New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-26
LAW JUMPS OFF BRIDGE
Doesn't Mind When Parachute
Fails to Work.
ENJOYS A BRIEF SWIM
Young Daredevil Gives Blue
coat Fight Doing Stunt
for Movies.

Rodman Law. parachute jumper and
aIl-around daredevil, added another
achievement to his long list Yesterday a.
toruoon when he lcaped into the East
River from the highest point In the road
way Of the Greensboro Bridge. The height
from which the descent was made was
about one hundred and thirty-fye feet
above the river. and the parachute with
which Law vas equipped failed to open.
Had the jump been made on land II
would have been Laws last. As It was.
he Strengthened his body when he was
few feet above the water, pressed his
hands close to his sides and hit the sur
face with hardly splash.
Law thinks a lot Of the parachute he
uses 1t is one OF his own invention. and
he says the reason II failed him was not
due to any fault in construction. but to
the small height from which he Jumped.
The parachute has been tried several
times, and has always worked success
fully.
About o'clock Yesterday afternoon
Law and a companion drove out to the
middle OF the bridge in an automobile
and stopped not far from n corpulcnt po-
llceman. who walked lcisurely along with
his hands clasped behind him Before
the guardian Of the peace was aware OF
what was taking place Law scrambled
from the machine mounted the rail az
the bridge and sat adjusting the ropes
of his parachute about his shoulders.
"fIi. there Come down out of thai"
the policeman called. Some one had clui-
ed him and committed suicide from near
ly the same point a week ago. and he hGd
visions Of Il glimpse OF the carpet In he
Commissioners Office.
Law, who has face remarkable for i'#
boyish innocence, turned around and
asked In q surprised tone. What wa
that, officer"
Come down ont OF that say 90 ~.
patrOlman beloved. AS he made for tho
railing.
Law grinned some more. Come and
take me down" he retorted, and the
stout patrolman was about 10 seize him
he slid from his seat and shot Ike r.
plummet toward the water. Ten feet
apovc It's surface the parachute opened,
and had the jump been n hundred feet
higher Law would have landed like this
trapeze bar az he neared the water and
'kerchugged" in as neatly as n small boy
popping into a swimming hole.
\ tug had been In waiting FOR tho
jumper and on II was a battery OF NOV.
ing picture machines. II set out from
shore the second Law left the bridge, but
II was ten minutes before II picked him
up. Law Is a strong swimmer. however,
and while he was fully dressed and wore
pair of heavy shoes II bothered him not
bit. When the tug came alongside ha
was calmly swimming on his back. hold
ing the parachute cord I'm one hand and
gently keeping himself anoat with the
other.
The policeman on the bridge had blown
his whistle frantically AZ Law Jumped. and
il had brought Il number OF other patrol
men to the scene The whole police de-
partrnent from top to bottom has no love
for Law because Of his persistency I'm
demonstrating how easy 1t IS for persons
with suicidal intentions 10 clude them and
Jump of anything Of any height. All
they could do was wave their clubs at the
adventurous young man as he was hauled
aboard the tug and VOW they would get
him yet"
Law said aftcrward that the greensboro
Bridge was nice little jump and that he
had enjoyed his swim immensely.