Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-08-13

open and save him. with but trif1e
over 100 feet in which this could occur.
George NJ. Sparks one of the aviators
who have been at the Muster grounds
the past week, dropped overheard Sun
day afternoon to save his partner,
Merle Fogg. and the plane from sure
disaster. The parachute partially
opened. but Sparks hit the ground with
such force that he was rendered I'M
conscious and badly bruised. He was
not -riously injured. however.
Announcement had been made that
he would do some stunts in the air on
Sunday and a large crowd had gathered
Sunday afternoon to witness these
feats of daring. The fog and low
hanging cloude made conditions very
unfavorab BILE. but in order that the
crowd might not be disappointed Sparks
strapped the chute to his back and
they started out.
So low were the clouds that when
but $50 feet from the ground they were
unable to sect to get their bearings.
The last thing visivlc was the dome of
the State Capitol and then they were
lost in dense white fog. Then it WIS
that the rain began TO fall.
Steering by dead reckoning" most
ly and with but little help from the
compass. Pilot Fogg made as nearly
as possible for the Muster field, all
thoughts of a parachute jump put
aside.
A boot" for the magnetic had mad
vertently been left off. and without the
protection which it affords the mag
neto became wet and soon the engine
was suffering as one or two of its
eight cylinders refused to function be-
cause of short circuits.
Suddenly the two men were startled
to discover, close beneath, a hill COW
cred with evergreen, the tops of which
seemed like so many spearheGds to
them. And, too, the machine was con-
stantly losing altitude through the loss
of power of the engine. One look at
the rapidly nearing earth convinced
sparks that with the weight of the
two men in the plane they would surely
crash.
Quickly he stepped over the side of
the machine. walked to the end of the
wing and, with smile to his partner.
dropped over the side. This was an
action demanding the greatest of nerve
as it is often that a man in making
para chute jump will fall from 100 to
200 feet before the chute opens. while
Sparks had but little over 100 feet
before he struck the ground.
Fortunately for him the parachute
! opened partially and broke his fall
! to some extent. 1t did not open suf-
| ficently to, diminish his speed as it
would have done had he been higher
| in the air, and he fell heavily on the
| top of a rocky hill about half mile
| southwest of the Muster Field He
! was knocked out by the force of his
fall and badly bruised and for a
time it was feared that he had sus-
! tanned one or more broken ribs. Last
night he was able to be about, al
! though quite sore and lame.
When Sparks jumped the loss of
! weight in the machine, was sufficient
to allow it to pick up altitude slight
~ and Fogg was able to make
! landing on the Muster Field No
sooner had the plane come down to
standstill than FOgg was out of
it and making speed for the place
where he last saw his' partner. Fol-
| lowed by large crowd he reached
Sparks and helped him to an auto
in which he was taken to the field
! hospital on the Muster Field where
an examination was made by the
army physician.
! Later sitting in his quarters in one
of the barracks on the field surround
, Su ny iilSHuSp oPdl hS SdLcu ouL
of the open door and seeing the
plane unframed. expressed his
thankfulness that the Jennie" was
, alright, and declared that Lady
Luck" must have been riding with
them on that trip.
Before the accident occurred, the
plane had made three flights, all with
passengers. The two aviators start
ed a little contest among the soldiers
encamped on the grounds, Offering
as a prize to the winner, the chance
| to take a ride in the machine and
! the spectators were highly amused
as the contest took place.
All the soldiers who participated
| left their hats a short distance from
the finish line, back a little farther
were placed the ties, next one put
| tee, then the other the the two shoes
at intervals, followed by the belts
and lastly. the shirts. Then they
were lined up at a point about Is
! feet from the shirts and at given
! signal they got away. 1t was worth
watching to see the boys slide into
their shirts, pass their belts through
| the loops, grab a shoe and lace it
and so clothe themselves. Chester
| H. Grenier of Fort Fairfield, second
cook of Battery c.. was the winner
in the contest and he was given a
fine ride by Pilot Fogg.
It WIS the intention of the avia-
tors to give George Dearborn, the