The Detroit times., 1910-08-18
DELAYED NEAR EMO
OF RECORD FL|GHT
Spanish American Aviator Who Set
Mark by Carrying Passenger Across
English Channel Stops for Repairs.

LONDON, Aug ls.--John b. Mois-
SAINT, the Spanish-American aviator,
met with two mishaps today In at
tempting tho last stage OF his Paris
10 London aeroplane flight the last
OF which badly damaged his Bleriot
monoplane and will necessitate his
remaining at Upchurch until tomor>
row.
AT Upchurch. which is % miles
from London, one OF the stays OF
Moissants machine broke. disabling
the engine. The delay was slight and
the accident easily repaired, but in
alighting the propeller and part OF
the chassis were also broken and the
machine narrowly escaped crashing
II TO a tree as IL was brought down
from height OF 400 feet Moissant
landed in an unused brick pit. The
daring aviator Immediately wired TO
Paris for new propeller and other
needed parts, but II will be impossi-
BILE for these TO arrive before tomor-
row. Moissant and his mechanician.
Albert Fileux, whom he was carrying
with him. were badly shaken up in
the abrupt landing. but neither will
be prevented from continuing the
trip tomorrow.
Moissant. who is a young Chicago
architect, Is easily the hero OF the
hour. He Is just the sort OF chap that
Londoners like, breezy. straight-for-
ward and a good fellow. The thing
about him, however. that amazes
everybody is his wonderful endurance
Moissant decided to make the flight
from Paris on Monday. II might have
been expected that he would have
sought a good nights rest In prepare
tion for the trying feat, but the young
American sat up with a group OF
friends until late In the morning.
He slept hut two hours Tuesday
night at Amiens, leaving there on his
fight to Calais at $40 Wednesday
morning. Last night he and his
mechanician slept on hay-stack
near where the aeroplane descended.
He was invited to spend the night
with numerous new-found friends but
preferred to remain by his baby as
he calls his little monoplane. Mois-
SAINT did not retire" last night, how
ever, until II o'clock. and at 1:3O,
after refreshing rest of two and hall
hours, he slid down from the, hay
stack and began testing the machine
for the final stage OF the flight. In
the past three nights Moissant has
had but seven and a half hours sleep.
Moissant didn't bother much about
eating after he started his trip. He
said he had not had real meal since
leaving Amiens Wednesday morning,
though fortunately for him, he said,
he was we'll supplied with cigarettes.
To guard against the cold Moissant
wore a dress that initiated greatly
against his personal appearance. He
wrapped a coating OF Japanese paper
over his clothes and topped the attire
of with an ordinary jumper and over
alls. These. with a three-days' growth
of beard and his generally mussed-up
appearance. made him look like a
traveller returning from the wilds.
Moissant will not claim the Daily
Mails 1000 prize even II he com
pietes the flight TO London. The con-
ditions OF the prize have never been
announced and though IL Is probable
that the Mail will offer the prize 10
Moissant in case he flies to London,
the latter says he will not fight for IT.
II took the trip merely for the sport
and don't care to make business OF
flying. 1t Is good fun and | enjoy II,
so what more ought | to ask" Mois-
SAINT said today. "Of course. II the
Mail insists that I have qualified for
the prize, l wouldn't turn down the
money" :.
The only thing that mars England
enthusiasm over the achievement OF
Moissant is the fact that he Is not an
Englishman. Moissant was born In
Cnicagu of Spanish parents, and Is
referred TO by the London press as
Spanish American. He has not
lived in American for nearly twenty
years, having knocked about the
world since youth.