BALLOONIST.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 230, 29 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

BALLOONIST.

A Drop of 1,500 Feet

A vast concourse; of people assembled at the Alexandra Palace, London, on a recent Saturday afternoon, to witness a moat daring performance by Professor Baldwin, an American^ who, by the aid of a parachute^ dropped from a balloon at a, height qf nearly 1,500 feet. About half-past six the balloon, an ordinary one .'inflated with gas,,was in readiness to carry the performer tpward the clouds. • Everything Iseing arranged to his satisfaction, Mr Baldwin gob into'the car, and in something less than a minute waa descending, his parachute unopened, with tremendous speed. Hedropped in this fashion some 300 or 400 feet, when the umbrella opened, and, hanging by one Hand, ■he gracefully alighted in; a field adjoining the grounds of the Palace, and* hundred yards of the starting point, none, the worse' for his trip. The parachute is rdada of .pongee silk, sup. i oorted by corrlsj ? but, .unlike others of ifes find whidh have been uaed for similar exMbitjidna; it has no ribs or stays whatever. I |b is, of course, exceedingly light and easily j portable,-and is ?o perfected that the performer can with but a comparatively small amount of - danger land, ab any. point upon l^nich he may fix. ; The impression that '}Ax Baldwin was secured to the balloon ■ by. ] ineiinaof an invisible .wit© was veiiy quickly 1 i dispelled,' as .the balloon' accidentaily esjcaped.: The abmosphoric conditjons were j favourable to .a. rapid rise, but so;rapidly did the balloon; travel that Mr Baldwin, who goes up unaecomjSanied, ;had not suffi-; pient time ;td op^n :the valve to allow the gas td, escape;, whioh he is supposed ftp,do; before taking>hi& ,leap iintp )th6/ air,, this te^ujt beiijg tba.b, the, ballpon. cpntinvied its pp\varfj' journey, and was soon lost .to | "telegram was repeivesd on Monday, frpm J^ssejc, stating that t^' pai|ppn iii vfhich\ Profpsf or Baldwin : .^s-, bended at t]be. Alexa;i(|ra' Palace on Saturday h'acl teen difcoverecfttere in good cpripitipn*. This 'h'aHpon a,n intei'estigg hisb^oiy. Oftp^eqccasiQn ib^asfoi^M by a e^ip is ny jaiii-joa^oxi ati^i to l&Rd.v |f frb^easpj|I"Baic|f'm'9 iQilrnpy from earth tp earth*."g|i'Saburqay. lasted ono minute tnirteen '§ecpnds~t^ accent' t>venby-fiye seconjle'an^ "thfldescen'b.fprtyVeig'hb 1 ,Th^1 .'haltoon. Vw^a used ag"in op T|jiir|clay;:''Inig^fc'! ...'.lt. ppntains '15,0^0. •cj|b|gi 'j^fb'. .<s.. K^, ■'. and,|"takes "p|pp' jtjvp hpura'.jio,-inflate.'-., ,-T^e:".n|cei^l(' j \yi^s. 'announc^(|i *Q begin $fo six p/cloplf, ( and pi ■f^w m^jites pgforp|he, pi?pttjallpoh* w^a ai^c], sailed', away in the direct, ibipn.p^QrpuqlyEfia urifiil los^ to sight, !a^ ■at;og^ n^ipute pa^'tjie. hov\r, ,wibh/a. shout if^pni' blie"ae^pniub of S£l'm qff,' the, men let 'gobihb ropes, and the bulloon mounted alinqat pe < rpen4ipuJSir^y to f^n |iititqqe, ■vyhich 'niay/be ,es,tim^fea s^t bqbween I,'SpOft. and l,7oo|<(. '[ T'lf^n tj|eprpfesspr was seen to be. ■ cqifliiig dpwn yriih. bne parachute still cloged,'; a'n^tiia balloon.in W statp of collapse falling; jalso.,.' ifijwiU tp refjpllected tjiab there is a contrivance by which, on pulling a string, \ia,& side, of b%-balloon opens, and fib' was the. aeronaut. 'failed to pull" ■the pprd oflrSatu^ay ithab, .the. balipon iescaped.' After 'coming 'downj c|p?ecl, W;ith gre,at, velpcit,y,, for ttboub. three hijiijdrtid 'ya'ycjs,' ibh';e p.arapH]it,B ?|p,wly;.?P^n?l^ a 5« the !^r.pfe^g9r,Igrac,ejfuijy l ,1 8wa^|ng'; t'p' arid' fr6^ iisApji alighte4'|e>|]i)a^^ : qaHftpsf , Mv, me • n|ahy secpn.d s * preiv.ipys|y'". rea£h^,! tjie" ,e"%p., ;The,;t,ime;v opdupipdin thp,a^c,e"nt' was in-the deßcb.nt t; 'inijn, Mr Baldwin was joudly cheered as'he drpye away. : ';