Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-31

NEW ORLEANS. December 31.-John
B. Moisant. daring American aviator.
confident os adding to his many laurels
of the air the Michelin cup record for
13Ic. fell to lis death at 900 o'clock this
morning., while making a fight prelimi-
nary to his attempt to win this trophy.
While preparing to make landing on
stecial field. selected for the Michelin
cup trial. twelve miles vest Of New Or
leans and org the east bank of the
Mississippi. river Moisant was thrown
from Ele:.ot nonoplane and landed on
hi bead tiIirty-siX feet from where the
ne hire struck the ground.
II $ .eck was broken by the fall. Other
Ni.c there was rot bruise on his body.
II acrop.ane was wrecked.
- 1tl: :esu'ted within ten seconds. ac-
ccrl.ns to tile coroner.
Body Put on Flat Car.
The momen. Moisant struck the earth
falling in high weeds to the right Of the
field. some workrnen, who happened to
be near. picked him up. while the news
paper men and officials rushed to him.
a special train of fiat cars was stand
Ing near the scene of the accident. The
body was hurriedly- placed aboard and
brought to the city and taken to an un-
dertaking establishment.
The expression on Moisant's face was
that Of a sleeping man. Not the slight
est trace Of fear or pain was apparent
Wind was the cause of the accident
Moisant. guided by the white flags which
lined the course. rounded the circle twice
in an effort to find a landing place. The
tniId time around. the wind, which was
blowing about fifteen miles an hour
across the course, drove the machine to-
ward the earth.
Moisant. in trying to get back over the
grounds, swerved suddenly to the left
then attempted his famous right circle,
SO dangerous that it is said but one othe.
man beside Moisant ever attempted it.
At this instant the wind caught the
planes of the machine. while according
TO other aviatOrS, a downward draught
must have caught the propellers and
front planes. The machine tipped,
pointed its nose directly at the ground
Moisant was seen to be hurled from the
machine head first to the earth.
Crowd to Meet Body.
The report that Moisant, who had
endeared himself to thousands of New
OI leans citizens. had met with "a serious
accident spread rapidly. When the car
bearing his body arrived at the Union
station there was vast crowd sur
rounding the train shed.
An ambulance and several surgeons
were in waiting. AS the train drew in
several men leaped to the platform, and
running to the ambulance, told the sur
senns that Moisant was unconscious, but
SUI alive.
The first surgeon, however. who reached
the fiat saw that Moisant was dead
A hush fell over the throng as attend
ants bore the body To an ambulance
Moisant was the first airman to carry
q passenger across the English cnanneI
lie was noted for his daring and white
here had flown In much higher winds
than that which caused tOday's accident
While no arrangements have been made
As to the disposition of the body, it prob
ably will be sent to Chicago
HaralIan Is a station the Illinois
Central railroad. twelve miles from the
center of New Orleans. On one side lies
small strip of dense swamp land sepa-
rates 1t from Lake Pontchartrain.
Treacherous Wind Eddies.
The air currents in that section are De-
culiar. Gales frequently sweep westward
along Lake Pontchartrain and, meetin;
heavy rush of wind coming down the
river. cause whiris in the air which have
been noted as dangerous by several avia
tors flying In that section
Harahan Is accessible to New Orlean.
only by a road which runs along the tor
Of the levee, and communication witt
New Orleans is bad.
Paulhan, the French aviator. in his ex
hibition flights in New Orleans a wear ago
made a study of the atmospheric condi
tions In this section; In his flights ht
where the greatest width exists betweer
the lake and river