The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-25
SOMETHING ABOUT KITES.

rMr. Punch" Tells How Kite Helped
Build the Great Suspension Bridge-A
Japanese Kite Fight-An Oldham Kite
"A Kite Secret Well Kept.
OF course YOU have heard about
Benjamin Franklin and his wonderful
bow-kite-how he raised it just at the
beginning of a thunderstorm, and how
by means of it he conducted electricity
from the clouds. To accomplish this
wonderful experiment, point of wire
was attached to the kite, which was
made of silk, and the end of the captive
cord was tied to key. The electricity
passed down the hempen cord and be-
came stored in the key; and that when
the first suspension bridge that con-
meets the two shores of the Niagara
river was built, the question arose how
the first wire should be carried across,
as no boat could live in such turbulent
waters. At last the suggestion was
made by Mr.. Ellet, then the first en-
gineer in our country, that an attempt
should be made to convey the wires
w vi MUGS. l. TIC
was tried. The kite carried a line
across, and to this line rope was at
tached. To the rope a wire was
fastened, and thus was conveyed the
first wire that ever held bridge across
the Niagara river. Mr.. Ellet's bridge
in the end proved unsuccessful, and
more satisfactory structure was built
later by Mr. Roebling, the famous en-
gineer, whose name has been immor-
talized by the wonderful bridge that
now spans the East river and connects
the two great cities of New York and
BROOKLYN.
The boys of not so many years ago
were limited in their choice to few
simple forms of kites, but nowadays
the fashions or styles of kites vary
more or less every year, and there may
be found in the large toy shops an
endless variety of forms more or less
grotrsque, simple or ingenious There
are japanese, Chinese, folding and col
lapsing kites. The cheap factory kites
of the prevailing American form (the
''three-sticker'D can be purchased for
one cent apiece, but in great major
ity Of cases they do not hold together
for any length of time. 1t is much bet
ter to make your own.
In her interesting work on Japan,
Miss Bird writes about kite-fiying:
This afternoon has been fine and
windy, and the boys have been flying
kites, made of tough paper on bam-
boo frame, all of a rectangular shape,
some Of them five feet square, and
nearly all decorated with huge faces of
historical heroes. Some of them have
a humming arrangement made of
whalebone. There was a very inter-
esting contest between two great kites,
and it brought out the whole popula-
ton. The string of each kite, for
thirty feet or more below the frame,
was covered with pounded glass, made
to adhere very closely by means
of tenacious glue, and for two hours
the kite-hghters tried to get their
kites into proper position for
saving the adversary's string in two.
At last one was successful and the sew
cred kite became his property, upon
which victor and vanquished exchanged
three low bows. The boys also flew
their kites while walking on stilts-a
most dexterous performance, in which
few were able to take part"
heard once of a boy who had q very
good cousin, who made him a kite that
was the wonder and delight of the
neighborhood. 1t was about four feet
high, and was covered with muslin and
painted with funny representation OF
an old mans head and body, down to
his thighs and out to his shoulders.
Then vt the bottom Of this Kite there