The sun., 1892-10-23
SCIENTIFIC KITE FLYING.
Experbm enters who Seek to Turn . Popuia
Partlme 10 Economic Use.

Partlme 10 Economic Use.
Nowadays. when men are examining tho
most trivial things with a view to getting
something useful out OF them. kites have not
escaped serious attention. Perhaps the start
OF this was in a Japanese story that came this
way a good many years ago about Japanese
robbers using huge kites to let one OF their
number down on the roofs Of houses and then
raising him again and pulling him away with
his load OF booty. This story. which may or
may not be true but is certainly possible. sug-
Gested to some one that kites might be used in
war. The result was q series OF experiments
in France. where the bureuucrats investigate
and report voluminously upon everything
1t was found that kites might be made so
that they could be perfectly controlled. that
they might be raised and lowered at will. and
Tint they might be used to carry bombs or
messages. But it was also decided that sharp
shooters with lon.-ranGe rifles could destroy
their usefulness, because. to bc OF any nc
count. the kito must be controlled by a string
and must thus be weighted to within shooting
distance Of the earth during all its flight Like
balloons and L good many other nir-suppore ed
devices. gunpowder made them almost WORTH
less. But young man named DR.. Wood
bridge. u professor in u preparatory school IN
this city, thought OF another way of using
Kites which may yet make them invaluable.
He had read good deal about shipwrecks
and tho difficulties OF getting II line over a sen
In which no boat could live to gain tho shore
nn apparatus Tor shooting In" line over -
wrecked vessel as means Tor DRAWN. to tho
craft the safety rore.: But. how often is the
distance too great or tho wind too POWERFUL
not to speak Of the difficulties always encoun.
tered IN taking accurate aim.
Dr. WoodLridye. who had always been IA dc.
voted flyer OF kites. thought that the kite, II it
could bs properly controlled. would answer for
sendingh line better than gun SO hs manu-
factured big kites. with powerful sticks and
strong canvas coverings. and experimental
with them until he arranged an apparatus
arrangements o, the belly bands and OF the
tail. and Of strings attached to tho tops Uf the
MAKE it s 20 Wa' /" tie % rsht or lett in nav Vide anse
and to send It forward inr several miles And
No sns az all wina md eavy any ssnd to
direction in which he wishes to send lis kite "e
periments for compelling a kiteto tow u small
Loat ut u good late Of sreed. All this mas been
aesonpIisnsH by ipssnn,ty rnn IN ln itunS oat the
cov.rei with muslin or oiled cloth.
DR.. Woodbridge is only one OF number Of
eXperimontcrs who are cndcaN erins to rR ise
kite flying to u science and make 1t AS useful AS
Franklin made i when he used w. it In the study
has his own method of rigging, The arrange.
msnt OF belly oand and TAI YIN make all The
difleren.e y the wHrid In th% m SPEED grace.
must be- carefully made, to prevent d diiliculties
Of balances that cannot he corrected. And when
man has under his control sonnet hing that will
rejoice his eye and give him both exercise and
Willie the Orientals. tho Japanese and
Chinese, nave the credit OF inventins the kite.
they have not made much progress beyond
failure to apply tho laws OF nature. The first
kites were made ia imitation OF the birds. and
the Orientals still love these shapes best, al
4 ~ IA IN Dluiner Kites of tha tlp,.idaut have