Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-01-05
KILLED
AViatOPs MOIssant and HOSsGy Fall
10 Instant Death.
Strong Winds and Treacherous Air
Currents Prove Disastrous to
World Champions.

World Champions.
Los Angeles, Jan. 2.-Arch Hox-
sey, holder of the worlds aviation al
titude recod, and star Of the air pilots
Of America, plunged to earth a Dom
inguez field at 2:12 this afternoon
from height of 225 feet and was in
stantly killed. The tragedy was wit
messed by 10000 persons.
The actual point of the accident, ac-
cording to the barograph, was at the
altitude of 225 feet. Hoxsey had been
gliding from an altitude of Z, 1000 feet.
This descent was beautifully accom-
plished, and it would have been impos-
sible for anyone not an expert to un-
derstand that what he was doing was
not the easiest thing in the world.
A stiff north wind was blowing and
the air was filled with what aeronauts
call "pockets"
Just how Hoxsey happened to lose
control of the machine, if that was the
cause, no one who saw him fall was
able to explain, because the thing was
done so quickly as to defy precise OBJ
servation. He had been in the air one
hour and eight minutes, and shortly
before the catastrophe was circling
east of the field at the very summit of
his days flight.
He had swung around, seemed to
poise about a mile above ground, and
perhaps mile east of the field. At
this point he struck a slide and came
at downward cant of perhaps 80 de-
grees in a line which, if projected,
would have taken him about the mid
die of the back field.
When he was over the back field,
about 500 feet northeast from the
judges stand, the angle of descent was
changed to deeper one, but even yet
he had not reached the danger point,
so far as observation could detect.
Suddenly cry went up from the
grandstand and the thousands banked
along the fence. They seemed to un-
derstand vaguely in that instant that a
tragedy of the air was about to be en-
ated, for the airship tipped from its
steep gliding angle and dived straight
downward. The flight at this angle
continued for only can instant, for the
great Wright machine tipped until it
appeared that it would turn complete
somersault. 1t then came to straight
vertical again, and shot down with
the swiftness of an arrow.
New Orleans, Jan. 2.-Leaving City
Park Aviation field at 9:38 o'clock
Saturday morning, full of life, vigor
and hope, his eyes sparkling in antici-
patton of adding to his country's glory
by bringing the Micheln cup to Amer
lea, John B. Moissant, one of the
worlds most daring and skillful avia-
tors, flew over New Orleans only to
meet death near Harahan, II miles
from the city, 20 minutes later.
Tonight at the hour when he was to
have been presented with a handsome
loving cup bearing the legend, "John
B. Moissant, the glory of Central
contributed by the Central
American colony in New Orleans, the
plucky aviator lies in the morgue, a
martyr to the science Of aviation.
Alfred ]. Moissant. president of the
aviators, bade his broth
er CHEEKY farewell, just before he as
cended. Accompanied by press repre-
and mechaniciars in an au-
he followed the fight to the
place up the river where the cup trial
was to take place, only to be met by
he stunning news that John B. Mois-
Iant was dead.
The added weight of an extra gas
oline tank, the use of a strange ma
,hine and the deadly prank of a 15-
nile wind at the moment when he had
pointed the nose of his machine at a
harp downward angle, combined in
lending Moissant down to death.
Thrown from his machine by its sud-
len inclination, Moissant described a
urve through the air and head first
ike diver, shot downward, landing
N his neck and head. His neck was
'roken.