihu
In tho Third prnGp, Company &,
balloon observation service, ana
was hloft a. llaIdnimuut before
Metz, when tho urcossiiy Tor tho L.
500 foot leap arose, The btlIo"u
corps was working IN conjunction
with tho I1reu h Fourth colonial
corps OF artillery IN preparation Tor
tho Met offensive. wni h, hhd the
Rrmis,ico not hnitcI IT, would have
taken place Nov, ,fnhcr ~. 1918
Wth his superior officer with him
IN the basket OF the observation bal
loon. lioeppucC vas hiofi on so
ycmhcr II was n rlolr, cool day
with necpy clouds floating by now
and then. suddenly a German plane
iiycd on Frcn,h balloon a hNlf
mile to tho left and II fell In
flames Tho balloon In which Hoepp-
nor was riding was pulled down to
/ 500 feet 40 That II would he with
in tho protecting range OF tho anti
aircraft guns
Machine Gunncrs Hit Balloon.
About four minutes after the
French gas bag had fallen, lioepp'
ner and his companion heard the
pattcr Of "A machine gun and saw
the white smckc puffs Of tracer
bullets coming from above \ Ger
man nernplanu had swung down on
them from It's hiding place hehind
n cloud Then through the tcle-
phone receiver on his ears licopp-
ner heard the words. your bal
loon IL on fire, Looking eastward
he received confirmation OF this
iBsssaRc a signhlmnn had started
strenkinR or ncrurs country with a
ret fling trailing along after him.
Hooppncr waJ on the right side
OF the basket while his station In
such emergencies was M the left
IIo ieaped to III, left side and just
as he did 80 "A shrapnel fragment
from one OF the anti-aircrat gums
struck his officer In the leg. En h
man was In his parachute harness.
but the officer VAS unable to CLIMB
over the side OF the basket. Hoepp-
ncr bundled him over tho side,
saw the parachute tear ffom It's
sheath on the site OF the basket.
open and start floating downward.
Then he swung over his side OF the
basket. closed hiS eyes and dropped
1T seemed IKE would hit the
grount before tho parachute
opened" said ifocppner. II had thai
gone feeling IN the pit Of my stom
ach, and the rushing air took my
breath Then al tho sudden there
was IA pull that almost jerked mo
In two. II was sort OF like an elevator
stopping all the, sudden after hav-
ing gone at tor speed about Is
stories. The parachute hal opened
opened my eyes. but didn't see
very much at that got to think
Ing about that ambulance that was
tearing across the country to the
place they figured | would llght o. |
and | wondered what kind OF shaps !
they would find me- in"
when he diu hlt the ground about |
two and one nar miles from the [
balloon, and behind tbs lines
Hoeppner forgot FOR n minute TO cut
himself loose from the parachute. |
There was hook bladed knife /
hanging conveniently TO his harness
for that very purpose. too. The para
chute had dragged him some dis
tanCe and bumped him rather Sc
verely before he thought to use the
knife hut he admits that he felt |
no resentment toward the ground .
for those bumps
But the experience had It's COM