The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1910-02-17
DELAGRANGE's MISHAPs.
grenchman Killed In Monoplsne Flight
Was Prominent Aviator.


Leon Delagrange. the Frenchman
who was recently killed when his
monoplane broke in midair at Bor
deaux, France. was well known as an
aviator. not only us having at various
times held the record for speed aud
distance, but also for his daring His
career was marked by several serious
accidents before the fatal one, but b,
continued his exploits. earning the
reputation OF Il man who would run a
good deal of risk rather than disap-
point the spectators who had gathered
to see him ily.
Well known already as az .utomo-
bilist, Delagrange took up aviation In
| the early stages of the sport and made
| his first public ascent at Bagatelle.
France, on March l6. 1907. in bi-
plane. He was satisfied then with d
| flight of thirty feet but few days
! later he took a passenger up and ac-
complished 453 feet.
On Nov. 8. 1907. he met with his first
| accident at Issy. France. His machine
| fell and was smashed. but he escaped
with few bruises and cuts. At lssy
also in the following May he had
| narrow escape. as with Farman he was
competing for the Armegaud prize OF
$1,000 for eight of fifteen minutes.
| He was travelling fast near the ground.
/ and his machine swerved toward the
| crowd of spectators. He at once shut
| off power and In descending crashed
| into motorcar. The machine was
smashed to atoms. but Delagrange es-
capped almost uninjured.
| Again he was hurt in the next spring
| In an exhibition fight at Milan before
Queen Margherita of Italy. but so lit
| 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, he
received special gold medal.
At Issy. on Sept. 6. 1908. Delagrange
made another record. He few fifteen
and two-fifth miles In 20 minutes and
"a As seconds and came to the ground
only because his petrol was exhausted.
At that time this beat Wright's and
Farman's records by twelve minutes.
In May last year Delagrange. at Ju-
vissy, won the Lagatineri prize. making
three and ix-tenth miles in 10 min
utes is seconds At the Rheims COM
petitions in August be used for the
first time 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 new for fifteen minutes
for King Frederick at Aarhus.
His first sensational fight, however.
was made on Oct. 26. 1909. At DON
caster, In England, he covered six
miles in Z minutes SO seconds, at a
rate at times Of over fifty miles an
hour. He also established speed rec
ord of mile and $50 yards in min
ute At 1-5 seconds-that is, about fifty
four miles an hour. His machine on
this occasion was Bleriot monoplane.
On Thursday, Dec. 30. 1909. he &C.
complished another worlds speed rec
ord At Juvissy in trying to win the
Michelin cup he few ia miles In
hours 80 minutes. an average speed OF
forty-nine miles an hour.
i Many honors were conferred on De-
lagrange for his achievements. Among
them We're the Order of the Legion o1
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.
i