The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-05
AERONAUT NOCQUET'S
 BODY F0UNs IN CREEK
LANDED SAFELY ONLY TO LOSE HIS LIFE IN THE MEAD
 OWS.

Fighting His Way Out Toward Amity-
 yiIle, L. l., When He Succumbs Either
 to Heart Failure or Exhaustion
 Had Crossed Many Islands and swam
 the Waters Between Them--That He
 Travelled as Far as He Did is Con-
 sidered Wonderful.
 New York, April 4.-Death in the waters of Bass creek, a small stream winding through the meadows along the south shore of Long Island, near Amityville, ended the daring balloon ascent yesterday afternoon ot Paul Nocquet, a French sculptor of note and an enthusiastic amateur aeronaut. The body was found tonight on the muddy shore of the creek where the tide had left it and not a great distance from where Nocquets collapsed balloon was discovered late last night by the lie savers of Jones Beach.
 The discovery of the body put an end to the search which had included ocean, land and marshes and which had been begun under the direction of Noequet's associates of the Aero club of New York as soon as word was re- ceived early to-day that the balloon had been found with no trace of it's miss ing occupant
 Nocquet evidently landed safely with H,I f,, GorI1N ni xU0W OIIf nf the meadows in the darkness had trav- ersed about two-ffths of the distance from Jones Beach to Amityville, when he died. He had crossed thirteen or fourteen different islands and had swum or waded through the runlets between them. Up to almost the last he wore his overeoat, which must have been water soaked from the time he took the first channel. He stopped on the next to the last island he reached and removed the life preserver and the overcoat and then resumed the preserver.
 He must have felt that his strength was giving out and the lights of Amityville must have seemed almost as far away as when he started. The overcoat, still sodden, was found near the edge of the island just where he had cast it off before making the last swim.
 He crossed the runlet and climbed onto the boggy, shaking mass of mud, sand and dead rushes known as Cats island. He crossed it, a distance of perhaps one hundred feet and appar- ently as he reached the near bank he must have stumbled and fallen ex- hausted into the shallow creek. He may have died from sheer exhaustion or heart disease before falling. When the body was found it lay face down in the bog.
 That Nocquet travelled as far as he did is considered wonderful. He essay ed a trip that a strong man could not possibly complete in daylight.
 The valve controlling ropes of the balloon when found indicated that the descent had been started by Nocquets action and that it must have been gradual.
 When Nocquet started on his flight yesterday afternoon the wind was blow ing out to sea- This meant that un- less he should consent to come down after being up but short time-hav- ing started from tho BronX-Rne would surely be blown across Long Island and out over the ocean. A life preserver was carefully strapped inside the bask- ct and the word to let go was given
 The big bag scared Into the air, hov- cred over Long Island City g. few min utee and then began its flight across Long Island. It passed over Jamaica, Garden City, Westbury, Jericho and Cold Spring Harbor; then darkness came and shut it from view.
 What it's course was after passing oyer Huntington at about S:15 D. m. there is no means of knowing. Noth- ing further was heard of 1t until its discovery on Jones Beach was announc- ed to-day.
 Captain Austin, of the Jones Beach life saving station who found the balloon, reported this morning that it apparently had been dragged along some distance in the sand. Tracks about the balloon seemed to indicate that the aeronaut had survived his flight This fact gave the searchers courage throughout the day
 Captain George Smith of Amityville who had joined in the search to-day located the body. At nightfall he en- tered Bass creek for last effort at finding either the man or his body.
 He found the body in the mud and made it fast to stake, It will be talk en to Amityville tomorrow after hav- ing been viewed by the coroner.
 About the time the balloon was first discovered by the beach patrol cries were heard out in the bay in the direc- tion of the islands by Henry Purdy who lives in houseboat. He supposed the calls might be those of night shoot CTS or fishermen shouting to each other and paid no great attention to them.
 aFo-, ' and fO End of Conflict