Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-25

This electrical action is due to differences
| in the amounts Of electricity present at va.
! rious atmospheric levels. 1t Is very odd, by
the way, to notice the way in which crows
behave with regard to kites Close by here
| In the neighborhood Of the National Gem.
etery at Arlington, is one Of the greatest
crow roosts in the country, and often the
birds fly around the kites in fiocks. squawk-
Ing and exhibiting every symptom Of GU
riosity."
Though the new kite is Mr.. Potter's own
invention, the idea from which it Is derived
! was original with an Australian expert
menter named Hargrave. The Hargrave
kite. however, is heavy and very difficult
| to start a-fying Like the Potter kite. ii
consists In Its simplest form Of two boxes
| topless and bottomless, Joined together by
| a frame OF wood. But the boxes are rec
tangular. whereas those Of Mr.. Potter's
| kite are diamond-shaped. BY this modif.
| cation Of form Mr.. Potter is enabled to
make his frame ever SO much lighter, SO
| that the whole affair weighs scarcely more
| than pound. Any boy can make such q
kite and fly 1t far more easily than one OF
! the ordinary sort. 1t flies itself, one might
| say, requiring only to be tossed into the
air when there Is q fair breeze blowing
| The Potter kite has several times the lift
| ing power Of the common kite, possessing
four plane surfaces instead Of one.
Kites Without Tails.
The scientific kite like man in his descent
| from the apes, has lost Its tail. Before the
| new Potter kite was invented the weather
! bureau experimental with Malay kites Ave
| feet high, OF muslin The Malay kite IL
| built on the same plan as an ordinary boy'i
| kite, though somewhat simpler, having
| only two sticks instead Of three. AS many
as a dozen kites of this kind were flown
on one cord, tandem fashion, like the
Potter kites. They were constructed or
mathematical principles, and thus got alons
| without tails; but they dived and plunged
| great deal, and were by no means salts
factory for purposes OF meteorological OBJ
| servation. Recently experiments have beer
| made with serding up kites of the Potter
| type with cameras, by which photograph.
| were taken from considerable elevations.
| noticeable point about these photograph.
| tive.
By means Of kite observations 1t is In
tended to make sort Of profile map Of tn,
atmosphere, in which curves Of tempera
| ture and barometer will be located for diff
ferent seasons of the year. Such data MAY
be valuable to engineers Of flying machine:
| when practically perfected, just as charts
| are useful to sailors. By means Of them Il
| will be easy to determine what currents O,
| heights. It Is imagined that kite flying OF
| scientific principles may be serviceabie IL
! future wars. A camera sent up On a lin,
| Of kites may be utilized to take photo
graphs OF the enemy's forces and fortifica
! tons. Kites may even carry bombs filled
with high explosives and drop the latter
where they will do the most good. The sigma
| corps could be easily and cheaply equipped
| with kites which would weigh little an6
| might be folded up in small space
In the National Museum is q remarkable