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Show Daring Aeronaut Dies in Swamp I I After a Long Night of Agony I Tho body of Paul Nocquut, sculptor nnd.neronaut, who ascended In his balloon bal-loon from the Union Gns Works In tho nronx, New York, on tho afternoon of April 3 wns found at C o'clock next night on Cntt's Island, In 1'ass Creek, two miles from Amltyvllle, Long Island, Isl-and, fnco down In the marsh, dead from exposure nfter ono of tfle most thrilling, desperate and awc-lnsplrlng struggles that human creature ever mado for life. Lured on by tho lights of Amity-:vlllc, Amity-:vlllc, which, llko a falso beacon, Ilium-Jnntcd Ilium-Jnntcd tho mainland apparently but Jialf a mile awny, Nocquet abandoned Ills balloon on Jones Ueach, where he. ad mado a landing, nnd started for ihc haven of twinkling lights ahead. His courso led him direct Into the morass, lloatmen In tho neighborhood neighbor-hood avoid It by day, a place of tall, waving seagrnss that hides a trap of thick, black adhesive mud nnd slime, with deep hidden pools between, so what chance had tho wnyfarer by night? Plunged Deeper Into the Mire. Every step plunged him deeper Into tho mire to his knees first, next to his waist, now to his arm pltB, drag ging his weary along llko a man In a field of quicksand. When n mighty effort ef-fort for tho nonco dragged him free, ho Imagined himself struggling beyond be-yond hlB depth In a pool of brackish water; and tho strong, despairing strokes but carried him forward once moro to a stretch of swamp. No one will ever know tho agony Paul Nocquet endured In tho two hours' ho struggled ngafnts the Inevlt-ablo. Inevlt-ablo. Ho reached the second mile post In his journey, (mil tho lights of Amltyvllle Am-ltyvllle wore still fnr off. With a despairing de-spairing movement ho plunged Into linss Creek. His waning strength carried car-ried him but slowly to Catt's Island, a poor shelf of sand midway In tho Bwnmp. Ho crawled pitifully upon tho ledgo und gave an agonized glanco at tho mainland. Ho drew himself to his full height and gavo a step forward and tottered. Nature Rebels and Man Dies. That was tho end. Nntilro could go no further. Captain Henry Purdy of Amltyvlllo, strolling along tho mainland about midnight, heard n wild cry of despair and .then all was still. Kaco down In tho mire, Paul Nocquet lay resigned to his tato. The moon paled and was blotted out as tho lights of Amltyvlllo grew dim in tho awakening dawn. Slowly the tldo rose, nnd by snnrlso a placid sheet of. water glistened over tho spot whoro Paul Nocqut had fallen, fighting to the end. All day groups of Long Islanders searched the country round nbout Jones' Ueach for the missing noronaut hoping against hopo that ho had found safety. A government tug pntrolcd the sen off shore on tho chance that the. balloon hod been carried ocennwnrd, a dragnet wns thrown out In search, but It was not until C o'clock nt night, when the tldo had gono out, that Captain Cap-tain George Smith of Amltyvlllo, scouring tho marsh, located the dead sculptor-aeronaut In tho waters of Catt's Island. Took the Only Fatal Course. Almost any courso but the ono which he adopted would havo led tho man to safety. Had lie remained with his balloon, sought tho Jones Dench life-saving station or traveled to tho west his adventure would- havo ended without fatality. It wns his sixteenth ascension. The other fifteen hnd been accomplished without n hitch. Tho sixteenth wns successful up to tho point whoro, ho brought his balloon to earth on 'tho edge ot tho Atlantic. Then It wns that thu Impetuosity of his nnturo got tho better of his judgment nnd put an end to a career of highest promise. The daring aeronaut who lost his life In an ascension at New York and the balloon which was wrecked and found stranded on the Lonq Island beach. LHLIbIB " ' HHHLIB fHPBBBBH . BBBBBBBBBH Paul Nocqust. I EiaFgeis the mind to ma emyla'u l.e tortures which Nocquet endured li. :.ls two hours' struggle to gain tho n.r.:r.!rnd nt Amltyvllle. He hail cov .red about one-half tho distance bo-'ween bo-'ween James neach nnd Iho shore when he died. In tho courHo of his 'aurnc- he had crossed fourteen small island" find swam or waded through tho rivul-vs between them. "r?re ( vsrcoit and LIfe-Preserver. Up w- 'he last Island, ho had worn his overcoat en I on top of It tho life-preserver, life-preserver, winch ho took with him In his balloon on tho chance that ho would bo carried out to sea. That ho traveled as far as ho did Is regarded as wonderful. Every Inch of tho two miles Hint ho struggled U beset be-set with the greatest difficulties and dnngers. It was r Journey that n strong mnn, knowing ovcry Inch Of tho territory around Jones' Hay, would not attempt In broad daylight, because ho could not probnby complete It. Significant Remark Made. It staggers tho mind to contemplnto talk nbout," Is tho remark Nocquet Is reported to havo made to u friend In l New York tho day ho departed on tho fntnl trip. It was probably not Intended to con- vcy (ho slgnlflcniico that tho remark now takes on. Ho hnd had long ex-pcrlcnco ex-pcrlcnco as an ncronnut and tho spe-clflc spe-clflc purposo of his ascension wns to oxporlment with air currents In this vicinity nnd demonstrate his own abll-Ity abll-Ity to rcninln In n balloon safely over Now York. Ho scouted all talk ot danger and had arranged to wrlto a scientific ar- tlclo on his trip, which Miss Mnry Montgomery, of 117 East Thirtieth street, Now York, was to translato Into English. At her suggestion ho took with hlrn a photograph camcrn, B with which ho was to tako pictures B while tho light held out, for thu pur- B poso of Illustrating his forthcoming nr- Scouts Idea of Danger. B "Danger!" ho exclaimed, when pro- B paring for tho nsccnslon; "why, thero Is no danger In ballooning. There aro no other balloons to collldo with nnd nobody to run over: Itcmembor thnt B wo balloonlsts aro not tho Dnrnoy Old- B fields of tho nuto track." B When tho hows of his death reached B tho Aero Club, one of Nocquet'o B friends Bald: B "If ho had only stuck to his balloon! B Ho was right so far us safety lu tho B balloon Is concerned. His mlstako wns B mado after ho landed. His skill In B bringing tho balloon down on the edgo B of tho Atlantic was wonderful. Dut at B thnt point ho seems to havo lost all B his skill. He should havo stuck to his B car, or gono to the llfo saving station B and remained thcro overnight." B Makes Ascenclon In Evening. B Nocquet made nn nsccnslon from B tho foot of Ono Hundred and Thirty- B eighth street and the Harlem river, B Now York, at C o'clock at night and B wns carried across Long Island Sound to Long Island nnd thenco straight B down over tho Island. B When last seen, Just ub darkness B fell, ho was ono thousand feet nbovo . tho earth, passing over Illcksvlllo and B rapidly discharging ballast and rising B higher In his lllght. B Made Many Daring Attempts. B Paul Nocquet mado many daringly B successful attempts at aerial nnvlga- Hon. It Is not as an noronaut alono B thnt Nocquet has attained distinction, B howovcr. Ho Is almost equally well B known as an author, sculptor and an artist. Wide attention recently was attracted to his work as n sculptor by a bronzo figure or President Hoosovclt, entitled "A Presidential Vacation." B This figure represents tho President ' B dragging n bear by tho car, whllo In B his right hnml ho holds aloft a cub. B Comment upon tho figure was carried, but tho efforts ot tho artist pleased tho President, who sent him n complt- B montary letter. Was Born in 1877. sH Nocquet was born In nrus30is In 1877 nnd nt tho ago of fourteen studied painting under Jean' Portaols. Soon nftcrward ho turned to sculpture and nt tho ago of 20 won tho grand prlzo ot Uelglum, which gnvo him n threo-year threo-year fellowship In Paris. In Paris ho B also became Interested In aeronautics and before ho camo to this country ho was considered ono of tho most daring members ot tho Aero club of France. Two yenrs ago ho planned to cross tho Atlantic ocean in a balloon, but was deterred by friends. Among Nocquet's well-known works in sculpture are "Effort" and "Foot-ball "Foot-ball Players," which have been pre-scntcd pre-scntcd to Columbia University. He was awarded third prlzo for a bronze door for tho naval academy at Annap- |