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THE EVENING BULLETIN, PROVIDENCE, R.I, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1912. BEACHET AND MISS LAW IN THRILLING AVIATION STUNTS AT NARRAGANSETT PARK [[image]] Daring Birdman Performing Spiral Glide, In Which He Seemed to be Turning Somersaults in the Air. [[image]] Miss Law Ready for Flight in Her Big Biplane. [[image]] Beachey Dives from Great Height to Within a Few Feet of Homestretch and Soars Away With Arms Outstretched. [[image]] Little Judges' Stand Upon Which Beachey Dropped "Bomb." BEACHEY'S THRILLING FLIGHTS SEEN BY ENTHUSIASTIC THRONG Performs Daring "Stunts" at Narragansett Park. Miss Ruth B. Law the first Woman Aviator to Ascend in State.—Meet Ends Successfully. Lincoln Beachey thrilled nearly 10,000 spectators at Narragansett Park yesterday afternoon by manipulating his little biplane in and out of the low-hanging clouds and by doing aerial stunts never before seen on a Rhode Island aviation field. Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, the first woman aviator to fly in the State, spent nearly 10 minutes in the air above the park, showing her complete mastery of biplane manipulation. This was Miss Law's initial public appearance alone as an aviator. Samuel A Libby, in bringing to a close the aviation meet held under the auspices of the Rhode Island Aviation Association, made a triple parachute jump from a balloon, landing successfully in the neighborhood of Knightsville. The drizzling rain did not keep many away from the park, and when the meet was about half over the crowds swarmed about the enclosure, refusing to observe the lines established by the police. Not an injury occurred, and the only accident was to Miss Law's biplane, caused in landing. One stay on her machine broke as the plane jumped a small embankment. Beachey wins the star performer, bringing the crowd to its feet with sharp spiral glides and corkscrew manoeuvres high in the air. He also dropped several chalk bombs, landing one upon the roof of the judges' stand. This shot he pronounced later to be the best he ever made at a target of that size. Mayor Fletcher greeted Beachey upon the track after his most spectacular flight and received the covering of the successful bomb as a souvenir from the daring aviator. The crowd was treated to more than 40 minutes of actual flying, of which Beachey contributed 20 minutes. BEACHEY CIRCLES FIELD Beachey's first flight began at 3:26, and in is small Curtiss biplane he circled the field, banking and roller-coasting, at times skimming the track at high speed. After demonstrating that he could control the plane by various spirals he turned to cutting letter S, and then dived two or three times with both arms outstretched, guiding only by balancing himself and his machine. This flight, lasting about seven minutes, was mostly not far from the ground, but at 3:39 he went up again and reached an altitude of 3000 feed before he dropped swiftly toward earth, with his motor still, in a wide, spiral glide. This time Beachey threw four baseballs, which Herman Vandall tried to catch. He got his hand nearly about one of them, but muffed. Beachey then tried three bombs, the last, aimed at the roof of the judges stand, landing squarely upon it. Having used up his ammunition, Beachey soared off toward the city and became a speck in the sky. Slowly returning over the field, he flew into and around heavy clouds about 3000 feed up, and part of the time was completely hidden from sight. His most spectacular stunt came at the end of his flight, which lasted 14 minutes. Miss Law, dressed in a neat costume of black bloomers, red sweater, goggles and a black head covering, went up at 4:47 in her standard Wright biplane, a larger machine than Beachey's. She remained aloft just 10 minutes, cutting figure eights and banking the turns, and although she did not attain much altitude her performance was greatly appreciated by the crowds. MISS LAW'S MACHINE DAMANGED. While landing Miss Law's machine was very slightly damaged. She alighted near the first quarter post on the old mile track, but had so much headway that her plane was carried with a jounce over the gully outside the track. The jounce snapped one of the wooden upright stays, but did no other harm. Beachy went up [not legible]spending a little more than nine minutes in the air, turning sharp corkscrews and reversing abruptly, apparently with the greatest ease. He dipped down behind the line of automobiles and appeared to skim their tops as he emerged, and then performed similar stunts at various points along the track. This last flight had many thrilling moments, as the birdman seemed to twist the aeroplane nearly into knots and come out of them almost upside down. His mastery was complete every second however, and to show the crowd that he enjoyed himself Beachey cut a few corkscrews without the use of his hands in steering and balancing. When Beachey landed the interest turned to the mammoth balloon which Mr. Libby was inflating opposite the grandstand. At 5:39 the bag was ready and without much warning to the crowd the balloon sailed suddenly upward, drifting with the wind over back of the grandstand toward Knightsville. DROPS 1000 FEET. Libby dropped from a height of about 1000 feet, using three parachutes in succession. Each opened successfully after a fraction of a second, during which the crowds waited anxiously. The programme [program] of events was run off smoothly, and during the intervals the Rhode Island Boy Scouts' Band played selections, led by Leader Thornton. The crowd remained within bounds until after Miss Law landed, but after that it was beyond the best efforts of the police to keep the enthusiastic spectators in check. Swarming all over the field, Miss Law and her machine were quickly surrounded and in spite of the staccato injuctions of the excitable French mechanics, the crowd would not break up until the engine on Beachey's 'plane gave evidence that more flying was at hand. Although the day was not of the preferred flying kind, the two aviators went through their entire programme [program] in spite of drizzling rain, and the crowd seemed to mind the weather even less than the flyers. Evening Tribute Providence, R. I. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1912. TWELVE PAGES. DARING AVIATORS AT NARRAGANSETT PARK Lincoln Beachey, Flying Over the Crowd of 10,000 Spectators, and Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, the First Woman to Make a Flight in This State. [image][image] DARING AERIAL STUNTS BY LINCOLN BEACHY He Sored Nearly a Mile Above the Earth into the Clouds Beyond the Vision of the 10,000 Spectators at Narragansett Park and Then Did Dangerous Dip s, Spiral Curves and Nervy Sail Between Grandstand and Judges' Stand.-Miss Law, the First Woman Aviator Seen Here, Performed Wonderful Feats in Graceful Manner. Soring nearly a mile above the earth and then into the clouds so that he disappeared from view of the 10,000 spectators who were watching him, Lincoln Beachey, the most daredevil aeronaut who ever rode over this State, thrilled an immense throng at Narragansett Park yesterday afternoon. Beachey is without doubt one of the most daring men who ever sat in a flying machine. He handles the biplane as though it were a well-trained child. He makes it do everything but turn somersaults, and the aviator has more nerve than is good for people [??] trouble who go to watch him. "O-o-o-o," echoed in one lound strain as he dropped on a spiral curve fully 2000 feet from the clouds down toward the grand stand, and then glided along the trck and came to a standstill. MISS LAW PLUCKY AND GRACEFUL. Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, the only woman aviator who ever manipulated a machine, over Rhode Island territory, went up in her biplane and showed complete mastery of the art. The machine in which she rode was much larger than the one used by Beachey, and had two propellers and two seats, one for a passenger, Miss Law did not, however take a passenger up in her machine yesterday. She circled the grounds, did the slants and curves in a very graceful manner and was given a great ovation by the crowd when she landed. The machine in which she rode was going at a pretty fast rate of speed when she landed. The biplane rode fully a quarter of a mile from where she first landed, and on one of the stays. The damage was slight. Samuel A. Libby did a triple parachute drop from a big balloon, bringing the day's programme [program] to a close. DANGEROUS DIPS AND GLIDES. Beachey was the big attraction. After reaching a great height he began to glide form side to side. Then he would do the most dangerous dips ever witnessed, coming within four feed of the ground and then up again. The spiral curves from the clouds were startling. He ran his machine right through the clouds so that he was out of sight. Then he sud- [??] view. He was headed downward and his engine was stopped. His hands were off the wheel and the biplane was making a whistling sound as it tore through the air. Just before he reached a distance of 200 feed from the ground he started the engines and began an upward course. At the end of the grounds he dropped again, and rode under the electric light wires at the end of the field. Then he carried up a number of baseballs and threw them down as he passed in front of the grandstand. Later he threw bags of flour, one of them striking on top of the judges stand. This was given to Mayor Fletcher, who later congratulated Beachey. MOST DARING ACT. The most daring thing the nervy Beachey did was to sail between the grandstand and the judges' stand. From a high sltitude he began a spiral descent. He skimmed the heads of the crowd at the lower end of the track and then went up again. He then whirled and started downward almost vertically. Just before he reached the ground where the throng thought he would be dashed to pieces he turned his plane horizontally, and , with the engine racing with a roar he skimmed along the track and shot between the judges and 'and the starters' stands in front of the grandstand at terrific speed. He was but a short distance above the crowd and the track was kept clear for him. He was so close to the track that hats went flying as he passed. He repeated this stunt to show his wonderful control of the machine. He had but a few feet on either side of his machine as he passed between the stands. The slightest turn of the wheel would have probably cost many lives, but Beachey could handle that machine. The drizzling rain did not put a damper on the sport. There was a big crowd both inside and outside the grounds, but the crowd outside was not given the treat this year, because most of the daring work was done close to the ground. There were thousands of automobiles and carriages in the park, and the event was one of the best and most successful ever held here. THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1912. AVIATORS WHO STIR 10,000 AT NARRAGANSETT PARK [image] Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, First Woman Aviator to Go Up in This State, Who Circles in the Air for Nearly Ten Minutes, Showing Complete Mastery of Her Biplane. [image] Lincoln Beachey, Who Flits In and Out of Low-Hanging Clouds, Drops Bombs on Judges' Stand, Goes Up 3000 Feet and Then Drops Swiftly to Earth with a Still Motor in a Wide Spiral Glide. BEACHEY THRILLS 10,000 IN 'PLANE Flies Among Clouds at Narragansett Park Aero Meet. MISS LAW MAKES A FLIGHT Daring Aviators Demonstrate Their Ability Before Multitude-Triple Parachute Drop Ends Successful Exhibition- Spiral Glides and Stunts Bring the Crowd to its Feet. Lincoln Beachey thrilled nearly 10,000 spectators at Narragansett Park yester- day afternoon by manipulating his little biplane in and out of the low-hanging clouds and by doing ariel stunts never before seen on a Rhode Island aviation field. Miss Ruth Bancroft Law, the first woman aviator to fly in the State, spent nearly 10 minutes in the air above the park, showing her complete mastery of biplane manipulation. This was Miss Law's initial public appearance alone as an aviator. Samuel A. Libby, in bringing to a close the aviation meet held under the aus- pieces of the Rhode Island Aviation As- sociation, made a triple parachute jump from a balloon, landing successfully in the neighborhood of Knightsville. The drizzling rain did not keep many away from the park, and when the meet was about half over the crowds swarmed about the enclosure, refusing to observe the lines established by the police. Not an injury occurred, and the only acci- dent was to Miss Law's biplane, caused in landing. One stay on her machine broke as the 'plane jumped a small em- bankment Beachey was the star performer, bring- ing the crowd to its feet with sharp spiral glides and corkscrew manoeuvres high in the air. He also dropped several chalk bombs, landing one upon the roof of the judges' stand. This show he pro- nounced later to be the best he ever made at a target of that size. Mayor Fletcher greeted Beachy upon the track after his most spectacular flight and received the covering of the successful bomb as a souvenir from the daring aviator. The crowd was treated to more than 40 minutes of actual flying which Beachey contributed 30 minutes. BEACHEY CIRCLES FIELD Beachey's first flight began at 3:26, and in his small Curtiss biplane he circled the field, banking and roller-coasting, at times skimming and the track at high speed. After demonstrating that he could control the 'plane by various spirals he tuned to cutting letter S, and then dived two or three times with both arms out- stretched, guiding only by balancing himself and his machine. This flight, lasting about seven minutes, was mostly not far from the ground, but at 3:59 he went up again and reached an altitude of 3000 feet before he dropped swiftly toward earth, with his motor still, in a wide spiral glide. This time Beachey threw four baseballs, which Herman. Vandall tried to catch. He got his hand nearly about one of them, but muffed. Beachey then tried three bombs, the last, aimed at the roof of the judges' stand, landing squarely upon. Having used up his ammunition Beachey stored off toward the city and became a peck in the sky. Slowly re- turning over the field, he flew into and around heavy clouds about 3000 feet up, and part of the time was completely hid- den from sight. His most spectacular stunt came at the end of this flight, which lasted 14 minutes. Miss Law, dressed in a near costume of black bloomers, red sweater, goggles and a black head covering, went up at 4:47 in her standing Wright biplane, a larger machine than Beachey's. She re- mained aloft just 10 minutes, cutting figure eights and banking the turns, and although she did not attain much altitude her performance was greatly appreciated by the crowds. MISS LAW'S MACHINE DAMAGED White landing Miss Law's machine was very slightly damaged. She alighted ner the first quarter post on the old mile track, but had so much headway that her 'plane was carried with a jounce over the gully outside the track. The jounce snapped one of the wooden upright stays, but did no other harm. Beachey went up again at 5:03 o'clock, spending a little more than nine minutes in the air, turning sharp corkscrews and reversing abruptly, apparently with the greatest ease. He dipped down behind the line of automobiles and appeared to skim their tops as he emerged, and then performed similar stunts at various points along the track. The last flight had many thrilling mo- ments, as the birdman seemed to twist the aeroplane nearly into knots and come out of them almost upside down. His mastery complete every second, however, and to show the crowd that he enjoyed himself Beachey cut a few corkscrews without the use of his hands in steering and balancing. When Beachey landed the interest turned to the mammoth balloon which Mr. Libby was inflating opposite the grandstand. At 5:39 the bag was ready and without much warning to the crowd the balloon sailed suddenly upward, drifting with the wind over the back of the grandstand toward Knightsville. DROPS 1000 FEET Libby dropped from a height of about 1000 feet, using three parachutes in suc- cession. Each opened successfully after a fraction of a second, during which the crowd waits anxiously. The programme of events was run off smoothly, and during the intervals the Rhode Island Boy Scouts' Band played selections, led by Leader Thornton. The crowd remained within bounds until after Miss Law landed, but after that it was beyond the best efforts of the police to