The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-01-11
DELAGRANGE'S MISHAPS.
Frsnchman Killed In Mcncpiane Fight
Was Prominent Aviator.

Ersnchran Killed In Mcncplans Flight
Was Prominent Aviator.
Leon Delagrange, the Frenchman
who was recently killed when ms
monoplane broke in midair at Bor-
deaux, France, was well known as an
aviator. not only as having at various
times held the record for speed ana
distance. but also for his daring. HIS
career was marked by several serious
accidents before the fatal one, but ne
continued his exploits, earning the
reputation of a man who would run
good deal of risk rather than disap-
point the spectators who had gathered
to see him fly.
Well known already as an automo-
bilist, Delagrange took up aviation ID
the early stages of the sport. and mace
his first public ascent at Bagateiie,
France. on March 16. 1907, in a bi-
plane. He was satisfied then with
fight of thirty feet, but q few days
later he took a passenger up and ae-
complished 453 feet. @
On Nov. 5, 1907, he met with his nfst
accident at Issy, France. Bis machine
fell and was smashed, but he escaped
with a few bruises and cuts. At 1ssy
also in the following May he had q
narrow escape, as with Farman he was
competing for the Armegaud prize OF
$1,000 for a Aight OF fifteen minutes
He was travelling fast near the ground.
and his machine swerved toward the
crowd of spectators. He at once smut
off power and in descending crashed
into q motorcar The machine was
smashed to atoms, but Delagrange es-
capped almost uninjured.
Again he was hurt In the next spring
in an exhibition flight at Milan before
Queen Margherita of Italy, but so IT.
tie was he unnerved that eleven days
later he gave another exhibition be-
fore her majesty. remaining In the air
for 16 minutes II seconds and cover
ing little over eleven miles. For this
performance, record at the time, ne
received a special gold medal.
At Issy, on Sept. 6, 1908. Delagrangs
made another record. he few fifteen
and two-fifth miles In 20 minutes ana
"a % seconds and came to the ground
only because bis petrol was exhausted.
At that time this beat Wright's and
Farman's records by twelve minutes.
In May last year Delagrange, at Jti-
vissy, won the Lagatineri prize, making
three and sixteenth miles in 10 min.
utes Is seconds. At the Rheims CON-
petitions in August he used for the
first time q monoplane. but achieved
no great success, being placed tenth
for speed and eighth for distance. On
one occasion his propeller broke, and
he was badly bruised. He then visited
Denmark and few for fifteen minutes
for King Frederick at Aarhus.
his first sensational flight, however,
was made on Oct. &c, 1909. At Dom
caster, In England. he covered six
miles In Z minutes SO seconds, at q
rate at times Of over fifty miles an
hour. He also established a speed rec
ord of / mile and $50 yards in i min
ute AZ 10 seconds-that Is, about fifty-
four miles an hour. His machine on
this occasion was a Bieriot monoplane
On Thursday, Dec. 30. 1903, he nc.
compiished another worlds speed rec,
ord. At Juvissy in trying to win the
Miehelin cup he few 124 miles In 2
hours 80 minutes. an average speed of
forty-nine miles an hour.
Many honors were conferred on De-
lagrange for bis achievements. Among
them were the Order of the Legion of
Honor, an enamel medal by the Acad-
envy Of Sciences, Paris, and the presi-
dency Of the Aviation Club Of France
for 1907. His pastimes consisted in
hunting, horseback riding and automo-
billing.