The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-12-25
LlFE-SAVING KITE.
A Puzzling Problem That Has Been
Solved at Last.
Effecting Connections Between
Vessels and Shore.


lost from vessels that have broken to
pieces within sight of men who, being
unable to bridge over the intervening
space we're powerloss to render assist
ance.
When life-saving stations we're To-
Gated at various places along the sea-
board the rate of mortality in coast
wrecks was considerably diminished.
The chance of losing life in such
casualties is still large, however, for
the reason that vessels do not always
wreck themselves within convenient
reach of life.saving station. The
method of shooting life lines from a
mortar or cannon has been tried and
has met with some success, though it
possesses serious drawbacks, among
which may he mentioned the difficulty
of transporting the mortar rapidly
from one place to another along the
shore.
j. Woodbridge Davis and William
A. Eddy have devised plan which
they have lately been subjecting to
thorough tests. Under certain cir
cumstances it promises to be valuable
as n means of conveying life lines
from the shore to vessel in distress.
For several weeks they have been ex-
pcrimenting with kites and buoys Off
Bayonne, n. J. They now announce
that they have brought the apparatus
to desirable state of efficiency. Pro-
vided the wind is blowing off shore,
they can convey life lines and messa-
ges to wrecked vessel much more
surely and quickly than by any other
method. Even when the tide is nd-
verse they can direct their buoys accu-
rately to the point desired.
The kite used in the experiments is
very large, being over seven feet in
height, and is made of oilskin. Four
lines are attached, the strongest of
which, corresponding to the ordinary
kite line, is held by person on shore.
There are two other lines, one at
tached to either side of the kites
frame, and also reaching to the shore.
These are used for steering the kite
from side to side. A fourth line drops
down to buoy which is sent out from
shore at the critical moment. This
line is really the lifeline, and if it
we're allowed to hang at full length
the weight would be too great for the
kite, big as it is, to support. The
kite is relieved OF this burden by
means of the buoy to which the life
line is attached, and the rest of the
ropes length is allowed to trail in the
water. The mode of operating this
ingenious device is quite simple.
When the lines have been properly
uVJuotcu euc hit1 10 uiioWcu w Iioc W
the desired height. In case the
wind is from such a quarter as to take
the buoy to one side or the other of
the wreck, the kite is manipulated
by the side lines. 1t will thus be seen
that it requires three men to fly the
kite and direct it. -; .,--- -.
The contrivance may be described
as boat with kite for sail. The
tendency OF the kite is of course to
blow away with the wind and it is this
tendency that carries the buoy along
through the water. 1t was feared that
the buoy would be able to make little
progress against flooding tide, or
that currents and eddies and the tur-
bulent conditions of the water which
is likely to accompany wreck would
seriously interfere with the success of
the experiment 1t has been found
however, that although those are fac
tors in the problem that must be taken
into consideration they are by no
means fatal to 9 satisfactory working
of the apparatus. 49,.
On the last day of the experiments
at Bayonne, the wind pulled the buoy
in one direction, while the tide flowed
in another, at sharp angle across the
path desired to be followed. It was
q condition OF affairs that offered
pure example of the diagram of
forces" In obedience to the laws
which have been expressly made for
such conditions, the buoy pursued a
diagonal course, and, as it were, made
long tack to the mark. The dis
tanoe was one mile and this was COW
cred in nine minutes. 1t is true that,
In the case OF a wreck, nine minutes
must seem like nine hours to those
ON board, but there is no apparatus