The Ocala evening star., 1911-01-02
MO|SANT AND HOxSEY
WILL FLY NO MORE
Uneonquered Spirit of the Air HurIs
CentempfuousIy tn Earth Two the
Most Daring Invaders of His Do
main.

John r. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey.
aviators extraordinary. We're killed
Saturday. Both fell out of the treach-
erOus air currents with their
chimes. neither from a vast height, and
Moisant's remaining minutes of life
were so few as to count as naught.
Hoxsey was killed instantly
Noise Mt met his death at 9:55 a. n1.,
attempting to alight in a field a few
miles from New Orleans. La.
Hoxsey, who went into the air early
in the afternoon at Los Angeles. lay
a 2:12 p M, a crushed, lifeless mass
in view of the thousands who were
watching the aviation tournament.
Thus the last day Of 1910, in bring
ing the total number of deaths of avia-
tors to thirty-five. capped the list with
two of the most illustrious of the air
men who have been writing the history
Of the sky of tive continents.
= aMoisant, a Chicagoan by BIRTH after
an adventurous life in Central Amer
lea, became Interested in aviation in
France less than year ago. After
soaring into public recognition by his
p1ucky flight from Paris across the
English channel to London. with a pas
senger, Moisant's fearlessness and re-
sourcefulness were exhibited frequent
ly. Finding himself without a ma
chine, he purchased one from friend
for $4,000, and within ten minutes
started on his winning flight from Bel
mont Park, N Y. around the statue of
Liberty, winning prize of $4,000.
Saturday a sudden puff of wind
caught him within 500 feet Of the earth,
turned his machine over and a broken
neck terminated his career
- Arch HoXsey, after year OF uni
form success with the Wright aero
planes, had gained a name for daring
and competence in the air. Only with
in the week he had set new worlds 5
altitude record of 11,474 feet and then
to show his contempt for the earth, had
sailed majestically more than 1000
feet above the highest mountain in
California. Saturday he ran afoul of a
boiling, threacherous wind when SEQ
feet from the earth. and a minute later
a Mortified crowd, aroused from it's
shock. was rushing madly to where a
broken mass of humanity lay beneath a
torn bit of canvas and some broken
| spars.
Both men met death in almost the
same manner. Each machine was head
| ed for the earth and suddenly seemed
| to stop, hover in the air, then turn
| over on it's nose" and dive headlong to
| the earth-and to destruction.
Moisant's aeroplane was a Bleriot
| monoplane, and in addition to the
heavy engine in front of the main
| planes he had fastened a tank holding
S5 gallons of gasoline. Aviation ex-
perts believe a sudden puff of wind
stopped his machine dead in the air
and the heavy weight ahead dragged
the light framework behind it, Tipping
| the then useless rear elevator. From
| his position partly back of the main
| planes, Moisant was dipped out, clear
| of the machine, and struck the ground
on his head. breaking his neck. He
died on a fiat car upon which he was
being rushed to New Orleans.
| HoXsey, likewise, was returning
from a journey into the clouds. He
was within 800 feet of the earth and
| cheers were going up to meet the con-
queror of the higher air, when his ma
| chine seemd to stop, shudder and whirl
over to the ground. AS in the morning. s
| tragedy, the rear elevator, rendered
| useless when the momentum was gone,
dipped around, helpless to aid the fat
ed machine. Hoxsey vainly endeavor-
ed to right his craft by warping the
main planes and by use OF the rudder.
! Vain attempts, these, for before suf-
| ficient momentum was gained the frail
structure wssscrumpled upon the earth,
| the heavy engine being torn loose.
| Only a few farmers and aids saw
Noisant hurled to his death, but Hox-
sey's end came before the Mortified
gaze of thousands who had come out
| in the pleasant afternoon to watch the
birdmen darting here and there thru
the air.