The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-31

brought to the city.
Wind apparently was the cause OF
the accident. Moisant, guided by the
white flags which lined the course,
rounded the circle twice in an effort 70
| find a landing place The third time
around, the wind, which was blowing
| about Is miles across the course, drove
| the machine toward the earth. Moisant,
! in trying to get back over the grounds,
| swerved. suddenly to the left, then at
| tempted his famous right circle, con-
sidered so dangerous that it is said but
one other man ever attempted it.
! At this instant the wind caught the
machine. It tipped, pointed its nose
| directly at the ground and came down
! like a flash while MoiSant was hurled
| forth and fell head first.
| Moisant had sister married, living
| in San Francisco. Two sisters were
with him here, Mar1da and Lulu One
| brother, Alfred J., was the president of
| the International Aviators' association.
He was not present when the accident
occurred Moisant also has two broth
| ers In Salvador interested in the bank
| ing business.
| No arrangeme have been made as
to the disposition of the body but it
probably will be sent to Chicago.
| Moisant was in Rene Barriers fifty
| horsepower Bleriot monOplane, a ma
| chine which he had used but two or
| three times. At the front of the ma
chine, almost directly beneath the en-
gine, was strapped a 35 gallon brass
gasoline tank built especially for the
Michelin cup trial.
| Moisant assembled at the city park
| aviation field at 9:35 a. m, flew across
| the city and along the banks of the
Mississippi river to the special four
mile course. He appeared to have
perfect control of the machine and
probably no one will ever be able to
| explain just what caused the accident.
He had inclined his monoplane to-
| xx-o o~H arfI for n hnfnra
| took the fatal plunge. 1t fell like a
! plummet and buried the propeller in
| the soft earth.
! His Record as an Aviator.
| New York, Dec. 31.-John B. Mois-
ant on October 80 last flew from Bel
| mont park around the Statue of Liber-
ty and back to the aviation field,
thereby wrestling from the English
| man, Claude Grahame-White, one of
most highly priced of the trophies of
| aerial feats.
From the start his career as an
| aviator was marked with daring ex-
| ploits. He first came into world
| prominence so recently as August last,
when he started on a flight from
| Paris to London with a passenger, AL
bert Fileaux. He successfully crossed
the English channel. being the first
| aviator to accomplish this feat with
passenger.
Moisant was born in Chicago in
Central America and became SOL
dier of fortune. He was driven from
San Salvador and his property was
conf1scated by the government. He
was wealthy at the time.
Moisant arrived in New York from
Europe October 8, last, and was one
of the most interesting figures in the
laviation meet in Belmont Park. He
took second place in the international
aviation race when Grahame-White
| ~ nj he 7
Curtiss had brought to this country
from France the year before. Gra-
hame-White went around the statue
of liberty in 35 minutes 21.30 seconds.
MoiSant made the flight AZ 1-2
seconds under Whites rec
ord. His time was "a minutes 1854
seconds.
Moisant had narrow escape from
death last Tuesday in New Orleans
After being blown five miles from his
course by a 40-mile wind he glided
down from an altitude of nearly 5000
feet and barely escaped rough land
ing in clump of trees.
Moisant was the thirty-fourth man to
lose his life in the development of avi-
alton. OF this number, 20 were killed
during the present year; four were kill
ed in 1909 and one, Lieut.. Thomas E
Selfridge, U. S. A, in 1908. The death
role includes George Chavez, the Pc
ruvian, who flew over the Alps only
to be fatally injured in landing; Ralph
Johnstone, of Kansas City, who ha6
just before broken the worlds altitude
record Charles S. Rolls, the popular
English sportsman; Leon de la Grange
the Frenchman and Cecil Grace, Of
New York, who after flying from Do
yer to Calais was lost probably in the
North sea during his return trip.
Brings Gloom to Los Angeles.
. Los Angeles, Dec. 31.-The tragedy
in New Orleans which cost John B
| 1f hi fa of itS rlr n
sorrow in this city. In addition to the
, dozen or SO noted aviators, friends anc
associates of Moisant now in Los An
geles, Stanley Moisant, the 14-year-
old son of the dead aviator is here Wis
iting friends. He came accompanied by
Barton Weyl, an attorney of San Fran
cisco, who is the husband of a sister OF
| John B. MoiSant.
Today the boy was at the hotel or
| the Summit of Mount Lowe. He hao
not been informed of the death of his
father and Mr.. Weyl requested the
newspapermen not to let him know oi
the tragedy until he returned to Los
Angeles tonight. 1.-The boy has beer
him to have one more day before he
learns of the tragedy" said Mr.. Weyl
Expressions of profound sorrow were
heard on all sides at aviation field
over the death of Moisant.
Glenn H. Curtiss said of Moisant
"I am deeply grieved. knew Moisant
well, having first met him at Rheims
France, at the international meet il
1909. 1t was then that Moisant frs
became interested in aviation and we
met at my quarters on several occa-
sions and discussed aviation. He wal
most interesting and amiabIe man anC
was popular with every one. At Bel
mont park last fall we renewed our ac
quaintance. He seemed to delight il
flying just for the sport of the thing
81 know nothing of the details O
the accident and therefore can Civ
no opinion as to the cause"
t'MoiSant WAS too daring for q maj
of his experience with aeroplanes. HI
took too many chances and ever sine,
saw him perform at Belmont Parl
have been expecting his death" sais