Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-05
CORONER TO INVESTIGATE
To Determine The Exact Cause Of the
Young FrelChmal's Death an
Autopsy Will be Made.
VARIOUS THEORIES ADVANCED
It Is Believed Nocquet Was
Crazed by Fear.
MADE FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO DESCEND
Associated rrers Dl.patch 81 lpecIal wire.

heHNNAhleH Atrta hArNAtth NN rNtclhl wires
New York April 5-A coroners in
vestigation into the tragic death 81 Paul
Nocquct, young halloomst who persisted
IN Long Island salt marsh Tuesday
night. after he had safely landed from q
periluus ascension. viii be made tomorrow.
TO determine the exact cause OF his death
an autopsy viii be held II Is believed
that Aoequet died from heart failure. lol-
lowing complete physical exhaustion and
the mental anguish hc must have felt
when he believed be was being carried
to sen by the large gas-hlled bag. Iho
theory that Inc was eragcd by fear was
strengthened by additional facts concern
ing his flight which were learned altcrthe
finding of his body last night Ihat his
balloon became purity unmanugeahle,
perhaps several hours before he mnded
on the ocean beach appears from inlor-
nation which he shouted from his ear
while passing over Garden City. Long
Island and which WIS heard by boys
Of that place The balloon passed over
the city at i height of about 800 feet
moving rapidly.
II hnve been trying for a long time to
make a hnding, the aeronant shouted.
"but my graphing anchor WAS torn loose
II
have been trying 20 get down ever since,
but cannot
That he was afterward carried out TO
sea appeared from the marks made ON
Jones Beach hy the car. which was plainly
dragged humping here and there in the
sand from the waters edge to 81 point
some distance insh0re An examination
of Nocquet's 3 footprints, when, on leaving
1.-THE balloon in the darkness, lie made his
fatal mistake ia direction, shows that he
apparently ram part Of the time Other
| ncronauts, who assisted Nocquet ia malx-
ng bis start from New York City, Tues
day afternoon, and who examined tho
balloon as IL lily on the beach, could not
discover "a reason why tho balloonist
should not have been able to land long
before be did hy allowing the gas 10
escape from tho bag. Apparently also
the parachute which he carried but did
not use. was in good working order during
the flight. However, they said 1t was
possible that the speed with which he
was travelling might have deferred him
from using these means Of escape until il
was too late and tho balloon was out
over the sea. Another explanation offered
was the fact that Nocquet was often
heard to say he believed that even ii a
balloon were carried out to sea there WAS
always a low-lying current of air flowing
inshore, which would carry the aoronaut
back TO safety when ho began to drop
toward the sea.
Several members of the Aero Club OF
America today went TO the scene OF
Nocquet's death, intending to make a
minute examination of his course after
leaving the stranded balloon, in hope Of
obtaining further information which will
throw more light upon the circumstances
of his death. They said that 10 would
have been easy for him TO spend the night
in his car on the beach and that aeronnuts
who landed at night have frequently done
| this