Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-08
FORMER NOTED FOR DARING
Reckless Aerial Feats That Made
Him Famous Above Others.
THRILLED CROWDS AT RHEIMS
Broke French Speed Record-Judges
Fined Him - and Then Con-
graduated Him.

JUvISY- SUR-ORGE, France, September
S.-Eugene Lefebvre, who became noted
for his daring and recklessness In the
aerial contests at Rheims last month, fell
from his aeroplane while practicing here
yesterday afternoon and received injuries
from which he died In few minutes
MILAN. Italy, September S-While
Signor Posi-, an aviator, was testing an
apparatus of his own Invention yesterday.
the machine fell from height Of twenty
yards. Posi- was killed and a passenger
with him was injured.
BY profession Lefebvre was an engi-
neer. The performances OF the Wrights
impressed him so well that he got one
Of their aeroplanes. with which he made
successful flights at The Hague several
months ago. Nothing more was heard of
him as flyer, and he was supposed to
have tired of the pastime and returned to
his profession, when he appeared at Rheims
| to enter the lists against the greatest Of the
worlds aviators. He distinguished him.
self even In that company and won the
| applause of the spectators more than any
other of the contestants.
He came first prominently into view on
| the morning of August @ when he wheel
ed out his .biplane while high wind blew
and the others were hugging cover With
air and circled around the six-mtle course
twice
Broke French Speed Record. /.
In this flight he flew against stiff
eighteen-mile breeze. with conflicting cross
winds. The gusts tipped and tilted the
machine until 1t rocked like q small boat
49,
time of keel at dangerous angles. In spite
Of this condition of weather, which no
other contestant dared face. Lefebvre pro-
PEELED his machine at a forty-mile clip
and lowered the French speed record by
circling the course In 8 minutes SO As
seconds. In that exhibition he proved
his courage. II not his reckless daring. for
he was alone in the air.
Late that afternoon weather condi-
tons became favorable for the others.
Lefebvre was on hand to start with them.
Although there were six in the contest,
he drew all attention to himself for a
time by heading his machine toward the
grandstand, around which he circled
numerous times In the immediate fore
ground. and had the mass OF spectators
shouting themselves hoaEse. Then he sail |
ed of to Join his competitors. When three |
of them dropped. leaving only Lambert, |
Tissandier and himself aloft. all with |
Wright machines, the contest became |
q.
lily circled the field. their motors working |
faultlessly, flying with precision.
Hero Of the Multitude.
This work soon proved too orderly for |
Lefebvre. who detached himself from his |
companions and again directed his ma
chine toward the grandstand. where he |
INDUCED In most fantastic evoIutions and |
once more set the crowd wildly cheering |
for him. In final dash he cut a figure
eight in front Of the tribune and then |
circled over the heads OF the people. As |
he landed he stepped from his machine |
and made sweeping bow to the grand /
stand spectators. The people rose and |
hurrahed for him. Hats, parasols UNI
air and women bonobarded him with dow |
ers. Twenty thousand people took part |
in this demonstration.
Another day when wind forbade the |
cautious to take out their machines |
Lefebvre made an exhibition fight that
embraced all the maneuvers within the |
lnge Of the aeroplane. He few straight, |
made wide turns and sharp ones, moved |
In the air and then dropped until It |
barely cleared the ground, and cut fancy |
figures, demonstrating In every way the |
ease and facility with which the biplane I
could be handled. In one of his dashes |
he steered directly over the grandstand, |
SO close to the heads Of the spectators |
that women screamed with fright and |
all were appalled, at his skill and daring |
Others also flew that day, but he was !
the spectacular figure, as was the case |
whenever he appeared.
"Joy. Riding" in the Air.
Lefebvre reserved for Sunday crowd |
his most freakish stunts. He made this |
occasion a real aerial Joy ride. doing all |
the things he had done before and all the |
extras his fancy could devise. His spe-
cial delight was to skim the grandstandI
and make the spectators think he would |
run into them. AS the women screamed |
way he would tilt up his wings and rise |
100 feet, then head downward for the |
crowd as II he were plunging through a |
chute. He cut figures of eight, swooped. |
rose, circled. swirled and gave the crowd |
exciting new sensations every minute.
All through the week the plain Of Beth |
eny had been making aerial history |
with concourse OF men-birds such as had |
never before been brought together, each
one tuned up to his best effort and COM
bining to enrich the records with a series |
of unexampled contests This was the |
last day and Lefebvre was turning It into |
a one-man carnival and saturnalia. a |
show all by himself, with the people to |
thrill and excite and send into frenzy of |
enthusiasm when all was over.
He succeeded up to his expectations
and the crowds were wild over him, but
the committee Of judges decided that the
affair would suffer in dignity If permitted
to close in a daredevil aerial frolic, and /
that 1t was their duty to discipline Le-
febvre They fined him twenty francs
go for giving performance which they
as frivolous
ut was magnificent" they said to him
in imposing the fne, but it was not
scientific aviation" Then all the COM
mittee shook hands with him and con-
graduated him on his proves as an aerial
clown
Lefebvre was apparently Indifferent to
prizes. for he tried to win none. but of all |
the competitors at the Rheims meeting he |
will remain in the most vivid remem-
berance of the spectators.
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From the Dundee Advertiser.
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