The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-14
NEW USE FOR KITES.
,rELEPHoNlc COMMUNICATION WITH
- OUT A BATTERY.

On His Kites and Shows How to Tai
with Friends In Besieged Town-H
Emergency Telegraph System.
The feasibility Of establishing telt
graph and telephone communication bs
tween two distant and isolated point
without constructing an elaborate syi
tenn OF electric batteries, poles or con
duits and wires or resorting to tn
complex day heliograph or night fash
light devices was successfully demon
strated on Saturday night at Bayonne
N. j., by William A. Eddy, the scien
tiflc kite fiier of that city.
The equipment used by Aerologis
Eddy for his emergency telegraph ant
telephone plant comprised several Of hi
aeroplanes, reel of stout kite cord, d
reel of ordinary copper wire, q number
OF common lanterns, two simple tele.
phone transmitters and q telegraph
sounder. He utilized the ground and
atmospheric currents for his electric
power. Mr.. Eddy and his assistants,
Henry l.. Allen of this city and DR..
William H. Mitchell of Bayonne. con.
trived to send and receive perfectly in
telligible vocal telephone messages and
decipherable telegraph messages during
period of several hours from points
fully ], 900 feet distant and separated by
double that distance of wire.
The scene Of Mr.. Eddy's achievement
was the Bergen Point section of Bay
onne. His aeroplanes and the wire
they carried were sent up from the
open lots in the rear of his home, on
East Third street. The kites carried and
supported the wire over houses, streets,
telephone and telegraph poles and
wires to the point selected for the dis
tant connection with the earth. Be-
tween the two stations thus established
ridge of sufficient height to prevent
the experimentalists from even signal
ing to one another with lanterns also
intervened. This necessitated one of the
trio stationing himself at an interme.
diate point TO transmit signals before
the aerial circuit was completed.
When the pilot kite attained an alti-
tude of /, 500 feet, the wire and its low
ering device were connected with the
kite cord, an eight ounce red lantern
designating the place of connection
and similar lightweight green Ian.
tern being fastened to the plummet ON
the end of the wire. The lanterns were
allowed to ascend to height of 500
feet before an attempt to lower the wire
was made. The wire ran out short
distance and then became 1ammed in
the pulley. Efforts to disengage the
wire resulted in the green lantern be-
coming detached. 1t fell and was bro
ken to atoms.
The kite string and wire were reeled
in, and . white lantern was fastened to
the plummet. This lantern was also de.
stroyed in the same manner as the first.
Mr.. Eddy and his assistants again haul
ed in the cord and wire and attached q
red lantern to the plummet Line and
wire were extended until the twin lam
terms attained an altitude of /, 900 feet,
and then the lowering plummet and
signal lantern were allowed to descend
safely to the earth. DR.. Mitchell next
carried the lowered end of the wire far
down Lexington avenue and grounded
it with steel rod. Mr.. Eddy did like
wise with his end of the wire, the tele-
phone transmitters were attached, and
tho aerial circuit was established.
Satisfied that telephone communica.
tion was practicable, both experiment.
ters signaled Mr.. Alls2 at bis interme-
diate station. IL was hale .... o.c,ock /
when DR.. Ma, M:,ae,, - sent tho erst vncai
--.ussage to Mr.. Eddy.
"Hello, do you get me?" he queried.
"Yes, good" replied Mr.. Eddy.
. General conversation over the wire
ensued, Mrs. Eddy, Mr.. Allen, Freder-
ick M. Wilson and reporter partici-
pating. At times watches were held
against the telephone transmitters, and
their tickings were plainly heard at the
other end of the wire. Once or twice
the telegraph sounder was attached. and
the clicking Of the Morse alphabet on
the instrument was carried clearly to the
telephone receiver at the other end of
the circuit. The wind s fluctuations per-
mitted the wire to sag so much at times
that it crossed the upper wires Of the
long distance telephone lines stretched
along Lexington avenue, and scraps Of
conversation were transmitted to the
experimenters. During the operations
the lantern at the apex Of the wire arch
burned out. leaving the point of con-
nection in absolute darkness.
The wire used in the experiment. was
q thin copper flament, about the size
Of patent thread. and entirely bare. Be.
ing suspended from the kite string and
freed from connection with any surface
object except ut the ends, it was per-
fectly insulated from every element save
the ground and atmospherical electrical
currents. This fact made the wire more
potential In conducting the messages
transmitted.
The success achieved by Mr.. Eddy in
his experiment demonstrates the fur
ther utility to which his aeroplanes can
be put by the army's signal service de-
partment Rivers and straits, forests,
towns. areas Of country where trans
portation and telegraph facilities have
been discontinued can all be quickly
bridged in daylight or in darkness for