The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-11-10
Lieut.. A. C. Hamilton Breaks All
Records for Parachute Leap
From AirpIane.
TAKES LIFE IN MS HANDS
Through Miles 81 Cloud Floors to the
Earth Hanging to Parachute
None the Worse for His Har-
rowing Experience.

NnuiC hlpIln NtHl W TiNdoh At 0"if-
strom field when Lieut. A. 6. Hamil-
ton fell 10000 feet through space in
the quick time OF - minutes, better
ing by at least thousand feet the
record for altitude made by Lieut. VIII
son In Texas. 1t might be noted, says
Air Service news letter that Lieut..
Hamilton Jumped his method Of leay-
ing the plane was not drag Off.
Hamilton, who has had quite a llttlo
experience with parachutes, had re-
marked upon hearing Of the previously
established record that he thought hc
could better # and last Friday the at
tempt was made He went aloft in q
La Pore plotted BY lieut. r. II.
Downcs. Downcs pushed on until an
altitude Just short OF 2t000 feet had
been reached when miss IN the motor
made It Impossible 70 continue higher.
At four miles above The earth the mir
was bling cold.
Circlbg about FOR a glimpse e
earth through riffs in The cloud floors,
the avlalors described what they de-
Quoted 70 BE i)orr field, nine niles
east Of Carshom field Judging the
speed Of The wind aud its effect on
the chute during the drop, Lieut.
Downes moved west some two miles
ana slgnalcd for Lieut.. Hamilton TO
jump.
Tho Parachute.
Right hero mention might be made
Of n circumstance which puts an added
thrill into parachutlng at high att.
tudes and lends Interest 10 the estab-
lishmcnt OF new record. The para
chute used by ayiators IS folded snug
" inside a pack carried on the hack.
The operator steps off, allows himself
couple Of seconds TO fall clear Of
his machine then pulls 4 wire depend
Ing over his shoulder. This wire opens
The spring doors OF the pack and re-
kases n small pilot chute some couple
Of feet IN diameter This pilot springs
open automatically aud catching the
rush Of air. draws the main chute from
the mack In the ION Of the main
chute Is nm automatic vent which
opening 10 awidfh Of Ave feet when
the big parasol frat uhfolds gives the
air cdmnrfsscd within n chance to es-
cane and lessons the danger Of blow
Inc thc cbu,e apart When the fail
has been checked rubber snrlngs or
shoct.aheorhers M tho vent close n in
untjl mt small hole remains At
tho o,mosnlr,re pressura wherein most
poraehute drops from ordinary alti.
indies arc made tlte speed attained by
tho onerator IN his enunle of seconds
fon e sufficient 10 crc6te enough pres
SIRE rnder tbe nlIot chute 10 cause II
whom releosoa TO- yonE tbe blg one
nj once from IFS pnck. Usually the op-
orator is descending Mt normal speed
after fau,n, loss thon goo feet.
THROUGH Space.
Unon recoivirr HE nilots signal
Hamilton climhod 70 tho eAeo of the
cocl.nlt wovoS lis bond and dronned
info snace Aftcr mo usual interval
ho rrlloa HE rclcaso cord but instead
Of bayino his dron immediately check.
od no fol dIstnncc which wos estl.
motod bv boib him and Tleut nownes
10 be ooo foot before his noroehnte
sn,nne1 out and onencd vim n loud
rennrt Tool,inr oloft no sew that the
snrlnrs which close tbc Won, were
hrohen Tho chute is Of size design.
oil - on,hio - mann to roach Tho Ground
Nc orielly ID is consistent Win eofety
In Ianding and tbc shock unon ionch.
Inc cartb is oiwovs sevcre with tho
Won't wlae onen the host Hamilton
could homo for was fcw broken
bones
~ o1d - h,s d,smov ~ fonnd nnor
ni~r.,nr ~ ianost ioror - c,o,,d.
hot carls,ro,, eoid bo1 hoo, n,istolor
= =, M = ,e,,
toward the former he was due to land