Deceased Charles Leroux and His Parachute.

Faline · #1 ● 08-23-2011, 04:24 PM

31 October 1856 – 24 September 1889.
He was an American balloonist and parachutist. He died on his 239th jump after water landing in the Bay of Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia. Monument to Charles Leroux is located on Pirita road near Maarjamäe, Tallinn.

Sharon · #2 ● 08-23-2011, 05:03 PM

Serenety in death

**kellyhound** · #3 ● 08-23-2011, 07:00 PM

nice moustache

Charles Leroux was born in the town of Waterbury, Connecticut, United States.

He came to Europe in 1889 in order to demonstrate his skill in flying balloons and parachuting from them.

He is known to have performed exhibition jumps in Germany Berlin and Bremen and Russia Moscow, St. Petersburg. He was to conclude his European tour in Tallinn.

Leroux's parachute jump in Tallinn, initially scheduled for 10 September was postponed for two days on account of high winds.

On 12 September o.s., however, the weather showed little approvement.

Variable winds were accompanied with fine rain every now and then. After an angry argument with his manager Leroux decided to go up.

The balloon was inflated with lighting gas supplied by the local gas factory and it took off at 5 PM from a small elevation, a former bastion called Harjumägi

Leroux was the nephew of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

He was buried at the Kopli cemetery in Tallinn.