A Terrible Tragedy

[ddurbin]

from THE MOLINE REPUBLICAN  Oct. 14, 1898

A Terrible Tragedy

Prof. Rush, the aeronaut who so successfully made an ascension and parachute leap at Moline last Friday evening, made an attempt to repeat the performance at Grenola Saturday afternoon.  The ascension was perfect but from some cause the parachute failed to open properly and he fell to the ground and was instantly killed.  A thousand people witnessed the fall.  His wife was with him while preparing for the ascension and wanted to go  with him but he declined to let her do so.  Many rumors were afloat as to the cause of the failure of the parachute.  But to those of our citizens who carefully examined the ropes it was quite evident that the strain was too much for the ropes in their condition from frquent use and thus the ropes were broken.  His body was taken to Humboldt, Kans. Sunday night, accompanied by his wife and her father.  He had been quite successful as an aeronaut and it is not probable that he thought of failure until too late to prevent it.  This seems to be the fate of the greater number of those who follow that vocation.