The manager who had organised the event was a man called Mr Percy Chavasse and as he expected to draw quite a crowd, it was arranged that there would be two performances. The jumps would be performed by sisters Edith and Maude Brookes and one would take place on the Monday and the second the following day. Maude was booked to undertake the first jump on Monday 19 May 1902 and she watched carefully as the balloon was inflated. The parachute was then strapped to her body around her waist and shoulders. It had taken longer than expected, at so it was nearly 7 pm before she took her place on a little trapeze seat under the balloon as it rose into the air. It was estimated that there were around seven thousand people in the football grounds who had all paid their sixpences to watch the spectacle.
However just as many more were gathered on the hills all around, where they could watch the event for free. Soon Maude was just a mere speck in the sky as she jumped and the chute bellied out behind her. Gracefully they both sank to the ground, landing gently in Neepsend Station. Later that same night it was reported that her sister, Miss Edith Brookes had arrived at the Station Hotel, Wicker, where she was to spend the night before her jump the following day. Originally, it had been expected that Maude was booked to jump on both days, but when she was offered another engagement in Wales on the Tuesday, her place was taken by her younger sister.
Once again on the following night, Tuesday 20 May it was almost 7 pm before the balloon was fully inflated in the football ground. Twenty-three year old Edith was soon escorted to where the balloon was now inflated. Looking full of confidence, she was described as wearing ‘a blue silk blouse, with cream lace around the throat on top of a pair of black velvet knickers.’ The crowd, which was estimated to be as large as five thousand people, were all eagerly expecting to be entertained. Edith was given a glass of spirits before she gave the order to ‘lets go’ as she too sat on the seat which was suspended under the balloon.
It was reported that the parachutist had not shown the slightest nervousness before the ascent, as she watched the balloon being inflated. Once again there was almost complete silence as the balloon slowly rose high up into the sky. There was a gasp as the crowd saw Edith launch herself into the air as the girl and the parachute fell towards the ground. As before, Edith and the parachute dropped a few feet before the deflated parachute was expected to open, but to the crowds horror nothing happened. It was quickly obvious that something was badly wrong. The girl and the parachute were now gathering speed as witnesses noted that Edith was being twisted round and round, as if the ropes themselves were having to untwist.
Suddenly she hit the ground in Hillsborough Park with a thud which reverberated throughout. Women started screaming as others ran to towards the body of the young girl, but all they found was a mangled corpse. Dr W Campbell of Owlerton, who had also witnessed the fall from his home on Bradfield Road, soon arrived. But even a superficial examination made it clear that Edith’s spine and skull had been fractured and several bones were badly smashed. Nevertheless it was reported that the face of the poor girl was not disfigured, beyond her pallid lips and clenched teeth. However the back of Edith’s head was smashed to the point where her brains protruded.
The parachute, which should have been a life preserver was, for the time being used as a funeral shroud and stained with blood, was placed over the poor girl’s body. Her mangled remains were carried into the bandstand, before a police ambulance soon arrived driven by three horses, ready to take the remains to the Sheffield Mortuary. Needless to say, the following day Mr Percy Chavasse was interviewed by a reporter from the Sheffield Independent. He stated that he had carefully checked the parachute itself on both occasions before it was due to be used, and those checks had been carried out to his complete satisfaction.
The manager described how he had personally escorted Miss Brookes into the balloon and that she had been in good spirits and showed not the slightest sign of any fear. Mr Chavasse said that there had been other occasions when the ‘chute’ had taken some time to open, so he was not at first duly worried. A delay in opening would result in Miss Brook falling somewhat violently, but she would not have been killed. The Sheffield Evening Telegraph dated Wednesday 21 May 1902 summed up what most people were thinking after the event.
It stated ‘one result of last evenings ghastly affair, should be to strengthen the demand that the legislature should step in and prohibit senseless and dangerous feats undertaken solely with the object of “amusing” the public.’ Tragically at the inquest held the following day it became clear that Edith had never actually done a ‘jump’ before and had indeed only stepped in for her sister at the last minute. In fact Maud had tried to dissuade her sister from going through with it, but all to no avail. After hearing all the evidence, the inquest jury had no option but to return a verdict of ‘accidental death.’
The Chief Constable of Sheffield, Charles Scott was urged by the Watch Committee to write to owners of all recreation grounds in Sheffield to ban such performances. A question was even asked about the case in the House of Commons, but the Home Secretary said that he had no power to prohibit such performances. The resolve to this whole dilemma only came when it was finally given by an observer who had been stationed on Bole Hills. He had witnessed the accident through his powerful telescope.
He stated that Edith instead of slipping off the trapeze in the usual way, either through fainting of giddiness, had fallen ‘all of a heap’ into the parachute ropes below her. By doing so, she had inextricably entangled them in such a way as to prevent the parachute opening properly. The only good thing which emerged from these enquiries was that afterwards, the Sheffield Wednesday football club directors forbade the use of their grounds for any such exhibits in the future. However this would be of little comfort to the girl who had lost her younger sister in such a tragic manner.