Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-05

as jackson OF tho Wright Exhibition
COMPANY
When Walter Broollins and Hoxsey.
who. with Parnalec. alone were left
of the Wright exhibiting team, wheel
ed their machines out. warnings were
offered by half score Of flyers each
the air.
IT'S too FAN OF holes up there to-day"
they all agreed. ITS just like Swiss
cheese; better stay on the ground"
HoXsey, smiling as he had on the day
when in IL similar wind, he had gone far
up into the blue to new worlds record
FOR height, again took the air. His baro-
graph, still running when tho crowds
reached the heap of humanity and canvas
and broken sticks, showed the fatal drop
started when the aviator had come down
to within 563 feet OF the ground.
MOISANT AN ADVENTURER
Moisant probably crowded more adven-
ture into his short life than any average
10 men ever see He was the son of
| rench- Canadian parents. who went to
San Francisco to live while he was still
d youth
lie had iwo brothers and two sisters,
the brothers wen, to Salvador and there
acquired valuable interests, including a
plantation AT San Amelia. John r. Moi
SAINT himself naturally also drifted 10
Central America, and lived a life there
which is still the talk of people who knew
him. In a country, and at a time where
lives and regulations depend on quick
ness with a gun, he seemed to continue to
exist almost by legerdemain
The brothers. George. Alfred and
John. set out to be bankers. but soon
got into the political turmoil which is
perennial in Central America, and be-
fore long had become objects OF inter-
national worry. In 1907 the three broth
crs eoi into trouble for abetting a revo-
,ution in Salvador. George and Alfred
were PIT into prison, John was actu-
ally in the field, leading q band Of
Nicaraguan convicts, who had been
promised their freedom If the revou-
ton succeeded
Several thousand Salvad oreans We're
sent against Johns band; he hewed his
way through and ran for IT, leading his
men to safety over the NicsraEuan Dor
der On the way they looted bank
For this Johns property was confscat-
ed. While he was a fugitive in Nicars
qua he organized Il flibusterns eXpedi-
ton against Salvador but Capt. w. s
Benson of the L. s. cruiser Albany
threatened to sink the filtbustcrs YES
sci and the expedition turned back
SEIZED A STEAMER
The three brothers next went to Hon
duras. John is we'll remembered there
especially for an exploit that came near
making him either rich man or a
dead man. tramp steamship with a
cargo valued at sloo. 900, ran ashore near
the town where Moisant was living. and
her crew abandoned her. That night
Mosant went aboard in small dusout,
and took possession. In the morning the
gale abated. and the vessels captain and
crew tried to return 10 their ship.
Moisant stood them off with re-
| volver claiming vessel and cargo as sal
wage. Then tho skipper sent for the
American consul, who with native SOL
d!ers was rowed out to the snip Moisant
! stood him Off also, and artillery was next
! sent for. However, another storm came
on that night and drove The ship of
the reef She foundered, and Moisant
was seen al daylight, dashed in her rig
giug. He was taken of by the consul.
! Tn. brothers eventually returned to
| California. and John went TO Chicago 10
| take a course in architecture in the uni
versity there President Zelsya sent him
! to France TO study dirig BILE oalloOning
shortly before XclsJa himself was de-
i posed. and Moissnt stayed on. studying
aeroplUn-s ur ms Own account.
NERVOUS AS A CAT
! Mcissrt's personalty vas such that
persons who observed him al work mar
veled that he TaS able to &c, away"
with some of the hair raising things he
conscious OF the quality of caution. but
in manner as nervous AS cat. lie s-cm-
ed to be living at high pressure. When
he wanted 10 do thing 1t seemed that
he could not do it soon enough. He fair
~ jumped al every chance to fly. Hc
took chances In starting and alghtins
that not another man at tine Belmont
park meet would nave taken.
A. n ne" Moi9ant did not rank high
! with his fellow armen, This may have
been due in a measure to professional
jealousy, but they all joined in saying
lis work was erratic and his track driV-
ing rugged.
Steadness. of performance did not ap.
peal 10 his nature as much as brilliant
and unexpected stunts, and lie never
showed the cool control over a machine
that was shown. for example, by Ora
bame-W White or lie Blanc. the star Frenci
flier.