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Broadwick - 16
 
from them. Every day I went up wet. I even presented the Governor of Illinois with a wreath while soaking wet.

Q: You were the first person to drop from the side of a hydroplane?

Broadwick: That's right.

Q: You were the first to demonstrate the parachute for the U.S. government--

Broadwick: That was quite a thing, to get them to let us illustrate the parachute, at North Island, (San Diego) This was in 1914. They were very skeptical about this. They only had three or four planes over there. They couldn't see where it would be a great advantage to the fliers. Then, at one point, they thought it would be too much of a temptation to the pilot, if he had a parachute, to leave his plane. At that time the pilots had no parachutes. 

Q: The one you demonstrated was the one they developed; at that time, at first, they wanted to have nothing to do with it?

Broadwick: That's right. But we finally got permission to demonstrate the parachute over there, and they were very enthused about it, until it came to doing business, and then of course they said it would be too much of a temptation for the fliers to leave their planes, if they thought anything was wrong with them, and they didn't have any planes to waste at that time. So it just took a little time and patience. We finally got to demonstrate three times over at North Island, to the government, and then they approved it. 

Q: Was it with Martin's planes?

Broadwick: No, this was from a Curtiss plane, and a Martin plane. Martin wasn't the pilot. They had the civilian fliers