10
JUMPING INTO SPACE
JUST 50 years ago this summer a
topic well to the fore as subject of casual conversation among all classes was parachuting. The feals American, Major Thomas of on Baldwin, excited intense interest.
Baldwin was the first, to invent a really practical apparatus, original- ing the modern flexible silk para- in August 1887 he handed chule. safely from a balloon about a nite high at Rockaway, New York,
Coming to England on July 21, 1888, he made the first of a series of sensotion. descents which caused a ser
from Lie Ascending
Alexandra Palace grounds, he dropped some- times from us bigh us two miles One he was caught by a high wind and narrowly missed hitting the spire of St. Michael's,. Wood Green.
In September, after his tenth des cent, the Balloon Society presented him with a gold medal. Paruchut- ing became the rage. By the end of October he had made some 50 des- cents. Others emulated him, gener- Josoph aily with success, though Simmons, Rome up from Olympia in August, was killed,
Dog In a Basket
Parachuting is much older than La In
Leonardo 1405 aviation. Vinel, though he does not appear to Have actually constructed one, des cribed tent roof of called linen," under which "a man will be able to let himself tall from any treat height without danger to himself,"
Little was heard of such contri- vances, however, until the rise of towards the end of the ballooning eighteenth century,
In 1785 the celebrated Blanchard released from a balloon a parachute to which a basket containing a dog was attached, which came to earth uninjured. Later he trusted himself but it failed to check to a parachute, the rate of fail sufficiently, and his leg was broken on landing.
The first to descend safely was another Prenelanan, Andre Gar- nerin. In October 1797 he descend- ed near Parls from a height of 14 parachute Oscillated mile. The violently all the way down, and it was a matter of luck that he escaped. disaster.
In 1802 he repeated the experi- vast ment in Eustiand, thrilling a
Volunteers' London crowd on the Ground near Grosvenor Square by dropping 8000 feet, having another narrow escape, fortunate to get off with a few cuts and slight nausea.
When next interest was aroused, It was by the fatal attempt of an Irish artist, Robert Cocking, te prove bla contention that the eure for oscillation was to construct the parachute in the form of an inverted cout.
On an evening in July 1037, he ascended in a balloon from Vaux- ball Gardens, and when at 3000 feet The over Greenwich, jumped ofT.
# stone.
structure turned Inside out, and al- must closed, dropping with tright- ful rapidity, until near the ground the basket became detached
earth like a plunged to Cocking was found in a field at Lee, in Kent, dashed to pieces. Boy's Bright Idea
progre
War
that, After
little made. There were a few descents when balloons sustained accidents, sometimes successful, but more often not. The advent of Professor Bald- win, as he called himself, opened. a
new era,
He owed a remedy for what had up till then been the greatest de- fect, the oscillation, to a small boy, an absorbed onlooker at his early experiments, who suggested putting "a hole in the top." Baldwin tried It. and it solved the problem. Ever since a vent has been an essential feature of all parachutes.
After the craze of 50 years ago subsided there were only occasional instances of recourse by balloonists to parachutes until the Great War, with its employment of observation balloons.
About 750 British officers and 800 French saved themselves from burn- Ing balloons. Not until the last year of the War, however, was the idea upplied to aeroplanes, first by the Germans. Captain Sarrat, a French officer, was the first avintor of the Allies to use a parachute, dropping safely from a damaged plane July 1918.
11
Had the War lasted a little longer. Calthorp's "Guardim Angel" para- chutes would have been fitted to all British aircraft. Now, of course, every pilot and' member of a crew In the RA.F. has a parachute, and reports from time to time of yes saved attract little attention. Tranum to the Rescue
The Irvin parachute, an American type, with a small pilot-chute" at the apex to pull the main parachute away from the airman and ensure proper expansion, was adopted after the War, The Russeli "Labe" paru- chute is a later type much in use, and other types have been devised to meet special conditions.
To-day life-saving apparatus is an essential equipment of all aircraft, while professional parachutists, men and women, make hundreds of des- cents in a year, with very rarely a fatnilty.,
Perhaps the "ace" of professional Оле parachutists is John Tranum. of his spectacular stunts for a Bim was the rescue of a parly of bal- Joonists stranded in mid-air. Des- cending from an aeroplane above, loaded with a bunch of parachutes, he alighted on the moving balloon parachutes. and
the distributed Then all sailed to the ground.
In this country, in order to re- gulate parachuting for exhibition purposes in unofficial displays, it is prohibited except in a case of emer- gency unless the permission of the Air Ministry has been obtained. Army from the Skies
***In the Soviet Army there have been extraordinary developments. 2500 men with In manoeuVTÉS machine guns have dropped within
THE HONGKONG · TELEGRAPH, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
THOROUGHBREDS DON'T CRY
WHAT HAS HAPPENED BO FAIL
da..
Roger Calverton comos telth his grandfather, Bir Pater, em inant Britlah aportamon, in queat ut the famed American horse vicing cup. They engage heads
trong Timmie Donavin jockey. Teoked into a plet to "Throw" the race preceding the Gun by his echoming father, Timmis la heartbroken when Bir Peter, accing his favorito Jone, auccumbs to a fatal heart at tack. The only atonement Tim- mlo con mula sa to oblats funda from his father to permit Roger, toho in nearly penniless, to enter "The Pookah" for the big race, Hut Donovan Ar, manages to ar Tanga Timmie's last-minuto ¿lis- burmest. There is no time to obtain another Jockey, and Roger, desperato but not yet braten, decides to rido kis moùn! himself.
Copyright 1953 by Loew's ins.
Chaptor Elovon
www ww
aensation, ronowed hope mingiing P.5&
with foreboding.
Is eyes roved toward a
tall
heavily foliaged tren which abot up beside the fence, Atty feet away,
commanding a perfect view of the HH|||||||| track.
+
"Bergeant,, you getts help" mol Timmie cried. "You gotta help me aco the race! Lenime climb that tree! It won't hurt nobody."
"Don't you know wo got strict Iordarn about things like that?" re
turned the other, in mock severity. Ilin eyes brightened sympathetically
int the boy'd eagerneën,
"if we see anybody ellibin a tren close to the track, wo gotta yank om right down. If we see any- body." With the last words he de liberately turned his back and anuntered away.
Timmie, breathing out aflent grat- itude, runted over and began to shin up. As he pulled himself on to his perch, crouching among the reen branches, he caught night of Roger, walking The Pookah down the tinck for a final turn before the start.
"Roger!" he whispered hoarsely, when the other boy came near. "It's me-Timmis! Up here!"
Roger looked up, a glad smile of cognition on his face.
Roger. "I'll do just as you were going to."
"No, no, forget that," counseled Timmie. "None of that comin' from behind stuff.”
The band corps struck up the parade tune which Indicated that
"I gotta talk fast," went on Tim- the horses were about to march out mid hurriedly. "Somebody might for the big race. Excitement nur charged the air. Last-minute bet-ind me. I gotta tell you what to do,
how to fool 'em-" tors rushed to the ticket windows, "thut I know, Timmle," answered Hurrying back to her box, Mother | Ralph caught a glimpse of a fa- miliar figure clutching a wad of Dilim, 1 Wha Donovan Sr. She paused just long enough to hear film placing a dve thousand dollar wager on flop Skit; evidently, with Timmie out of the race, he felt he had nothing to fear from Roger's generalship. Mother Ralph'n lips curled angrily, "Staged a mighty quick recovery," she muttered to Cricket. Opening her pocketbook, and extracting its total contente Avo dollar bill-ahe scurried up
"I'll stay out of your way," Roger said. *"'Would six lengths be
enough?"
to the adjacent booth and, debber-ļ ately raising her voice, cried out:
"Pookah to win, son!"
Outalde, on the pathway leading from the paddock, Wilkins helped Roger swing up atop The Pookah's saddle. The trainer, his eyes minty, then passed for a moment as he gripped the boy's hand.
"But that's the only way we can win!" argued Rogor.
"You're crazy! Do you think lot you enme they're goin' to through on that turn? Maybe I could manage it, but I know how to handle 'em. You can't. They' gang up on you!"
"No, they won't."
They will, I tell you! They'll give you the squeeze! You'll bo nyin' out on that track with a broken neck. You gotta go right to the front and stay there!"
But Roger, waving adieu, had started off. Another jockey was right behind him Timmie drew back, and gripped a branch tensely with each hand as he waited for
Lining up at the starter's box. were fifleon beautiful thorough- breda. Hop it, entering the race the favorite, seemed to anort da fiance to the field as ho proudly
"All I can say to yer, Master Roger" he murmured, is that the race. Lee Sir Peter standing 'ere right with us and saying all the things I'd like to be saying, how prout 'a is of The Pookah, and 'ow 'e knows you'll be h'out there bearin' the Calverton name and the Calverton | shook his mane. colura in his honor. For myself, I can't add much more to that than
'God bless yer."
Holding tho bell cord which should signal the break from the post, the starter cautioned the Roger was too moved to make Jockeys to obey instructions and any reply. Finally, as he dug his keep in line. feet in the stirrups and started "Get Im up there. Read! You, away from Wilkins, he called back: Wells, took awake! Hold that hood,
"I'll try..
I'll try very hard." Myers. Back there. Calverton. Como Jolting part the Brilish young on. on your toes!"
The bell elanged. The horses ater, a truculent look on his fner, come Boots McGuire, one of the leaped, na one unit, across the bar- Jockeys Roger had met at Mather rier. A roar went up from the Ralph's. He pulled in his horse. atands. They were off!
"I'll tell you something, kid, be- Fiddler, & tangy maroon atabilen, fore we start," he said. "If you took the lead at the first turn. want to stay in one plece, keep out Hustler, binek oyes gleaming ke of my way. That's all I'm tellin' ebony, was half n length behind. Ragaway, with Boots McGuire, was you."
Roger stared at him imperturb third, and Hop skit twenty fact bo- nbly.
hind. Roger had broken away oa The very much to stay in the outside, and was far in the one place," he replied, with unruf- renr.
The Pookah ran easily and firm- fled politeness, "and I'll stay out of your way all right, Mr. McGuire,ty, head up. Roger was determined Would six longthe ahead to far that, in spite of Timmie's warning. enough?
he would not attempt to catch the Roger nudged The Pookah. The lenders until the last half of the horee wheeled and cantered off to race,
Out around the far end of the ward the track, ns Boots clenched his fals in mute anger,
track they apod. Fiddler keeping Beyond the mace-track barriers, his advantage. Bit by bit, however, Timile was strolling back and flop Skit and Ragady were pres1- forth dejectedly. He had not hearding to the fore. Fifty yards more, the surprise Announcement about and they had taken the lead, ruu- Roger. He marted away from the ning neck and neck. grounds, and then, unable to leave until he knew the very worst, wand- ored along the atretch of whito fence that designated the greal oval aren of the coures.
Slowly but steadily Roger in- crensed Tha Pookah's pace. With every passing minute the gap nar rowed batween the British entry and the pair of anorting, speeding An Irish cop who know all the lenders. The crowd realized it was Jockeys by sight, and admired Tim- to bo a three-horse finish. Every- mle for his doggedness and mettle, body was yelling incoherently for came up to him and said:
his ur hor favorite.
P
"Tough luck, kid. Sorry, to neof As he approached Timmie's troo you à mes like this, It's prob- and the final home stretch, Roger nbly just a mistake and they'll fix strained forward and cried out:
"Look out! Give me room! Im 11 upit
"Mistake!" flared the boy. "You coming through!" can't fix a mistake like that! No! The Pookah darted forward, mak- when you've thrown down your beating his last challenge. Dink Read, pal! When they take his horse out on Hop skit, and Boots McGuire, a the race because of what I on Rogoway, glanced back with menacing looks, With one thought
done --
"The Pookah's runnin'?" Timmle gaped.
"Re-entered a few minutes ago, And who do you think's ridin' him?" The boy stared. It was obvious in didn't invo any idea.
"Your pal--your buddy.” "You mean-~ "Sure. Young Calverton's ridin' Film himself.”
"Bon, I'll give you a bit of news," they guided their horses, closer to- replied the officer Arily. "The gether. No mailer which one won. make suTO they are going to Pookah's runnla' today."
Roger didn't
"Look cut!" screamed Timmie, hysterically. "Go round 'em! They'll murder you!"
But there wasn't time to go and stil, win the race. round Lipe clenched in grim determina- tion. Roger drove for the narTOW middle opening. He was right on the others. Quickly Dink Road jerked Hop akit's head, and the throa "Timmie, usually so toquacious, horsen lunged together, in staggtr- for ones had no refolnder. He was ing impact. dumbfounded, and, at the samIS B- time, filled with an indescribable i
#
Adapted Story By.
HALSEY
RAINES
Donovan's ochro face was taking on a reddish tinge. But his interloou- tor was hy now getting' rather mottled haraolt.
"Annoying yout" she cried. "You lying, thieving, black-hearted old Boost
"I'll have you arrested if you don't get along" muttered Done- van. fo looked around in appre- hension as he saw that a group of onlookers wore standing ati watch- ing the argument,
"You'll have me arrested!" ro- torted Mottier Ralph,
Bizing up the situation, alın ob- nerved that Donovan had gathered n crowd. She waited till he tried to turn away, then with a sudden, Beft movement slipped her small purro into his left coat pocket. That accomplished, she began to
Borean
"Polleo! Iloy, police" aka called
|-~|~||~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~+H+▬▬▬▬▬Ïat the top of her lungs,
Chapter Twelvo
The full weight of Hop Яkit fell against Roger's left leg.ns the boy winced allontly in pain.
Donovan, caught napping by this ruse, yelled in return, but only anrved to provoke an angry mur- mur from the cowd. In a moment n policeman had darted across the ialšlo.
"Hey, what's this?" he cried. "What's the troubin?"
This man threatened me," do- clared Mother Ralph. "He tried to steal my pocketbook!"
Donovan wna now pallied and red by turns, and spultering like a benken auto oxhaust
This is an outrage?" he gasped. "This womana is trying to frame me,
It seemed certain that all three mount would go plunging to the round together. But The Pookan, holding his balance as though hoofser." realized the entire prestige of the Calverton family rested with him, plunged straight ahead.
Dink Road tried to hold Hop Skit to the course, but the force of the sudden swerve and the crash had upant him. An Roger forced his way through on The Pockah, Hop Dink dove Akit tripped and foll helplessly over his head; ho landed on outstretched bands and rosa ecowling to one kave.
Ho
Yeah!" shot back the policeman, comparing Mother Ralph's respee table-looking face with Donovan's
nervous manner. patently ranched in both pockets and shed. "Sienling purses out the purse. from old women, eh? Well, you can tell your story to the judge."
He took him by the arm and, ted him away.
Grimy, sputtering and breathless, Timmie had covered the distanca
Cricket and Mother Ralph were beside themselves with joy.
Boots McGuire, on Ragaway, ef- from his former point of vantage fered the sole remaining challenge.In the tree to the space outaide the Boots, survivor of more than one paddock, where an admiring crowd was being forcibly kept away from bruiding collielen, kept his horns and himself from tripping. Neck Roger, and neck be paced along with his British competitor.
HOW A
Rushing up to the British young- ator, he threw his arms about him. "Nobody could a run the race you did today, kid," he cried.
"I guess it wasn't what I did,” responded Roger. "It was The Pookah."
But the impact had thrown Rag- aioay just a little off stride. Per haps i had shaken his own con- Adence in his equine ability. or perhaps the indomitable spirit
"I tell you, Mister Timmale," cut of the other animal, and his rider, were just too much. Down the last in Wilkins happily, "HI never nd grueling stretch came The Paokah no doubt how it would end."
ratura, Timmie, beaming in gaining gaining half-reached around and thumped him pulting ahead
in front...
on the back,
It was a birght, baimy morning, The atands were in a terrifo tumult. Cricket and Mother Ralph a fortnight Jaior. A flood of sun- worn beside themselves with joy. shine suffused the roadway along When the elder Donovan" and "fils which a little trailer cavalcade was cohorts saw that Roger was come front, in the plot car, Ing through, despite the trap that had been laid for him, they fat out were a trio babbling over with Timmie, wearing, a a stream of futile Javective, and good cheor. tore up their programs.
shiny new khak! outfit, was driv When The Pookah flashed over Ing. Roger and Cricket the taped falsh line in conclusive perched at his right.
After a brief roat, to recover from triumph a tremendous cheer roso from the crowd. Even the support the stress and strain of the Amer er of losing horses or most of ica Cup joust, Roger and Wilkin them had to applaud a magnificentiat hatched up a plan which spelled exhibition like this.
a delightful way of combining busi- Timmis, leaning wild-eyed no far ness with pleasure, from his tree that he finally lost
Up In
этого
The Pookah, through his master,
la balance, dropped to the ground. had been invited to participate in He picked himself up on one ankle, the big race of the year at Mary- made sure that nothing was broken, Innd's famous Pimlico track. Roger, and darted off like a rabbit down at first, was half incilaed not to the track. The only damage be go: then a brilliant iden struck him.
Why might have suffered was to his
not buy a second-hand vocal chords, honrao from scream- trafler and make a real family YR- ention party out of it? Mother ing.
Hushing forward to greet Roger Ralph loved auto traveling-she when he galloped over the finish had often said so and she could line, Wilkins looked ka someone bring along Cricket.
So, on this crisp, choory inorn- who had bean rescued from a tralo wreck. The trainer's clothes woreng, anyone who might have looked torn open in several places, his col-through the windows of the trailer Jar wrapped about his car, his sus-livingroom would have seen Mother penders trailing behind him. o Ralph working away busily on had used up as much energy in some knitting and at the same time winning the raca as either The keeping up a brisk dow of con Pookah or Roger
versation with Wilkins.
Wiklas reached the victorious The trainer was nalisßed to take horse and ridor just as a smartly it easy. Let the three youngstern do gowned woman was placing a giant the driving. His sole responsibilliy floral wreath around The Poolash's was to look out for the sub-trailer neck, while the crowd continued to attached bohind—a sort of roving boom, clap and cheer its approval stable, Here The Pookah was con-
"I'I never 'ad the slightest doubt tentedly neighing as vistas of Amer of the h'outcoms." Wilkins stutterod. fenn verdant countryside flashed by. "Come, Ind, I'll give you a Bft down."
Ho, did not realize, until he had put a band on Roger's leg to as Bist, that the boy was drawn with pain. Its leg had been severely bruised in the crash.
"Just let me elt down a minute," Roger whispered,
"Goo, I never dreamed Tư Bà doing anything like this," mused Timmie, as the car sped along.
"No, especially when you tried to Sive Roger a black eye the first Interposed night you met him." Cricket.
That was the beat thing that ever happened to me". stalled Roger. "It we hadn't fought wo. might never have got to be such good friends afterwards."
Wilkins Bited him without of fort, and carried him to a bench.
Forcing her way through the
"Say. I guess that's right," ad- crowd, Mother Ralph caught sight of Donovan. He looked like this mitted Cricket. A sudden thought time he might be reaily sick. Mother crossed her mind. "How long da Ralph, pulling Cricket after her, we stay at Pimlico?" couldn't resist the temptation for anald Roger, and to buy tickets for "Long enough to win the race," parting dig. **"Hello, Zir. Donovan,” aba callad, London. You're all coming ovar catching up to him. "How do you there, na guests of The Pookað.“ like 117
The Pookah must have heard that comment, for a prodigious "Buppose you look after your own whinny, long and reverberating. business," returned Donovan coldly. amote the air, sending a dock of
"You were pretty sure of Hon Pennsylvania ducks in a 'Whit, weren't you?"
shot back soutry for shelton Mother Ralph.
“WII · you stop annoying matri
(To be continued)
enthusiasm for para-chutes.
a given bren, followed by 3000| remarkable
apparatus.
"TEED JONIS
21,
All records were broken and the At the other ond of the scate, more, with parts enabling field- chuting as a sport, encouraged by pleces to be assembled and to opera- the authorities The craze reached most daring feats accomplished In urchins In Moscow streets jumped Hon within a few minutes of land- its height in 1938, when many thou- young Russia's favourite sport. In- oft bridges into the river with para- Ing. Masa parachute descents are a sands dropped from aeroplanes and genuity was pretty well exhatiated chutes made out of bed-sheets, until hundreds of thousands used the tall in devising stunts, while in height guards, were stationed to stop their regular feature of training, (**
The extension of the military use towers. erected throughout the land records girls dropped from aero- games,
-¿P. · IL- for parachutes was accompanied by for jumping with captive para», planos' five miles up without oxygeni
1938.
MOTHERS! This is Serious!
Children often say "NO" with their faces. They don't like to take harsh laxatives that work havoc on their tender systems. They'll smile at CASTORIA, the laxative made especially for children. It's pleasant in taste; gentle and thorough in action, Does not gripe or bind. Parents give CASTORIA with full confidence, for it is safe-contains no habit-forming drugs. That's why CASTORIA is used in over 5,000,000 homes. For the older children as well. From babyhood to 11 years. It's the safe, depend- able, ideal laxative for children. TRY IT TODAY. Keep a bottle on hand in YOUR home.
CASTORIA
THE CHILDREN'S LAXATIVE
"THE PASS WORD 15.
CASTORIA OR...NOTHING!
When youngsters ap pear nervous, upset.
tive coated tongues, have colic due to gas-it's time to give them CASTORIA Many doses in each bottle... Usa as needed... it keeps
Swan, Culbertson & Frits
Investment Bankers and Brokers in Securities and Commodities Dally New York and London Stock Exchange Service Commodity Futures on the principal American markets
Members of
New York Colton Exchange
Chicago Board of Trade.
Winniper Grain Exchange
Commodity Exchange, Inc., New York
Canadian Commodity Exchange, Inc., Montrea! New York Coffee ̄and Sugar Exchange Manila Stock Exchange.
Correspondents for
Hayden, Stone & Co., New York and Boston J. E. Swan & Co., New York
Cable Address SwanstOCK Telephone 30243
Hongkong & Shanghai Bank Building, Hongkong
Offices: Shanghai, Manila and Singapore
Expert
PLUMBING
LESS
COSTS RUN THAN MEDIOCRE WORK
FOR REPAIRS,
IN THE LONG
WHETHER
INSTALLATIONS OR THE
MODERNISATION OF THE
EXISTING SYSTEM, CONSULT
C. E. WARREN & Co., Ltd.
St. George's Building,
电
THE
Tel, 20269,
HONGKONG
PENINSULA HOTEL:
HONGKONG HOTEL: REPULSE BAY HOTEL:
&
SHANGHAI
ASTOR HOUSE; PALACE HOTEL;
HOTELS
LIMITED.
-In association with the Grand Hotel des Wagon Litu, Pal
Page 10Page 11