Four-Mile Fall

The old notion that a person who falls from a great height dies before striking the ground, was long ago exploded. But there remains room for curiosity about how it feels to fall for miles & miles. Last week new testimony came from one John Tranum, professional 'chute jumper in England, who fell farther than any man had ever fallen and lived to tell the tale. Jumper Tranum stepped out of a Royal Air Force plane about 4 mi. above Salisbury Plain. One--two--three miles he plummeted toward the earth's vague green saucer. With one hand he manipulated a stop watch. Still falling, at 144 m.p.h., he took time to dry his goggles. As his body dropped into denser atmosphere, its speed was slowed to about 120 m.p.h. Not until he was down to 3,500 ft. did Jumper Tranum yank open his 'chute. The violent check to his fall bruised him. He had dropped 17,500 ft., a half-mile farther than the previous record holder, E. S. ("Spud") Manning of the U. S. He said he was ''not confused" at any time during the fall.

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