The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-15
KITE FLYING AT GREAT DIAMOND.
1t Has Become Very Popular sport-the
Facilities are Excellent-NIr. Lamsons
Double Malay Kite.

- Los necome Very Popular Sporo-Che
Facilities are Excellent-Mr. Lamsons
Double Malay Kite.
Ever since the Great Diamond Island
ASSOCIATION formed, about IL years
ago, there has been some kite flying by
the cottagers every year. On pleasant
days there is nearly always fresh
pfeeze across the inner harbor,
and there is plenty of room in the great
nay nelds, without fences, on which
the cottages are built.
But this year kite flying has become
almost one of the features of the cottage
life. There is nearly always one or more
kites in the air, and sometimes there are
dozen. 1t all came about because of
Mr.. Charles H. Lamson's experiments
with the Malay kite, that peculiar
shaped bird of paper and sticks that
SCARS aloft almost at touch, without
IL to steady it, as in the case, with the
ordinary kite. Messrs. Stevens and
Morse and DIR. Talbot and others, and
all the boys on the island have been
flying kites of all shapes and sizes. Some
of them have assembled to great heights
sometimes as much as 5000 feet.
One great. kite seven feet high was at
the upper end,,of 5000 feet of linesthe other
day. The line was fastened to the piazza
rail. The kite came down saway over
in the woods. When the owner came
home he found that the string had been
cut off near the piazza and followed out
into the woods and cut off and stolen.
He learned this by happening to find the
damaged kite in the woods with but
small piece of the string attached. 1t
was pretty mean theft.
Some of the kites die very awful and
viole mt deaths. One of Mr.. Lamson's big
Malay kites was up some 1000 feet when
it suddenly took tremendous dive broke
the string Kand scared away to disappear
over Cushing's standard was probably
lost in the ocean.
Another great Malay kite seven feet
across fell 500 feet and broke its neck
last week. 1t was soaring at that height
when it suddenly dove straight down
with tremendous velocity the entire dis
lance. 1t went into the ground with the
force of falling meteor and was shat
tered.
One of the big kites on the hill per-
formed the service of a pony for little
girl the other day. She was seated in the
hand cart and her father placed the
string in her hands. She held on for
dear life. and away went the cart. Had
the little girl held on she might have
been going yet but she let go.
Mr.. Lamson has been endeavoring to
steer the Malay kite. The ability to
steer a kite in tine air lis of practical
valus( for life-saving purposes. The
octagon kite with it's long tail is steered
quite extensively by the arrangement
of the different strings. it is of use in
carrying line from the shore to YES
sci in distress or from vessel to the
shore toward which the wind is general
ly blowing from wreck.
Probably Siderable kite will some
time be part7zof the equipment of ali
vessels. The octagon kite is clumsy
affair and difficult to fly. The Malay
kite flies from the hand almost like a
liberated bird.
Mr.. Lamson is eudeavoring to steer
the Malay kite. He found that a single
kite did not steer very well and resolved
to try double kite. The Malay kite
is of irregular diamond shape with one
point longer than the others. He con-
nected two such kites on long staff of
cpruca 10 feet long THE itas a IittIa
over six feet across were on each end
and the space between was little less
than six feet. Across the middle section
Of the staff was across piece at right
anlges to tn e plane of the surface of the
kites. From the ends of this strings
connected with the points of the kites
and braced the whole thing. 1t was to
be determined first if this double kite
would fly. 1t was rested on the ground
on the end of the cross piece SO that the
kites were g ssinclined upward with the
long connecting staff horizontal to the
ground. Mr.. Lamson walked away
short distance with the string. There
was fresh breeze blowing. AT single
jerk the great kite as big as the side of
room and weighing about ten pounds,
alive.
Mr.. Lamson's next experiment will be
to attach his reins to the cross piece
or other points, so that the kite may be
inclined to the wind as the rein is
pulled.
Work on the Sehooyhousas