The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-02
HOLD SAD RITES
 OVER MO|SANT Body of Famous Aviator Is
 Laid to Rest MACHINE WENT WRONG What Happened No One Will Ever Know But His Associates Are Sure Something Went Wrong-Hc
 Leaves Small Fortune

| the famous aviator, who was Killed here
 yesterday morning when he fell headlons I from his Bleriot monoplane, breaking his
 neck. were held this morning at 10 o'clock,
 the Rev. James Malone of St. Johns cathedral officiating.
 l The body was placed in a receiving vault in Metairie cemetery until 1t is
 decided where it will permanently rest. The funeral was according to the Cath ollie rites and was marked by extreme simplicity, this being the desire of the brother and sisters of the unfortunate aviator.
 Among the large list of honorary pall- bearers, made up of prominent citizens of this city, were the teammates of the dead airman, Rene Simon, Rene Barrier, Roland G. Garros, Charles K. Hamilton, John J. Frisbie, Edmond Audemars and Joseph Seymour.
 Affecting scene marked the funeral which was private, while great banks or flowers, including handsome offerings from the Areo clubs of America, or France and of Great Britain, another from the mates of Moisant and many
 
 from admirers and friends all over the country, rested about the casket. No plans have been made as yet rel ative to permanent interment of the body. It Is probable however, that 1t will oc- cupy tomb in Alameda, Cal, where Moisant lived for eight years. The two sisters of Moisant and his brother, Alfred J. Moisant, and A. s. Le- vino, general press agent of the Interna- tional Aviators, left tonight at o'clock for Jacksonville, Fla.
 From there the party will go to Ha- vana, Cuba, and later to New York city arriving in the latter city about Janu- ary 12.
 Leaves Fortune An inventory of the personal effects of the dead aviator today showed that he had about $12,GOO in currency and gems. It is believed his estate will total sloo,0OO to s15O 900, which will be held in trust for his boy, now going to school in Hotch- kiss, Cal.
 The international aviators will go from
 here to Dallas, Tex, and after that meet
 to Oklahoma City, under the direction Of
 P. l.. Young.
 l That the contracts of the international
 aviators will be carried out in full and A. J. Moisant will continue as president
 of the concern is announced tonight. l That John B. Moisant believed him. l self safe in an aeroplane under any l circumsta tances Is shown by statement
 made tonight by Albert S. Levino, gen.
 eral press representative of the inter- | national aviators. I MT. Moisant said to me two days | before his death If thought I should I be killed in making a flight, l would l not go up in the machine, but think there is no particular danger If the ma chine is properly adjusted before the asceRt Is made. do not expect to die | in an aeroplane.
 Believed Machine Went Wrong That something went wrong with the machine which Moisant was driving, is believed by the aviators and by his 1 brother, A. J. Moisant. The following statement was given out tonight just before the party left for Florida by MT. Levine, relative to the acident: "A thorough examination was made | today of the machine which MT. Moi sant used Saturday and all witnesses | were asked to describe in detail just
 what they saw the monoplane do. Ev- | cry statement agreed upon two points: q. That Moisant attempted to land when apparently no necessity arose for
 his landing at that particular moment or at that particular point. | "2. That when he started to land he was flying with the wind. MT. Moisant had repeatedly stated that landing with the wind was one of the most dangerous experiments that an airman could try. When Garros
 stood his Demoiselle on It's head at Memphis, Moisant called that aviator's s
 attention to the fact that he had at tempted to land with the wind. | Tt will remain impossible to ascer-
 tain just what went wrong with Moi
 sant's machine and why he started to l descend when he did, particularly in
 view of the fact that he realized how I dangerous 1t was to descend flying | down the wind.
 ''The inevitable conclusion is that some
 thing went wrong inside of the Bleriot
 something of such a serious nature that
 regardless of the danger of landing with
 the wind, MT. Moisant was compelled to
 immediately seek the ground l Never Know What Happened | whether the tail or rudder control re- | fused to work or whether the wires for WtnB HeXlilB Idlleu to perform tnelr 1unc-
 tions properly will never be known.
 "The machine MT. Moisant used Satur-
 day was the same one in which he cap t,red second prize in the international
 cup race at Belmont park October 9, 1910. During this race Moisant carried 20 gal
 Ions of gasoline in a tank located ex- actly in the same place. This tank during the international race was located exact ly in the same place under his machine
 as it was Saturday. when the accident oc- cured.
 At the time of the accident there were fewer than six gallons of gasoline in the tank.
 "The reserve tank was not invented by MT. Moisant but by Louis Bleriot, maker
 of the famous Bleriot monoplane. who had designed it and was affixed to the ma
 chine by Bleriot, who had designed 1t for
 MT Molsant, especially for trying for the Michelin cup
 The 5O-horsepower Bleriot monoplant from which John B. Moisant fell to his
 death will be reassembled, put in per
 feet order, but will never carry another
 The machine will be presented to some
 institution. probably the Smithsonian in.
 stitution at Washington
 Moisant's 5o-horsepower Bleriot, knowr
 as the Red Demon" in which he wor
 the Statue of Liberty prize. and which