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ng Item-Lynn, Mass.. Saturday J
MISS RUTH B. LAW MASTERING SCIENCE OF AVIATION
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Top - Miss Law inspecting new patented windshield recently perfected by W. Starling Burgess, who is seen holding it. Lower left -- Burgess-Wright hydroaeroplane in flight. Lower right -- Miss Law learning construction of gas engines in Burgess workshop.

MISS RUTH B. LAW IS APT AVIATION PUPIL
With her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, her attractive countenance besmudged with oil, and wearing a khaki suit, which, by the way, is very becoming. Miss Ruth B. Law is learning in the factory of the Burgess Company & Curtis at Marblehead that there is more to the life of an aviator than appears when a birdman floats serenely over land or sea. Every day that there is the least bit too much wind for flying, finds Miss Law under the eagle eye of W. Starling Burgess in the shops, tinkering with an engine here, assembling the propeller chains there. on finally learning how the tail of a machine is put into place so that the aviator will be safe in the air.
In the midst of a complicated exposition regarding the cranky disposition of [[illegible]] gas engine. Miss Law was caught Friday afternoon ay afternoon by an Item photographer, and, although a pout came to her lips when the graflex snapped, she allowed herself to be taken. saying that she supposed it was part of the game, and that she was there to learn all of it.
Her instructors sat that she is showing as great an aptitude for shop work as she has already shown while in the air with Mr. Burgess. The latter is taking her under his personal supervision, and states that she shows remarkable ability. Friday the wind was too strong for flying, so he instructed her in the fine points of gas engine repairing, pointing out the vital spots in the engine which are most apt to become disabled while on long flights or during landings.
She was then taken to the large hanger, where her double-winged bird was peacefully roosting, and here she was taught the meaning of every one of the myriad of wires. Particularly was she shown how to "take-down" the machine, the operation which always precedes transportation on earth from one point to another behind an automobile. After having these points explained to her, she was asked to repeat them to the instructor. Efforts will be made to fly as often as possible from now on in the hope that she will be a licensed pilot within a month.

RUTH LAW FLIES IN AEROPLANE
Makes Trip With Freeman and Guides Machine for First Time.

Miss Ruth Law piloted an aeroplane up 7800 feet above Saugus late yesterday afternoon. With her was Arch Freeman, who is teaching her to become an aviator. Usually it is hard to make an aeroplane climb steadily, but so well did Miss Law guide the machine that it was above the clouds and out of sight of the earth before Freeman looked at the barograph and learned the height.
Experienced aviator that he is, he had never been so high before. He started to guide the machine downward himself, thinking that it was too dangerous for his companion to attempt a volplane, but after a drop of about 3600 feet she took the levers and managed the descent as cleverly as she had the climb.
Miss Law is a sister of F. Rodman Law, the parachute jumper. She has not yet obtained an aviator's license, but has been engaged to make a flight at Newport a week or two hence. On Labor day she will fly at Narragansett Pier.

MISS RUTH LAW STEERS AEROPLANE UP 7800 FEET
Takes Instructor with Her to Height He Never Made Before.

H. A. P. Hillard
Manager.
GUEST
H. A. P. Hillard
Manager.
My first flight Aviation meet, Boston July 5, 1912.

THE SUNDAY HERALD, BOSTON, AUGUST 18, 1912.
Ruth Law, Slip of a Girl, Who Likes to Fly 75 Miles an Hour
[[image]]Miss Law in Aviation Costume.

Sister of Rodman Law Recognizes Her Dangers, but Relies on Steady Nerves.
By JESSIE E. HENDERSON.
Down at the old Saugus race track these days there is a slim young woman who has yellow hair, blue eyes, a low voice and most of the other attributes which are calculated to make one exclaim: "Why, you don't mean to say that's Ruth Law!"
She looks like some high school girl whose principal business might be wrestling with Ovid translation or playing a nimble game of tennis. But her mind is on higher things. For since the withdrawal of Blanche Scott from the aviation field Miss Law has become one of the two women aviators in America.
Exactly four months ago Miss Law decided that she wanted to fly an aeroplane. Exactly one month ago she took her first lesson. Today she is a full-fledged aviatrix, with a Wright bi-plane of her own in the hangars. She can manage both a hydro-aeroplane and an aeroplane. She can pick the engine of her machine to pieces and reassemble it with as little difficulty as other women can unravel and reknit a bit of lace. And when she exchanges her trim shirtwaist and skirt for the black satin trouser-suit, the scarlet sweater and the black and scarlet bonnet, crawls over the wires into her seat on the machine, and nods to the mechanician, she is as thoroughly competent a flyer as any women who ever skimmed the air.

Knows Her Machine.
Every guy wire, every valve and bolt on the machine is as familiar to her as the fingers on her hands. She knows the exact pitch at which her motor must roar, and the moment the roar varies she is alert to find the reason. The work of cleaning every inch of the machine every day is left to the mechanician, but Miss Law never mounts to her seat without first looking the whole machine over and examining the parts to see if they are well oiled. It takes al of one man's time to keep the bi-plane in order, yet its owner trusts nobody's examination except her own.
"There are aviators who don't know one part of their engine from another, but I believe every flyer ought to be a mechanic too," she said the other day in the hangars. She had been explaining her $5000 vehicle, her hands brushing over wings and wheels, and her conversation as full of "magnetos" and "skipping motors" as a repair shop after an auto race. "I don't want to leave anything to chance," she smiled, "nor to the mechanician. You can't be too sure. When your engine suddenly stops while you're 2000 feet in the air it's some comfort to know that if anything can be done, you can do it."
She rubbed an oily wire with her finger and gazed in approval at the huge dragon-fly of wood and cloth that rester with astonishing lightness on the hangar floor. Upon each jib, below the double seat, was painted the name "Ruth Law."
She was asked what might be the most serious matter with which an aviator had to contend. "If one of these should break," she replied promptly, laying her hand on a slender wire, "you couldn't regulate the elevator--that tail piece--and you'd lose control of the machine. Or if this other wire should break you'd lose control of that square piece of cloth and couldn't warp it as you turned a corner. In fact, any accident to the machine while you're in the air is serious. Though, of course, there are lots of things which might happen and you'd merely glide safely to earth, provided you got a gliding angle, and provided you found a good landing place.
Fun of Gliding.
"Gliding--that's the best part of aviation. It's like the scenic railway, only so much longer and without any jar. When I'm out in the machine I go 'way up just for the fun of coming down. It's as exhilarating as a dip in the ocean."
She cast an apologetic glance at spatters of grease that marred the whiteness of the wings. It was impossible to be neat around an aeroplane, she said. Everything had to be well oiled, and the engine spattered oil in every direction each time it started. To illustrate, she had the machine wheeled out of the hangar. Four little boys, two men and Miss Law held the aeroplane down on earth while some one started the motor.
"This is an exceptionally fast machine," Miss Law said, "and it rises from the ground very rapidly. But we can hold it, I think."
A deafening roar came from the engine. The twin propellers flew round at a furious rate and the machine seemed about to wrench itself free. Miss Law guided the visitor's hand to the little lever that increased the speed, and watched in amusement the mingled admiration and wholesome respect that the throbbing machine inspired.
"You noticed the vibration?" she asked, as she shut off the motor and the propellers whirred themselves into silence. "Because of that and of the nervous strain, aviators can't stay in the air an indefinite length of time. Four hours is about the record. There are many odd kinks to this business which you wouldn't suspect when you think of sailing gently through space."
So this led naturally to the question of why she had taken up aviation and whether it seemed a profitable profession for women.
Miss Law looked meditatively across the marsh where the wavering flags on the old water tower showed that the wind was treacherous that afternoon. "The first time I ever saw an aeroplane I was wild to go up in it," she answered, "and that's why I became an aviator. Let no one, man or woman, try to fly unless flying seems the most desirable thing in the world--as it is the most wonderful. There's money in it--more for women aviators than for men just at present, since women aviators are the more unusual. And I believe that aviation is in its infancy; that there will always be money in it, even when it reaches perfection. But no one who goes into the game just for money can ever become a real aviator. In fact, no one is likely to go into aviation just for money. There's too little money for the risk."
She smiled cheerfully in response to a hesitating suggestion. "Oh, yes, of course there's always danger. Personally, I never stop to think of the risk--if I did, I probably couldn't aviate. I've never been the least bit nervous, even on my first flight, and not to be nervous is the great thing. You must keep cool. Some of the men aviators have told me that if anything happened to my machine I'd simply drop the levers or faint 'just like a woman.'" As a matter of fact, Miss Law accidentally shut off her motor the other day while she was waving to a friend-- an incident that might have proved sufficiently disconcerting to a novice 1000 feet in air. But the young lady brought her machine to earth with nary a shriek nor swoon. Accordingly she was asked if she didn't think women were as likely to make good aviators as the men.
"No, I don't," she answered; "you can't be a good aviator anyway unless you're born for it. But aside from that, men are more apt to be successful at it than women are. You see, it's an adventurous business and most women prefer other things to adventure. Men take to adventure naturally. I don't mean to imply that women haven't courage--what I mean is that this sort of thing isn't likely to appeal to a woman as to a man. I'm not braver than other women--only when I was a girl I'm afraid I was a good deal of a tomboy. Then, you see, with the example of my brother before me--"
Sister of Rodman Law.
Upon which one discovered the interesting fact that her brother is the F. Rodman Law who made last May a 1500-food parachute jump into Marblehead harbor from an airship that was travelling 50 miles an hour. One of Miss Law's present ambitions is to take her brother up in her own machine and let him jump into the Charles river or Boston harbor.
Although Miss Law weighs only 113 pounds, she is strong. In order to keep the muscles of her arms in perfect condition she has been rowing much of the time when she was not flying. Her strength, however, does not make her reckless. She flies when the wind is right. But she will not go up just after a thunderstorm, when the air currents are always confused, nor will she attempt a flight unless the breeze
evenly from one quarter. Often she rises at 4 in the morning, to take advantage of the morning air, which is usually ideal for flying. And all day she wears her aviation suit under her walking skirt so as to lose no time if the wind is good.
In spite of her cautiousness she was led half unconsciously into making an extremely dangerous trip last week. Some one suggested going over to Point of Pines for dinner. The wind was not very bad, and Miss Law took her passenger across the four miles of marsh, had dinner, and started to return. The wind had increased, and with the speed of her engine Miss Law as going at about 75 miles an hour by the time she reached the aviation field. Spectators say that the machine went so fast it seemed no more than a blurr[blur]. "But nothing happened," Miss Law added with apparent unconcern, "and next week I'm going to try for Boston light. Some day when the wind is exactly as I want it, and when the tide is low enough for me to land on an island, if I have to."
She spoke of the intended flight and of the possible danger as if the matter were quite commonplace.
"Do you know," she confessed, "I wouldn't set foot on a sailboat for a million dollars!"

Ruth Law to Become Aviator.
Miss Ruth Law, of Lynn, sister of F. Rodman Law, the parachute jumper, has made arragements [arrangements] with the Burgess Company and Curtis of Marblehead for a course of instruction in aviation and will take her first lesson with aviator Phil Page at his initial appearance at the Squantum meet. She will be one of the two women in the United States flying a Wright machine, Miss Anna Cleveland being the other.

June 28, 1912
TEM-LYNN. MASS..
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LAW'S SISTER MAKES
FIRST 'PLANE FLIGHT
Miss Ruth Law of Lynn, sister of F Rodman Law, the daring parachute jumper, took her first flight yesterday in a Burgess Wright aeroplane at Marblehead. It is her intention to be able to compete for prizes in the big meet in Chicago this fall. She will fly with Phillips Ward Page next week at Squantum. Late in August she will attempt to fly from Boston to Chicago.

WOMAN TO FLY TO LIGHT
Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, who is now flying a standard Wright biplane at Atwood Park in Saugus, will attempt to make the flight on which Harriet Quimby lost her life, by circling the Boston Light.
She will also attempt a feat which no other woman has heretofore attempted, by making a flight with a woman passenger providing she can find another woman to make a flight with her, who is steady enough of nerve, and will risk her life in an aeroplane. By making a flight with another woman Miss Law intends to prove that women are as steady and reliable as men in holding the levers of the air craft.
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Charles Oliver Dec. 1912.
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An aviation dog called Caeser
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My first aeroplane, Wright Model B. Aug. 1912.
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Learning to fly at Atwood Field. July-Aug 1912
To [??] for in resting [best guess?]
after [??] flight
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