LADY ENGINEERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11595, 13 January 1916, Page 4

LADY ENGINEERS.

The clever and enthusiastic manner in which women have adapted themselves lo munition making, motor-car designing, repairing and management, and various branches of farm work in which steel machines and mechanical appliances a-:e used. r> but another illustration of their capability in unusual spheres of work. Not that women engineers are in ony way new. Edison years ayo said he p-dVrred women machinists tor the delie;'.to details of his electrical machines because ihe.v had "more fine sense about' in one minute than most seen have in the whole of their oxistiv.ce. Mh\s Miilicent Fauceit, the lUnighuT of the blind Postmaster-General, who distinguished herself by to nine: a- place abovetbo senior v.i-;ingk-r in 1390, was one of the first women to tak; no electrical engineering ■'.•* a profession. Probably the credit for being the very first woman engineer, howeve;. nolomp to an American, Miss Annie do Barr, who passed the most .severe examinations successfully,, aud started work as a steam engineer in Chicago. Eight years ago, Miss Alice- Perry, the daughter of the late. Mr James Perry, the county surveyor of Gal way, qualified as an engineer aud "took her father's nlace nt hiv death .at a sal.iry •->f £COO 'a. ye:u\ Miss Perry was the Erst woman engineer in Ireland. The pioneer among women consulting engineers is Miss Clayton Griff, who holds certificates from the Board of Education' and the London City Guilds. Besides being a consulting engineer and a very busy one, too, Miss Griff is often called upon to lecture to engineering students on motor-driving and the working of oildrivon ploughs. steam tractors, and all the stationary plant for farms. For eight years Miss Griff has been studying machines of all types, working at the bench, learning 'fitting and turning, and gaining certificates for mechanical, electrical and automobile engineering and design-