The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-18

e. Moissant, the Chicago aviator
attempting to fly from Paris to Lon
don, descended a second time, .
miles from his destination neal
here today by breaking the propel
Ter and part of the frame. The
machines broken parts must be
replaced from Paris and a rescmp.
ton OF the flight to London before
tomorrow is improbable.
Deal, England, Aug. lit has
been reserved for an American cit
izen to perform one of the most
! daring feats in the history of avia-
zion. John b. Mossant of Chicago
flew across the English Channel
from Calais to Tilmanstone today
with a passenger and by this ac-
complishment far surpassed the
feats of Bleriot. DeLesseps and
the unfortunate English aviator,
Rolls, who met his death at Bourne
mouth
Flight Was Astonishing.
The two-men air flight from
France to England is all the more
astonishing for it was only a month
ago that Moissant learned to fly
and he made so flew flights and
was so little known among air men
that even his nationality was not
disclosed He was reputed to be
Spaniard and it was only when he
landed in England today that 1t
was revealed that he is a young
Chicago architect.
To make the feat still more sur
prising, Moissant was totally igno-
rant of the geography of his course
He had never been in England and
was obliged to rely entirely on the
compass while the crossing of the
channel was accomplished in the
teeth of a strong westerly wind
People Begged Him to Desst.
The channel flight was an incident
in the aerial voyage from Paris TO
Lon1on. Moissant left Issy yester
day with Hubert Latham and reach
ed Amiens in two hours. Latham's
aeroplane was wrecked, and this
morning Moissant, leaving Amiens
an early hour, headed for Calas His
meChanician, Albert File, who has
accompanied him across the country,
took his place in the machine, and
when the motor was set in motion
for the dash across the channel, the
thousands of people who had gath
cred to watch the daring aviator
were amazed and urged him not to
make the attempt in the face of the |
calf gale that was blowing.
Crossed in Thirty-Seven Minutes.
Moissant cared naught for the !
warnings of the people, and even |
;he fact that there was no torpedo |
boat TO follow in his wake, but only |
a slow-moving tug, did not deter
min. He made the TRIP in thirty-sev
en- minutes. When he descended his
eyes were bloodshot and greatly
inflamed as result of the heavy
rainstorm into which they drove
On approaching the English coast.
The high wind beat the rain into
their faces like hail and almost
blinded them.
Both Men Benumbed.
An average height of between 300
and 400 feet was maintained over !
the water. The aviator eNpecte. 10
land at Dover, but was forced by
the wind a few miles north, and
made the coast near Deal. The cold /
was intense and both Moissant and
his mechanician We're benumbed
Moissant seemed to take his monu-
mental feat as though il was
laily occurrence.
When he revived sufficiently he
aughed and said to an interviewer
This is my first visit to Eng.
and"
Describing his experience, he said
This is only my sixth flight in
IN aeroplane. | did not know the
way from Paris to Calais when :
tarted and l do not know the way /
o London. | shall have to RELY o. |