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Parachute Drops, Often Fatal,. Should Be Prohibited by Lalt;wt Says AeronautDeath Roll Enormous Every Summer in United States Pleasure Parks.BY WILL C. GILLEN.OW t tiat the science of aeronautics Is occupying the centre of public Interest, and it can be said that man has solved the problem of flight at last, a short review of the early stages of aerostation, of which the hot air balloon was the very beginning, may prove interesting. While many have said the hot air balloon has never been of any practical benefit to science, nevertheless It was the first device that enabled man to rise from the earth to the clouds.The parachute, too, deserves mentioning. not only on account of Its connection with this branch of aeronautics, hut also. It can be said to have been the first form of glider and was in use for many centuries prior to the discovery of the balloon.Of course, gas balloons are considered by most aeronauts better and safer than the hot air kind, although the latter cost less to operate. The hot air balloon goes up with a rush like a sky-rocket, and woe betide the aeronaut about to ascend If he does not make the run quickly enough. Thepaifechute Is thirty-five feet long; that is, from where it pitches to the balloon to the trapeze bar on which sits the aeronaut.When expanded, as It Is during descent, It Is forty feet wide and weighs about sixty pounds. When the aeronaut reaches the height in which he desires to cut Iftoae from the balloon, he pulls a rope that hangs down inside the parachute from a cutaway block,” andthere is a knife blade, very sharp, In the block over the ropes. One light pull is all that is necessary, and the aeronaut falls rapidly until the parachute opens. The fall taken before the big web of canvas fills out, of course, depends on the weight of the aeronaut, and a man of 130 pounds—there are not many heavyweights In the, profession— ^ould drop at least 300 feet, and. as Istoo often the case, he may fail 3,000or 4.000 feet, and never awaken to find out how It happened.The wjlter can but describe the sensation of a parachute drop from a balloon by relating his own experience In a fall from the height of the clouds. Obtaining permission from the aeronaut of a local amusement park to make an ascenf with two profess!otfiil aeronauts. I soared aloft. Kach of us was sitting on the trapeze bar attached to the parachute, and these were hitched to the balloon and separated by a large board. A height of almost 6,000 feet, In a few seconds* had now been reached, and one of the aeronauts wag' about to cut ioosa. when the hig board, forty feet long, that divide^ and held us apart. ♦snapped in twain, one part falling to earth, causing the three of use to come together with great violence.The three parachutes became entangled, and so did our nerves, m*«re or less. If one of the chutes” had broken away from the balloon at this critical moment the weight of It would have easily*brought down the other two. and as they were badly entangletff there would have been not the least chance of them expanding at all. With this thought uppermost In their minds, the two professionals worked strenuously, and by clever maneuvering, just as the big bag was slowly beginning to sink, the three of us came apart. The danger was not over, however, for on account of the absence of the dividing board we were still very close together. Instead of being fifteen feet apart, two feet was all that separated us from each other. It would have been impossible to drop from the balloon under these conditions, but good luck seemed to be with us. The wind blew strong, thus causing ihe balloon to tilt, and the two aeronauts were now ten feet above me. . All was in readiness, and with a cry of “Look out! My parachute may strike you. Hold tight to the ropes!” one of the professionals cut from the balloon. Sure enough his parachute did strike me, but I had a firm grip on the ropes of my trapeze bar and was safe. For a few seconds his parachute retained the collapsed state in which way It had ascended, until suddenly it expanded. 300 feet below, and hid that part of the earth directly underneath me from view.The time had arrived for the tenderfoot's turn, and, although what 1, a minute before, had witnessed gave me a little confidence, still It was with trembling hand and shffky nerves that 1 pulled the rope—and then, Xvhat a sensation! it is Just like the dream In which you fall from. the precipice or skyscraper. This lasts for four or five seconds, until the parachute fills wide and springs you up against the ropes. Then .you catch your breath with a sigh of relief and wonder if you’re still among the living. Then you slowly sink down, with a gentle swaying motion, until at last terra flrma Is reached.The professional aeronaut-parachut-Ists, as a rule, are a calloused lot, and they do not seem to take the precautions necessary to prevent accidents. I have watched balloon ascensions in which the aeronauts have taken great chances. A thick leather belt, fastened to the trapeze by a strong piece of rope. Is supposed to be always worn In making an ascent. In the event of the aeronaut losing his grip' or slipping from the trapeze, this would hold him firmly. In some cases this is dispensed with altogether, In others a small piece of manllla rope that would not hold fifty pounds, much less the weight of a man, is substituted. Then, again. It has been known to happen In more than one case where the aeronaut lost hisHot Air Balloon Unreliable, but Life in Parachute Is Far More Risky.life on account of the rotten ropes of the trapeze bar. One has but to glance over the newspapers almost any day during the summer months, and find there an account of th^ death or Injury of some aeronaut-paracKutlst. due in the great majority of cases to careless- j ness on their own part.Aeronaut Carl Myers, of Frankport. I N. Y., an authority on ballooning, and | once government expert, has only con- | damnation for the parachute, and declares its use should be prohibited by law. The parathute,” says the pro fessor. kills many people each year. On more than one occasion It has failed to expand when released from the balloon. It kills In many unpleasant ways, dropping them on live electric wires, in rivers, on sharp railings, and even in front of locomotives. I believe Its use decidedly unsafe.”The writer has made note of and gathered statistics of the deaths due to this practise In amusement parks and fairs, and finds that during the one year, 1908. seventeen were killed In the United States alone'. Considering that the profession Is not overcrowded, nor is it ever likely to be—these figures are really alarming.The balloon ascension and parachute drop still continue to be the drawing card of the amusement park and country fair, and will always be such until this dangerous sport” Is prohibited by law.
Newspaper Details
Newark Star And Newark Advertiser
Newark, New Jersey, US
Sat, May 15, 1909
Page 13
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 17 Apr 2025
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