Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-04
Leon De LA GRANGE
AVIATOR KILLED
Noted Frenchman Was Makinq a
Flight at Bordeaux When
He Met His Death.
MADE SOME GREAT RECORDS
He Was Among the First in His Pro-
fcssion in the World-Eormerly
An Automobilist.

| Bordeaux, France. Jan. 4-I,eon do Ia
Grange, the noted French aeronaut
was killed while making a flight here
| today
Leon de la Grange ranked among the
| first of the aviators of the world On
| Dec. 80 last at Juvisey he broke all
| speed records. The occasion was an
attempt to WIN the Michelin cup. He
did not succeed in beating Henry Far
mans record for distance, but did es-
taolish new distance record for mono
| planes and new worlds speed record
| He covered 124 miles in two hours and
81 minutes. maintaining an average
speed of approximately 40 miles an
hour.
DE la Grange had been a welI known
automobilist and WAS one of the first
men In Europe to take up aviation His
1eats soon attracted vide attention and
he is said to have been offered a guar
antee OF $4,000 If he would visit the
United States.
October last De Ia Grange made a
flight at Doncaster. England, estab-
fishing speed record for one mile and
$50 yards in L minute and AZ Is sec
onds. His first public flight was made
March 16. 1907, at Bagatelle. France,
when he asccnded in a biplane.
The machine moved 80 feet in the
air and descended. Some days later
De la Grange made fight of 453 feet.
carrying a passenger
He continued experiments with
biplane and visiting Rome in 1908,
made flight In the presence of
royalty.
Soon afterward at Turin he took
woman passenger on brief trip In
september. 1908. the Frenchman beat
the then existing time record of trvel-
Ing 3 and two-fifths miles in 29
minutes and 5S seconds. In May. 1909,
at Juvisey, he won the LaGatinere
prize. making three and six-tenths
miles in 10 minutes and Is seconds
He entered the competitions at
Rheims I'm August last, appearing for
The 0cSt lime in monoplane. Hs cap
tured the tenth prize for speed and
the eighth prize for distance. In
September last he visited Denmark
and made flight OF 10 minutes
b N,
De la Oranges first really sensa-
t!onal flight and the one which made
him contender for all prizes, was ac-
complished at Doncaster OH Oct &c,
1869. At that time he flew six miles In
Z minutes. 36 seconds. or at rate at
times Of more than 80 miles an hour
De Ia Grange exhibited great daring
and at times did not hesitate to assume
grave risks rather than disappoint
" ont 10 ~,
On Nov. 5. 1907, he fell with his aero
plane while giving an exhibition at
Issy. The machine was smashed bur
The aviator escaped with a few cuts
and bruises.
1t was also at Issy that De la Grange
narrowly escaped crushing Il crowd OF
spectators who had taken possession OF
one end of the held during his exhi-
bition. This accident happened in Nav.
1905 De Ia Grange was travelling at
high speed close to the ground when
his machine swerved towards the
crowd The aviator promptly shut off
the power and in descending collided
with an automobile.
During the aviation week at Rheims
the propeller of De Ia Oranges ma
chine broke from its shaft and the
badly bruised
In July last De La Grange was dec
GRATED with the order of the Legion
OF Honor and last month the academy
OF sciences at Paris voted him a medal
for aeronautic achievements. In 1907
De Ia Grange was elected president OF
the Aviation club of France.
The name OF De la Grange is the
fourth to be added to the roll OF
those killed in a motor power aero
plane. all within Is months
De la Grange sel with his machine
from p height of about 65 feet and was
crushed under the wreckase.
He had been flying in a wind that was
gusty and frequently blew at the rate
OF 20 miles an hour. In spite OF this
disadvantage Dc la Grange continued
and had ciYcled the aerodronc three
times when suddenly. as he was turn
ing at high speed against the wind the
left wing Of the monoplane broke and
the other wing collapsed.
The machine collapsed and toppled to
the ground. Death was instantaneous
--->-o->