Show REAL THRILL IN FOOT DROP A C hamilton breaks all records for parachute leap from airplane Air plana TAKES LIFE IN HIS HANDS through miles of cloud floors to the earth hanging to a parachute none the worse for his harrowing experience new kew york all records for parachute clifto drops went to smash at carlstrom field when A 0 hamill to ton fell feet through space in the quick time of 12 minutes bettering by at least a thousand nud feet the record for altitude made by wilson wilbon in texas it might be noted says air service news letter that na mllton jumped ills his method od of leav ing the plane was not it a drag oft off hamilton who hns has had quite a little experience with parachutes had remarked upon hearing of the previously established record that lie thought ile he could better it and last friday the attempt was made lie ile went aloft la in a la pere piloted by P II 11 downes downes pushed on until an altitude just short of feet had been reached when a miss in the motor made it impossible to continue higher at four miles above the earth the air was biting cold circling about for h a glimpse of earth through rifts drifts in the cloud floors the aviators described what they deducted to be dorr field nine miles east of Cari Carl field judging the ape peed ed of the wind and its effect on the chute during the drop downes moved west some two miles and signaled for hamilton to jump the parachute right here mention might be made of a circumstance which puts an added thrill into parachuting at high altitudes and lends interest to the establishment li lish ment of a new record the parachute used by aviators Is folded snugly inside a pack carried on the back the operator steps off allows himself a couple of seconds to fall clear of his machine then pulls a wire depending over his shoulder this wire opens tb the spring doors of the pack and re leases a small pilot chute some couple of feet in diameter this pilot shrines open automatically and catching the rush of air draws deairs the main chute from the pack in the top of the main chuto chute is nn an automatic vent which abich opening to a width of five feet when the big parasol first unfolds gives the air compi compressed compiled sed within a chance to escape and lessens the danger of blowing the chute apart when the fall has been checked rubber springs or shock absorbers in the vent close it in until but a small hole remains at the atmosphere pressure wherein most parachute drops from ordinary altitudes are made the speed attained by the operator in his couple of seconds fall Is sufficient to create enough pressure under the pilot chute to cause it when released to yank the big one at once from its pack usually the operator is descending at normal speed after falling less than feet through space I 1 upon receiving his pilots signal hamilton Ua mllton climbed to the edge of the cockpit waved his hand band and dropped into space after the usual interval he pulled his release cord but instead ot of having ills his drop immediately checked he fell a distance which was estimated by both him and downes to be 2000 feet before his parachute snapped out and opened with a loud report looking aloft he be saw that the springs which close the vent were broken the chute Is of a size designed to enable a man to reach the ground as quickly as is consistent with safety in landing and the shock upon touching earth Is always severe with the vent wide open the best hamilton could hope for was a few broken bones bone 3 to add to his dismay he be foun dupon piercing the lowest layer of clouds that carlstrom field bad been mistaken for dorr and that instead of drifting toward the former he was due to land in the timber between there arid and the town of arcadia with good prospects of serious injury to himself almost below him he discerned the outlines of joshua creek and to prevent his drifting past this he be devoted all his big energies climbing the rigging to windward he managed to pull the edge down and created a effect which held him pretty well into the wind by the best of luck he dropped between the overhanging branches on either side of the creek and was saved a crash against its bed by tile the cushioning action of the parachute which had became entangled in the branches of the tree it took him a quarter ol of an hour to extricate himself from a mass of tangled cordage and two hours for it a searching party to discover him none the worse for a somewhat harrowing experience |