SKY TO EARTH. BALDWIN'S DESCENT FROM THE CLOUDS. SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION. Auckland, January 5.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 341, 9 February 1889, Page 6

SKY TO EARTH. BALDWIN'S DESCENT FROM THE CLOUDS. SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION. Auckland, January 5.

It would have been difficult to choose a more suitable afternoon for the purpose of Professor Baldwin's sensationial descent from the clouds than yestsrday. The atmosphere was clear, and what clouds there were in the sky were of a light and fleecy character. The wind, too, was very light, and from the south-eastward, which was by no means unfavorable. Special airangements for the conveyance of spectators to Potter's Paddock, which was the scene of the performance, were made by the Tramway Company, and admirably carried out under the personal supervision of Mr Malcolm. The majority oi the spectatois, however, did not go to the paddock at all, but availed themselves of the opportunity of witnessing the show from the summit of Mount Eden. Immediately prior to six o'clock, which was the hour fixed for the ascent, there could not have been more than a thousand people on the ground, while Mount Eden and other adjacent coigns of vantage were seen to bo litei ally crowded with observers. On Mount Eden alone there could not have been fewer than some four or five thousand people.

PREPARATIONS FOR ASCENT. The preparations for the ascent were in progress for seveial hours before the exhibition actually took place. Six-inch gas pipes had been laid from the road to supply the balloon with gas, and at five o'clock the balloon was more than half inflated. It consists ot biscuib-coloured silk, and is encased in a fine netting, which is connected with the cords which hold it. Bags of sand were used to hold the balloon down during the process of inflation. The preparations were superintended by Professor Baldwin himself, in ordinary every-day costume, wearing a black silk hat and his white shirt sleeves, The crowd of spectators watched the proceedings with a great deal of interest, and meanwhile the Artillery Band, under Bandmaster Hunter, performed a number of selections of instrumental music. Towards six o'clock, the services of a number of spectators were called into requisition to hold the ropes, and detach the sandbags. This was done without any accident, and at ten minutes past six o'clock the order was given to

"LET HER GO." The cords hdving been released, the immeriso balloon shot upwards with wonderful rapidity, the Professor, now clad in his aeronaut's costume, standing with his foot on the trapeze bar winch was suspended from the ballodti. The parachute was attached by a hook to the side of the balloon, and fluttered loosely in the wind as the ascent was made. The balloon continued t6 soar upwards, taking a north westerly' course, and within a very few seconds had reached an alfcifctfde of perhaps of 1,200 or l,soo : feet. The Professor then detached himself, and dropped perpendicularly with the v

parachute tiutterm'g loosely above him.' The moment was ■' one of intense excite■menfc, and the spectators held their breath and watched- the descent with looks of anxious expectation. But only for a moment. Swiftly the aeronaut descended and when he had dropped half the distance the folds of the parachute gradually distended and filled with air, and Baldwin was practically floating towards mother earth. The spectacle was -pretty in 1 the ektreme, and the only regret with the spectators was that it was necessarily so short. Amidst loud cheers, the leronaut continued to descend gradually, and eventually alighted in an adjacent paddock— about live or six hundred yards from the spot where he ascended. The collapsed balloon fell almost at the same place. I'resently Baldwin reappeared through the' entrance gates, followed by a man carrying the balloon and parachute appai'atus. He was again loudly applauded, and the band placed " See the Conquering Hero. 1 ' "

SPEECH BY BALDWIN. Professor Baldwin, having ascended the steps leading to the grand stand, ad* dressed the crowd in a deep, strbng'voice, which could be beard easily afc some considerable distance from the spot where 'he was speaking. lie said he had just, returned from his lifty-fourth parachute de- , scent.' He had not gone quite co fair as he had intended, tor the reason_ that when he ascended a certain dibtancehe espied some water over in that direction (indicating the Waitemata Harbour 'with a wave of his hand). He had also been tx-ying a new method ot letting the gas out' ot the balloon, and he was not fure how long it would take the balloon to-come down, and he did not want to lose it, as it was worth more than he received for any one exhibition. The new method he spoke of had worked very well, and he was very well satisfied with the way in which the balloon came down. The Professor proceeded to say that this style of parachute was his own invention, and he was the first man in America who had successfully come down from a balloon with a parachute. Before his time, there had not been a descent for fifty yeara, the last one having been ab Vauxhall in England, 1837, when a Mr Cocking went up, but he did not succeed I with his experiment,

AND LOST HIS LIFE. He had heard it 'said since he had been here that gentlemen in Auckland had seen parachute descents in England since' lBs9, but they had no proof of them. The Professor explained the theory of his invention, which ha said was to take the ribs out of any umbrella, extend the cords and bring them together, and the parachute thus" formed would bear a given weight according to the extent of surface exposed. The area of suiface exposed by bis parachute was 460 square feet, and that allowed him to come down at 1 the rate of ten miles an hour orfouitecn feet per second, the given weight being aboub-1751b5. The shock on reaching the giound was very slight indeed. Theoscilation ofthepaiachute had been overcome by putting a sail on the outside, making a hole ill the top, and bringing down the cords ab an angle of 25. The parachute Mas thus^'periectly balanced, and there was no danger attaching to it ab all. To show that his discovery was considered to be of some value, he might mention tha& ! he had been presented with the first gold medal of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. The Head of the British War Office had purchased the right to use his parachute in the event of war, and he was also in correspondence with the Italian Government, who desired to acquire the same right. Some interesting information was given respecting the use of the parachute for military purposes.

THE CROWD OUTSIDE. The PLofessor then proceeded to say thab he had been a professional for fifteen years, and had travelled all over the world, and, without exception, he had seen more people outside the grounds in the city than in any other cifc> he had ever been in. He, however, attributed ib to this, thab a great many people had not the confidence in him that they should have had. He believed the gentleman who preceded him had nob even attempted to go up. Now he always made the attempt, and if the weather permitted he invariably succeeded.