The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-12-06
KITE MINUS A TAIL.
Another Juvenile Tradition Is
Laid on the Shelf
The Clever idea of q New Jersey MAN.
OF Much Value In the Weather serv-
ice-Any Intelligent Boy Can
Make One.

One of the first things learned by
every boy is that kite cannot, Will
not fly without tail. Like most time
honored traditions, this kite notion
held till some one looked into It with
scientific eye. Then the whole story
had to be remodeled.
The some one in this kite business
was William A. Eddy, of Bayonne, N.
j. He flew no end of kites from the
top of Blue hill, in the suburbs of Bos-
ton, the other day with nary tail on
any of them. He could have flown
hundred, all on one string, had there
been men enough to hold them down.
Mr.. Eddy sent up line of kites, and
reached height of about three hun
bred and sixty feet. This was alto
gether disappointing, and little in
vestigation pointed out the trouble.
His kites were made for Bayonne
| winds, where twelve miles an hour is
fast and the proportions were adapted
solely to that pressure. On Blue hill
the velocity ran during the morning
| from twelve to twenty-five miles, and
this unlooked-for pressure drove down
the kites instead of elevatin9 them.
Late in the afternoon the wind died
down and another fight of four kites
/ tandem was completely successful.
height of $50 feet was attained easily,
and only lack of the kites destroyed
in the mornings experiment prevented
| higher fight. The top kite main
tanned it's position fixed far away in
the heavens as if bound by stays.
The beauty and value of the idea as
a method of investigation in weather
science was apparent at once. Instru-
ments could be attached to that top
most kite, or on all the kites in the
string, and simultaneous readings self
registered, could be obtained. 1t was
only question of durability of ma
terial to send up line of kites and
leave them there all the time, record
ing with patient inerrancy the truths
Of the atmosphere at q height where
much is sought and but little is found
The kite is simple affair, the con-
struction of which is easily within the
reach Of a clever boy, by following the
accompanying diagram and directions.
A great deal of stress is laid by Mr..
Eddy on the dimensional proportions of
the kite. The sticks for any kite Of
about a yard square are OF spruce or
ash and quarter of an inch square,
but this extremely slight stick may be
strengthened by a brace.
The sticks a b and d should be equal
in length if for flights in strong winds,
but if in light winds, c d should be the
longer. Mr.. Eddy has found thar an
addition of IA per cent of a bis length
to b is about right for C d. Then d
is tied crossll1e on a b at a point from
the end, which is IS per cent. of the
total Ia BY length. The ends of d are
then joined by string, which is pulled
taut, drawing d into the form of
bow. How taut the string should be is
learned by experience, but in stick
twenty inches long the string will be
about three inches from the stick in
the middle.
The strain comes at the point c, and
strengthening stick may be tied
along the middle, with strings at the
end of the brace only, so as to allow of
bending. The frame is then ready for
the paper, which should be common
but strong American tissue. The paper
is glued firmly, with perhaps a wrap
of Irvine also, on the four ends of the
sticks. A wide margin of paper should
be left in the cutting, and this margin
then doubled over and glued down all
around the edge, as a strengthening
device. A piece of Irvine should be
loosely tied around b, between and
(, so that it can be shifted up and
down. 1t is bob weight, small as it
is. which will be needed in the final
adjustment.
The cut shows the wrong" or up
per side of the kite. The kite string is
attached at the point e, but second
string from the point b joins it at
point which is found as follows: Draw
the kite string parallel to d; find
point outside of d, ten per cent. of d,
farther out, which in the cut is denoted
by h; Join b h, and the kite is ready.
Get embroidery silk-the only item
costing money so far-as much as you
can afford, and then you have your
kite. The kite string must, Of course,
be run through the paper at c.
The kite may not work steadily at
first, but if the directions have been
followed trifing showing up or down
| of the loose piece Of Irvine between e
and will so adjust the center of gray.
| ity that the kite will soar presently
! like bird. The wind strikes the pa
per altogether, which bags on each
side of a-b. The whole thing has a
striking look of a soaring bird when
up in the air.
| A Saw Tooth in His Throat.
in Texas sawmill recently one OF
L .lo i1,cnrtn cd tooth 81 Tvs leGan Sledlinn