The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-12
WILL RIDE ON A KITE.
Lieut.. Maxfleld of Signal Corps TO
Make an Ascent.
Octave Chanute. the Flying Machine
Man, TO Build IA Device.

Lieutenant Joseph T.. Maxhold, chief
signal officer of the department OF the
Missouri and now stationed in Chicago,
will make an ascent on "a man carrying
kite, 70 be- built by Octave Chanute. Lieu
tenant Maxiiold VIII DO the first person in
America 20 attempt n fsat always account
ed hazardou9 in the extreme. The CSosnt
will be made in an armchair fastened 90
portion OF the kto's frame and will be for
the purpose of testing the efficiency of a fly
ing kite for observation purposes as an ad-
junct to tho balloon service which for some
time has been an important part OF the sig
nal corps work.
Some time ago, before the last expert
ments were made by Mr. Chanute with his
flying machines, Lieutenant MaSleld ac-
companied tho aeroplane maker on one Of
his flying machine testing expeditions, and
the subject of man carrying kites was dis
cussed. Mr.. Chanute said that one could
be made which would take man up to a
great height with comparative safety and
give him as great freedom of movement as
he would have in n balloon.
Since then the army officer has been
thinking the matter over and Weighing tho
advantages kite would have over bal
lOOn III llIlltS NItu lltiu uODSllfAAibh nsio -
necessity The inventor was busy ut Dune
park for two months with his flying ma
chine trials. They ended Saturday and
Mr.. Chanute thought of the kite question
once more. Wednesday night he said:
II will make a kite which will carry a
man up and will put IL at the service Of
the signal corps of General Merritt's de-
partment for experimental purposes. "
L. ,fy,,,. do lyY ~ ian
tenant Maxileld, he said he would see Mr..
Chanute at once and confer with him
about tho kite and tho methods and place
of making the experiments When the
signal corps officer was asked II he would
volunteer 10 make the first ascent, he said
modestly:
"If you arc going To publish anything
about this, | would rather not Answer di-
roctly, but this thing has been done in
England and can be done in Chicago, and
/ trust it is needless for me to say tha. 1
won't ask one Of my men to undertake
something accounted trlile hazardous un-
ill L have done IL myself.
"Of course, a kite which Is TO bo used
for such novel purpose must be tested
thoroughly first in every possible way.
Foolhardiness Is not courage, and 1 con-
tact which prevails in the mind Of every
body else.
"As | understand II, one of these kites
can be so made that IL will not take an un-
expected header eastward with every shift
of the wind, rs was the custom of the kites
which you and made as boys. They can
he constructed so as to be stable even In
varying currents of air. Possibly the chief
danger is the breaking of the rope That
can bo guarded against only by tests, and
they are not always infallible.
"a kite ascension is of course, danger
Gus to some degree" said Mr.. Chanute
"Ono has never been made in this country
A man named Pocock sent his wife up in
an armchair on kite good many years
ago In England. She went up safely SOW
eral hundred feet and said sho enjoyed It,
He sent his son up afterward and tho lad
landed on tho Dover cliffs in safety. l don't
know why POcook did not go up himself.
In Portland, Me-, the other day kite
was sent up with weight of $50 pounds
In the attached armchair The rope broke
and the kite came down far away and in q
tree top. Ii was so constructed and tho
wind treated IL so well that the descent
was gradual and man would not have
been hurt IL he had been the cargo.
Before will consent to send man up
In the chair shall make tests which will
insure the stability of the Kite its ability
60 carry weight, and shall be as certain as
a man can that the rope will stand the test
"a shot holo in kite will not injure IL
SO that it will fall. 1t will stand good
many rents and keep its station in the air.
Taken with the balloon, tho kite should
make IL possible for the signal corps To do
observing work at all times, and do not
see how IL can fail TO be valuable ad-
junct 10 that branch of the service.
Weather conditions permitting, the sig
nal corps experiments with the kite will
be made as soon as il Is completed.
Lieutenant j. Il. Maxfleld was private
and sergeant in the signal corps from
1882 to 1884, when no was appointed "A sec
ond lieutenant. He has been ut General
Merritt's headquarters for two years. -
Chicago Times Herald.