Chester Melvin Vaniman (October 30, 1866 – July 2, 1912) was an American aviator and photographer who specialized in panoramic images. He shot images from gas balloons, ships masts, tall buildings and even a home-made pole. He scaled buildings, hung from self-made slings, and scaled dangerous heights to capture his unique images.

Early life

Born to a farming family in

Virden, Illinois Virden is a city in Macoupin and Sangamon counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,425 at the 2010 census, and 3,354 at a 2018 estimate. The Macoupin County portion of Virden is part of the St. Louis, Missouri–Illino ...

, Vaniman was the eldest of four sons and attended Valparaiso University in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Career

Photography

Vaniman's photographic career began in Hawaii in 1901, and ended some time in 1904. He spent over a year photographing Australia and New Zealand on behalf of the Oceanic Steamship Company, creating promotional images for the company, many as panoramas and which popularised the format in Australia, which was taken up with enthusiasm by Robert Vere Scott among others. During this time the New Zealand Government also commissioned panoramas. Beginning in 1903, he spent over a year photographing

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

and the surrounding areas. It was during this time that he created his best known work, the panorama of Sydney, shot from a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

he had specially imported from the United States. Vaniman is best known for his images of Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand.

Aerial exploration

upThe airship ''Akron'' Some time around 1904, he gave up photography and took up

exploration Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

. This included attempts at the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Ma ...

and the Trans-Atlantic crossing, both of which were attempted in

Walter Wellman Walter E. Wellman (November 3, 1858 – January 31, 1934) was an American journalist, explorer, and aëronaut. Biographical background Walter Wellman was born in Mentor, Ohio, in 1858. He was the sixth son of Alonzo Wellman and the fourth by ...

's airship . At the first attempt to cross the Atlantic in 1910, Vaniman sent one of the first aerial radio transmissions when he urged the launch boat to "come and get this goddamn cat!" The cat, named Kiddo, had caused such a ruckus that it finally had to be placed inside a gunny sack and suspended below the airship's gondola. They anticipated a five-day crossing, but the airship's motor failed after 38 hours, leaving it adrift until it was rescued two days later by the , a passing Royal Mail steamship.

Death

Vaniman lost his life during his second attempt at a trans-Atlantic airship crossing when his airship, the Goodyear built ''Akron'', (not the later US Navy airship of the same name) exploded off the New Jersey shore on July 2, 1912. Filled with 11,300 cubic meters of

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

gas, his was the first American airship that could compare to the better known European manufactured models. Vaniman and his crew of four were killed just a few minutes after the ''Akron'' became airborne, when it suddenly exploded in front of the gathered crowd near

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, and the burning gondola plunged into an inlet. The other victims were his brother, Calvin Vaniman, Fred Elmer, George Bourtillion, and Walter Guest. Subsequent investigation indicated that internal pressure had ruptured the envelope.Dilks, John. What Happened After the Rescue? ''QST'', January 2011, pp. 95–96.

References

External links

* *Wikimedia Commons Melvin Vaniman (includes Photographs by Melvin Vaniman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaniman, Melvin 19th-century American photographers 20th-century American photographers 1866 births 1912 deaths Accidental deaths in New Jersey Aviators from Illinois Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company people People from Virden, Illinois Photographers from Illinois Valparaiso University alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1912