Hide Article Text (OCR)
—rowripy.DROPPING iojooolFEET.A BALLOONIST’S DARING LEAP WITH A BIG PARACHUTE.A Michigan Mini IImIi IIiu Record “In the Interests of Science—Falling I.lkc u Meteor—Safe on Teria Flrmn.It is claimed by the balloonist, Baldwin, that he bus dropped 0,000 feet from a balloou with u parachute. 1 shall drop ut least IO.1X1O feet, and shall attompt what no other balloonist ever did. 1 shall drop with the chute closed, leaving it eutirely to tho air to ojien tho chute.So said Edward D. Hogan to n group of newspaper men, who assembled ono morning uat long ago on a large vacant lot northwest of town to see him muke his foolhardy venture. Hogan is a local aeronaut. He wns for fourteen years employed in a planing mill here, and only during the last four years has devoted himself to ballooning as a profession. Ho has studied tho subject thoroughly, however, for many years, having from childhood taken the keenest interest aud delight in tho science of suiting airships. He rigged up a workshop ut his homo, and there ho speut every s|are moment experimenting in tho constructing of balloons, and on every |ossible occasion had mode ou ascension, frequently going up to consider-ublo heights.TUB rARACUBTE.There is no uso, ho said, “of my attempting to do anything unless 1 can beat all previous records and fall further than any living man. A few hundred feet less or it few hundred feet more will count nothing for me. I must at least doublo tho distance.Ho repeated this talk when getting his car ready, and at U:35 tho balloon ascended. As the balloon left the earth one of the guy ropes holding the chute broke.To deseribo this particular “chute” it is only necessary to imagine u white globe twenty feet in diameter, cut through tho center; in this way you have two parachutes, the professor only having one. It contained 100 yards of stout cloth. It is not unlike a mammoth umbrella without a stick, tho braces being flexible cords running down twenty-five I'cet, and fastening to an iron ring two feet in diameter. Tho other cords nil run clear up to the scams of tho “chute, so they cannot give way. This parachute was fastened to tho outside of tho hot air balloon in a iieriwudicular form by n cord. When tho balloou was at tho proper height tho professor intended to tnko bold of the iron ring, swing clear from tho balloon, depend on tho air to inflate tho “chute,” and take his chances of reaching terra flrma in safety. Tho balloon was inflated by 00,000 feet of hot air, balloon, parachute and apparatus for inflating tho balloon all being of Mr. Hogan's own manufacture. As lie steppes! in the car and gave orders for tho ropes holding tho balloou to tho ground to lie cast off, tho professor said to tho correspondent, who took what tho latter believed to bo final leave of a daring and reckless man:My balloon ought to tako mo up two miles nt least. The parachute won't Inflate inside of 300 feet from tho timo I leave the balloon. This distanc- will occupy three seconds, after that I expect to come down all right inside of one minute and thirty seconds. Let her go.”At the word tho ropes wero cut and tho monster went sailing upward.The chute's guy has broken, cried Hogan instantly. “I'll liavo to como down and start over. As soon us possible Hogan descended. “I'll go up again in nn hour,” ho said.THE SECOND THIAI,.The second trial was a success. Tho balloon shot up almost straight to a distunco of fully 10,000 feet. It then settled about -100 feet and hung like a ball in tho heavens. Tho anxious aud excited crowd of |eoplo on thu ground watched tho balloon with bated breath. Tho reporters wero provided with powerful glussos, and saw Hogau lnako ready to jump.“He'll weakou,” said some one.No, cried another, “ho is getting out.” Tho chuto was closed Uognn drow it up till ho reached the rcpcs to which ho lashed himself. Ho did uot expect tho chuto to open for tho first 200 or 300 feet, and ho was afraid ho might bo shaken off thu bar by the rapidity of thu fall unless ho took tho precaution to fasteu himself. When ho stepped on the edge of tho car to spring off into spaco somo of tho spectators grow pnle and sick. fciurely this daring muu was goiog to certain death.A shout of terror goes up. Hogau has jumped. Down like a camion ball ho fell for 500 feet Tho chuto has uot yet opened Down it camo like a gigantic elongated bird He was falling like a meteor, aud tho s|ecta-tors shut their eyes whilo still keeping their glasses elevated Suddenly a shout goes up The chute bus caught tho air. It opcus like tho wings of a monster englo. Hogan's flight downward was almost stopped with u jerk. Then tho chuto settles dowu to a steady journey earthward with its passenger, and in three minutes from tho timo tho reckless man left tho ballooD he landed safely in an open field somo littlo distanco from where tho asceut was made.Correspondent was almost tho first to grasp the hand of tho aeronaut.I lost my breath. said he, “when I shot down so fust, hut 1 caught it again after a time. It wus a great jump. wasuT ..I l’rofessor Hogan was smeared w itli smut. He had never seeu a man jump with a chute. Ho was much disappoiuted ut tho slow time made, expecting to come down in ninety seconds. Tho chute w as twenty feet in diameter. Oscillation was guarded aguinst by means of a four inch holo in tho apex. Ho was overwhelmed with congratulations, and wasquite tho hero of tho hour.—Jucksou lilicb.) Cor. Globo-Dcmocrat.
Newspaper Details
Dickinson Press
Dickinson, North Dakota, US
Sat, Jun 23, 1888
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
DE 16 Dec 2023
Other Publications Near Dickinson, North Dakota
Dickinson Advertizer
Dickinson Press
