The morning call., 1893-01-01
HIS KITE. FLEW HIGH.
a Man Has an Unpleasant Experience.
During The Craze for Aerenautics. =


About forty YEARS ago: mania set In
among aeEenants, who; believed that car
riages draen:by kites would supersede rail-
: ways to IA considerable extent. Among
those VINO. followed this fascinating study
was DIR. P0cOck. an uneieof w. g. Grace,
.he champion ,erlcketer of England. DIR.
Pececk made many journeys from Bristol
g to- London ina little carriage drawn by a
couple Of large kites flying a quarter of a
ndie or so in the rand he often attained a
speed OF. fully twenty miles an heur. II
was thought. toe. that kites would super
sefie sails for ships. and. In fact, for some
time scientific Eng land went kite mad. In
order to Thoroughly understand the action
Of These gigantic kites Some of them
were asslafge as ships main
Said a certain intrepid John Fahreu-
het = no relation to the famous
chemist OF that name-made several yoya ages
in basket, an ordinary Wcker-work affair.
such as is nsed by iaundresses, tied to kite.
On one occasion the kite was started at ROM
ford, In Essex. 1t was attached to pony
chaise, which was. SO constructed as to be
easily steeTed By means of handles, such
as those on old-fa fashioned tricycles. In the
chalse sattwo 1neft. one a brother OF the kite
traveller, the other gentleman who spent
considerable fortune in experiments of this
description. The party waited until suit
morning at o'clock With the pleasing INTEL
ifgence that a half gale was blowing from
the west.. Everything had been in readi-
ness for some time, aad. after a hasty
. breakfast, the kite was pnroiled. stretched
90 its gigantic bamboo frame and held in
the roadway by couple Of laborers.
Fahrenheit seated himself in the basket.
The three stout lines with which the kite
was held ana controlled were carefully ex-
amned, and after considerable maneuver-
fpg the enormous spread OF canvas was
waited upward, with its human cargo seated
calmly and nonchalantly in the basket. For
a long time ii looked as though the kite
wonld not ascend properly, and the lines
frequently hung slack, but at 6: 80 o'clock
the wind increased to snch an extent that
it was thought expedient TO pay OUT more
line and the three travellers seated them
selves in the chaise, which began to move
along the main road alta brisk pace. Once
in motion the speed increased, and the diff
fculty OF steering the chaise and looking
after the guide ropes was so great that Ii
was thought expedientto bring the expert
ment to a b asty conclusion. This, however.
was easier said than done. As they passed
milestone they determined To time their
speed and found to their surprise that they
had covered q mile in 900. <.
Three miles out OF Chelmsford rain began
to fall liz torrents and violent tugs were felt
at the guide ropes. 1t had been previously
arranged that. they should form the signal
for an Immediate descent, and taking adj:
vantage Of a somewhat steep incline, when
the rate OF progression would naturally be
diminished. the brakes were applied.
Fahrenheit was: observed making violent
signals with his hands, and the Kite was
found to be falling with alarming rapidity.
So great, indeed, had the speed become that
twas evident that Fahrenhetrs doom WAS
sealed unless. some Immediate effort could
be made to stop the fall. Mr.. McI.ennan
and his two assistants therenpon promptly
determined to take the only possible step
which corld. save him. By pulling in the
ropes violently the kite would slightly as
cend, and SO, throwing off their coats, they
tugged with might and main. In five
minutes Fahrenheit was on terra firma. 1t
appeared that the rain had thoroughly
soaked the canvas and added pounds to the
weight of the kite, causing II to fall. Had
not PROMPT measures been taken, there can
be but little doubt that the penderous ma
chine would have caused the violent death
Of the occupant of THE basket.
Rum Is made from: the refuse of sugar
The hest comes from the West Indies r.