Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-08-19
IS AVIATION HERO
MOlSSANT, CARRYING ON: PAS
S6NGER, FLIES CHANNAL IN
STRONG WIND.
AMAZING FLIGHT Is MADE
Heretofore Unknown Chicagoan Ecip-
ses Feats of de Lesseps and Rolls.
-Suferd from Cold and Was Be-
numed When He Landed.

Deal, England.-It has been re-
served for an American citizen to
perform one of the most daring feats
in the history of aviation. John b.
Mo1ssant of Chicago flew across the
English channel from Calais to Til
manstone with a passenger, and by
this achievement far surpassed the
feats of Bleriot, de Lesseps and the
unfortunate English aviator Rolls.
Moissant resumed his flight to Lon
don at 4 So a. m.
The two-man fight from France
to England was the more astonish-
ing, for it was only month ago that
Moissant learned to fly and made so
few flights and was SO little
known among aviators that even his
nationality was not disclosed. He
was reputed to be a Spaniard, and it
was only when he landed in England
that it was revealed that he is a
young Chicago architect.
To make the feat still more sur
prising, Moissant was totally ignor-
ant Of the geography of his course.
He was obliged to rely entirely on
the compass.
The channel flight was an incident
in the aerial voyage from Paris to
London. Moissant left Issy with
Hubert Latham and reached Amiens
in two hours. Latham's aeroplane
was wrecked and Moissant, leaving
Amiens, headed for Calais. His
mechanician, Albert Fileux, who had
accompanied him across the country,
took his place in the machine when
the motor was set in motion for the
dash across the channel. Thousands
who had gathered to watch the dar-
ing aviator were amazed, and urged
him not to make the attempt in the
face of the half gale that was blow
ing.
Moissant cared nothing for the
warnings of the people, and even the
fact that there was no torpedo boat
to follow in his wake, but only slow
moving tug, did not deter him. He
made the trip in thirty-seven min
utes When he descended his eyes
were bloodshot and greatly inf1ameI,
as a result of the heavy rainstorm
into which they drove on approach
ing the English coast. The high wind
beat the rain into the faces Of the
men like hail, and almost blinded
them
An average height of between 300
and 400 feet was maintained over
the water. The aviator expected to
land at Dover, but he was forced by
the wind a few miles south, and made
the coast near Deal. The cold was
intense, and both Moissant and his
mechanician were benumbed. When
he revived sufficiently he laughed and
said to an interviewer: "This is my
first visit to England
Describing his experiences, he said /:
@1This is only my sixth flight in
an aeroplane. I did not know the
way from Paris to Calais when !
started, and | do not know the way
to London. l shall have to rely on
the compass. I would like to land
on the Hyde park if 1 can find it.
My mechanician, who weighs 1872
pounds, had never been in an aero
plane before and did not know where
[ was taking him to when we left
Paris. The people tried to dissuade
me from making the flight from
Calais in the gusty wind, but in spite
of the pitching during the crossing of
the channel, the greatest difficulty
encountered in the trip was landing,
the sea and land winds causing dan
gerous cross currents