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nationally known aviators. There the plane really showed its merit, performing well in all the major events. Following the Chicago Meet Daugherty gave exhibitions for Fairs at both Springfield and Kankakee, Illinois. That summer the residents of Coal City became accustomed to the sight of the Somerville plane on daily flights over and around the town. On October 20th Daugherty set a new American passenger-carrying record with this plane at Coal City when he carried four men and a boy for an extended flight.

By the end of October the flying season was over and Daugherty returned to California for the winter. In December Somerville closed a contract with the Western Vaudeville Managers Association to conduct exhibition flights for them during the season of 1913. On December 26th, 1912 the Illinois Aero Construction factory and buildings were destroyed by fire, including four planes, at an estimated loss of $35,000.

Following this bad setback the Somerville group decided to go ahead and build a new factory building, and construction was started on another biplane to replace the 1912 machine. On January 28th, 1913 Somerville bought the wrecked Morane-Borel Monoplane, formerly owned by George Mestach, at a United States Customs sale in Chicago. This plane had been involved in a mid-air collision at the 1912 Chicago Meet, causing the death of Wright pilot Howard Gill. The wreck included the 50 H.P. Gnome engine and a set of spare wings. Somerville announced he would rebuild the plane and have it ready for the 1913 exhibition season. He engaged west coast mechanic-pilot Lester E. Holt, and Thomas Seely, for this work and by April the plane had been rebuilt and was ready to fly. Reportedly Somerville planned to have Holt fly this monoplane for the season and expected to have Earl Daugherty return to fly the new biplane to fullfil [[fulfill]] his 1913 exhibition contract with the Western Vaudeville people.

Daugherty returned to Coal City about May 1st, 1913 and with Holt flew exhibitions for Somerville throughout the middle west during the summer season. Daugherty based his operations at Cicero Field, Chicago, during part of that period. Through the summer and fall of 1913 Somerville continued his experimental