The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26
TO MAKE A GOOD KITE.
Practical Directions by an Expert fc
the Benefit of Boys.

III MAXI a GOOD KlTE.
Practical Directions by Expert for
the Benefit of Boys.
The Board of Park mmissioners, in
instituting day at Genessee Valley Park
to be known as "Kite-fying day." has evil
IDENTIFY made itself solid with the small
| boys of Rochester if the statements of
several fathers are to be credited. One
father of several sturdy youngsters re-
marked, yesterday, that it required lot
of moral suasion and the promise of sew
eral pennies to purchase kite cord, to keep
his juniors from beginning the construc-
ton OF their kites instead of attending
| Sunday-school, and one anxious mother
| was heard to remark that she had already
| been compelled to promise her boy a jack
knife with which to manufacture his fiier.
"The boys have always been discouraged
| in such innocent pleasure as kite-hving,
because OF the many trees and fear of being
! 'shagged' by copper" said one man who
takes an unusual interest in the young ras-
| Gals yesterday. "SupposIng they don't
make one the first time that will sail out of
sight, they will learn something about the
Importance of symmetry and, while they
are whiting and pasting and littering the
| floor, they won't be In some mischief. IT
there is any man in this city that would
| growl because his boy wants few pennies
with which to buy the necessary mate
rials, he had ought to be ducked in the
river until the water softens his heart"
| 1t Is the lntentlon OF the committee hav-
ing the plan in charge to keep the boys
| posted by announcement in the public
schools, and every boy who wants to fly
| kite, whether it is made of silk or brown
paper, will be given his chance to fly it in
| the park on the dav to be decided upon.
| For the benefit of the boys who have
| tried in vain to get their kite TO "raise"
when there was wind that seemingly
ought to take her out of sight" the fol-
| lowing pointers from an expert kite-hier
are given:
Says he: "There is only one way to learn
the practical art of kite-flying, and that is
| to begin and do the thing yourself, with
many mishaps and disa appointments at the
outset. To send up kite in very light
wind, reel out 200 yards or so of cord in
| convenient open space. leaving kite and
| cord on the ground until ready to start.
| Then, by taking the cord at the extreme
| distance from the kite, begin to run with
it, and so get the kite quickly into the up
| per air currents, which are always stirring
more than those at the surface. 1t is some
times necessary to run for considerable
distance before the kite reaches a sustain
ing current; but real kite enthusiast will
not mind taking trouble; indeed, he had
| better abandon the whole business If he
does. 1t is worth noting that kite may
|
| hier is willing to run with the cord at the
rate of about five miles an hour.
"There should be two strings, never
more, fastened to the upright stick at its
| lower end, and at the point of crossing.
the upper length being about one-third of
the lower one, and the two being adjusted
SO that, when taut, the kite makes an
angle about 20 degrees with the ground,
which means that, if the kite goes up
almost straight overhead, the string makes
an angle OF about 10 degrees with the
ground"
In the building of kites the same author
ity says: at is much better for amateurs
to begin with kite designed to fly in
! strong winds, as it is a long and delicate
task to manage the variety with extra wide
crosS-stick, meant for ascension In calms.
| The two sticks which form the skeleton
should be Of equal length, say feet, and
should cross each other at right angles at
a point on the upright stick Is per cent of
its length below the top. This point of
crossing is of great Importance. In g.
foot kite the two sticks, equal in length,
should cross at about Ii inches from the
top of the upright stick, and the same pro-
portion should be observed for kites of
other dimensions.
SAT the point of crossing the sticks
should be lightly notched and strongly
bound together with twine tied in knots.
Driving nail or screw through the sticks,
1
! point of greatest strain. The two sticks
having been fastened firmly together, the
kite will present convex or bulging sur
face to the wind. 1t might be imagined
that concaye surface to the wind would be
| better, but it has invariably proved that,
with concave surface. the kite receives
too much of the breeze and becomes quite
uncomfortable. The amount of spring that
must be given the cross piece is In proper
tion to its length; the rule being TO spring
! the cross-stick by means of cord joining
| the two ends like bow, until the perpen-
dicular between the point of juncture of
| the two sticks and the center of the cord
is equal to one-tenth of the length OF the
| crOsS-stick.
ut is of the first importance to keep the
two halves of the kite on the right and left
of the upright stick perfectly symmetrical.
1t often happens in bending the cross-stick
| that owing to the differences in the fiber
and elasticity of the wood one side bends
more than the other, with the result that
the two halves present different curves and
consequently unequal wind areas. To off
set this difficulty and to strengthen the
skeleton, it is best to add a bracing-
at the back OF the cross-stick, q piece about
fourth the length of the cross-stick itself
and of the same width and thickness.
If the two halves of the kite are already
quite symmetrical, place the bracing stick
with its center directly even with the point
of juncture of the two large sticks, its ends
being fastened with twine on the cross
stick, about nine inches on either side OF
the crossing point. But if one-half of the
cross-stick shows greater bend than the
other, place the longer arm of the bracing
| piece toward the side that bends the most
thus presenting greater leverage against
the wind on that side than on the other,
and so equalizing things"
1t is hardly necessary to suggest that
boys. and other beginners will not and
and scientific fashion. Most boys have,
however, father or uncle who will delight
to make them such a kite as he used to
fly, and to buy the twine.-Rochester