The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-04-10
FIND BALLO0NIST DEAD
Paul Nocquet Landed Safe, Then
Lost Himself.
Persisted MlSERABLY IN MARSH

The Mystery OF the Disappearance OF
The scuIptor-Aeronaut Solved When
His Body was Discovered on a
Sandy Long Island Morass-walked
and Swan Two Miles.
Babylon, Long 1sland-The body Of
Paul Nocquet, sculptor and aeronaut,
who assembled in his balloon from the
Union Gas Works in the Bronx, New
York City, was found face down, in the
marsh, on Colts Island, in Bass Creek,
two miles from AmityviIle The dar-
ing adventurer was dead from expos
use, after one of the most thrilling
desperate and awe-inspiring struggles
that human creature ever made for life.
His balloon Lad been found early in
the morning on Jones' Beach, a sand
strip dividing the bay from the ocean,
but until bayman returning to Ami
tyville discovered the body on a strip
of salt grass stubble, half way between
the island and the mainland. no trace
could be found of the aeronaut.
Nocquet had vainly tried for hours
to make a landing. At last, driven to-
ward the open sea by cross current,
he had managed to land Just within
the beach line of Jones' Island. Led
on by the deceptive lights of Amity-
vile to the north, which may have
seemed less than a mile away, though
the distance is four miles, he tried to
reach the mainland b. swimming from
one to another of the hundreds of low
islands which dot the bay at this point
and form an almost continuous route
to the shore except for the intervening
creeks.
After swimming fifteen creeks and
crossing as many islands his strength
became exhausted, and falling on his
face when he had gained Colt Island,
one Of the largest Of the group, he died
where he fell.
An autopsy is expected to show that
death was directly due to heart failure,
brought on " the tremendous exertion
of pulling himself through stretches
of heavy Ilud and by the chill induced
by the repeated dimensions in the icy
water.
Fighting to the last to reach the
lights, which must have
seemed TO recede as he advanced-an
experience familiar to haymen he
flung aside his overcoat after crossing
a dozen islands, but chung 10 a life pre-
server, which was found wrapped
about his body.
BY tLose amiliar With the bay it is
estimated that Nocquet must have
through the mud and water
for at least two hours before lis
strength finally gave way. The islands
which he crossed are little more than
mud fats, and many of them lie 81 low
that they are covered at high tide. The
mud of which they are composed is al
most as treacherous as quicksand
At every sten Nocquet must have
sunk in to his knees or deeper, and to
drag out his feet, held down by sue
tion as well as by the weight OF the
heavy mud, must have taxed Ills
to the utmost. Men who have
made tie attempt to cross the islands
In this way marveled that I G had been
able to cross the two miles to the spot
where he finally fell in ccrlpiete ex-
haGstlon.
Why he did not remain where his
balloon landed on Jones' Island in
stead of going t. his death in the mud
hats, can be explained OLly by the sup
position that the lights Of Amltyville |
seemed to him so near that to reach
them would be an easy task. He could
not - kAown that only !. few hun
dred yards fr m where he landed was
shelter in the jones' Beech life saving
station. 1t was almost 20 O'Clock
when he struck the sand strip ana the
lights in the station ha been extin-
guished
Paul 4Nocquet was known both in
this country and abroad as an able por- !
trait pairter, a sculptor II rare ability
and an enthusiast on ballooning. He
was born near Brussels in 1877, and |
be died II the age of twenty nine years
while success as an artist in America |
was well h.n his grasp.
1t was Nocquet's six enth ascension.
The Other fifteen ha been accom-
pllshed without a hitch. He was
member of the Aero Club, Of Paris,
and haC made several cscensions in
France. AT one time he planned to
try to cross the Atlantic in balloon,
but friends persuaded him to give up
this fantastic idea.