Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22
THRILLS OF DROP THROUGH AIR
TOLD BY GIRL CHUTE JUMPER
Made First Leap as Stunt for
Real Estate
Company.
Once Barely Escaped Falling
In Path of Speeding
Passenger Train.
BY LURA BENNETT HESSE.

BY LURA BENNETT HESSE.
It IL my Job to fall out Of the sky
for q fee.
Sounds crazy? Well, it's fact. And
the higher the sky I fall from the
z.i-pt That's the Give drop" be-
fore the chute opens. It is made at
terrific specialize a bullet. Breath?
You can't breathe. Then
But to make everything clear, I'd
better tell the whole story of how and
why q girl deemed rather pretty, rather
clever and rather successful as a stage
entertainer took up the curious profess
sion Of plunging incredible distances
from blue heaven to entertain the pub
lie and advance the art of aviation.
Some women are school teachers,
some stenographers, some cooks, some
the wives of millionnaires. Why
shouldn't be parachute jumper?
like to do 1t and have been sue
cessful at it.
I have dropped farther than any
other woman, and before I lose my
youth shall drop farther than any,
body else-man or woman-has ever
dropped.
Ny first jump was made in a Chicago
suburb three years ago, when I was
81. A real estate development wanted
10 aCtEaCL people 10 al duCCIOl Safe
The management had engaged plane
and aviator, but at the last minute
began to wonder. Was a mere flight
enough? The novelty perhaps had be-
gun to wear of the sight of plane
in the air
Somebody suggested a parachute
jumper, meaning a man. asked for
the job. did not mention that never
in my life had jumped.
Always I had been interested in
aviation. I had been UP in planes
several times. And-well, I needed
money. I knew about parachuteS in
general way and being without fear
was not worried.
Daring Death for $3.50.
30, after having studied parachutes
for an hour, having listened to instruc--
lions on what to do, and thinking OF
the $3.50 which would pay all my debts
and carry me until engagements at
my regular work became plentiful in
the Fall, slipped into Knockers. shirt
waist, leather jacket and CATERS and
goggles, with packed chute strapped
to my back, and climbed into the plane.
The pilot, splendid fellow, an ex-
Army man, making sure I was safely
in the cockpit and not dreaming that
/ was o raw amateur, gave her the
gun"
we began to 60 up-and up-and
up-the engine making a terrific roar,
which hypnotized me. After every
thing on earth had undergone that
curious shrinkage which all myers
know, the houses on the real estate ad-'
dition having diminished to the pro-
portions of villas for doll babies, I
climbed, crouching. out of the cockpit,
to the place agreed upon on the lower
wing. and, clinging, as best could,
watched for the pilots capped and
goggled head to give the nod which
was to be my signal for falling back
ward into thousands of feet of space.
Back l went, just as had been plan
ned, and the terrible live drop" began.
NOW for the count! "One . two
4. three :. four five!"' count
ed aloud, probably really shouting as
whirled In that curious crouching
attitude, meanwhile dropping at the
rate Of 118 miles an hour!
Over and over I whizzed. AS said
'five'' my hand pulled steadily on the
ring attached to the ropes end, and
almost at once I had the conscious
ness that the folds of the parachute
were being released and that the can
vas was filling above me in the air as
an umbrella sometimes catches in a
gale.
Nov as it catches the air I shall
begin to go Slow" told myself. First
I felt the straps about my thighs re-
spond to the pull-right thigh, then
left-and very sharply. Then the
strap across my chest caught it, and
-presto!-I stopped whirling over and
over--stopped in a split-second!
II there is any part of parachute
jumping I really dislike 1t is that, but
really do not very much dislike even
that. It Is a thrilling part Of every
jump and each jump Is glorious adj
venture.
The Plunge is Checked.
The checking of the falling speed
was sudden enough, but not really
shock, although in another drop have
had an illustration, since, of what it
may do to ones neck, swapping 1t
painfully.
SO, thus, was checked in mid-air
in what without the parachute, would
have been horrid plunge to physical
humiliation.
was dizzy and breathless. These
discomforts decreased. Presently I
was absolutely comfortable, floating
down =. down No sense of speed,
now. A feeling that all goes we'll.
Naturally the real estate people who
were to pay me $3.50 for the Jump
were eager to have me land upon their
subdivision, and the winds permitted.
landed beautifully almost in the mid
die Of the subdivision.
It took my legs few moments to
get over the strain of those tight straps,
and then was able to enjoy the con-
CALCULATIONS of the thrilled people who
crowded about to congratulate me.
Falling Is feet a second seems very
psrilous, but nothing Of fatal nature
can happen to you in the upper air,
though you may there get so tangled
up in the Shrouds and silk of your
chute as to make it impossible for 1t
to open and support you properly later
on. Then, perhaps, q dead jumper
after a swift plunge like bullet to the
hard earth. But the higher reaches are
safest for jumper.
Keeping Clear Of che Plane.
Ordinarily the chute remains packed
when one jumps and until one Is well
eritansled in the wings Or landing gear
and tear, or create otherwise a disas-
trous situation. To my knowledge that
has occurred several times with
jumpers.
A terrific thrill comes if, after such
F"live Drop" the pins fail to come
out when I pull on the rip-cord. That
means the chute has been badly
Jumped near New York one day
from only about 1900 feet. The higher
the iunp the more secure feel, but
this lump was not that kind. / had
taken the necessary live Drop" falling
curled like kitten, face up and almost
chin 10 knees, when pulled the rip
cord. It should have given about an
inch and quarters as the safety
pins came out, but nothing happened,
The cord didn't give ct all. The pins