The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-07-11
Talk With Lieut. Wise, y. S. A., Who Will
Send Them Up for the Government.
NOW FL YING THEM AT GOVERNORS ISLAND
Sargens Bridge Feat in Getting Line $500 Feet Across the
Mexican Canyon Eddy in BayOnne, Lamson in
Maine and Hargrave All at Work.

time. and can be made OF much use.
! hope TO make ascensions. and TO prove
that under favorable conditions they are
safe. Already. if / am given a certain
weight to raise and certain height
to reach. / can build a kite or series
Of kites that will do the work exactly
1t is wonderful with what nicely the
calculations can be made This is be-
cause in the last few years men have
, studied kites scientifically Mr.. Eddy has
done wonders i'm the way Of working
ont mathematically the proper proper
tiOns for kite construction. Tile Eddy
kite" IS perfectly adapted to the end Tor
which MIR. Eddy invented it-that is. TO
rise i'm extremely light Withstand he
cannot be commended too highly.
MOST SUCCESSFUL. so FAR.
"Mr. Lamson too. who has been work
ing down i'm Maine and who so recently
made an ascent Of 100 feet. IS doing
great deal towards solving the problems
that are making the kite-fyers think
! hard. His last achievement was as sue
cessful as anything that has been done
SO far lie uses what is practically
Hargrave kite. such as Mr.. liarerave
invented in Australia in 1892. and refused
TO patent as ne wished every one inter
csted i'm kites to make the frecst possible
use OF his designs. Mr.. Hareravc has
invented a score of flying machines. and
has had some success with almost every
one Of them. although none OF them
supported itself in the air and flew as
long as the machine which Prof Lang
ley launched so successfully at Quantco
May last year.
In a stiff breeze the Hargrave kites
l.f fls fa
I'm compact form but they are not adapt
ed to light winds. ! used the Hargravcs
when / went up. They were built on the
same general principle as the huge kite
NJ Lamson used at Falmouth Foresde
June ~. They were marked with letters
Is. &. T.. l.. 10 distinguish them. and had
total lifting area Of 3l2G square feet,
As they noated off they looked some
thing ike the racks one used 10 see
I'm laundrics for drying clothes upon.
Each rack apparently had am endless
towel i'm band around each end The
frame Of a Hargravc kite is like the
skeleton Of a bookcase When the cloth
hls been put on q is still open at both
ends and naked around the waist. leaving
the framework bare. The cells are form
ed by the bands OF cloth that are fastened
around the ends
DIMENSIONS OF THE KITE.
The dimensions of the kites were as
follows:
THE kites varied I'm size from y
feet square TO u feet square The width
OF the cells. that is the distance between
the sides. was from about u feet 10
Q ~ feet, and the depth Of the cells
which is equal TO the width Of the clOtn
varied from one foot TO l-2 feet.
"As soon as these kites were fairly
launched 1 was hauled up along the kite
line 10 them by pulley in a sort or
bo'sun's chair Then / signallcd 10 the
men who were at the wndlass holding
the line to let out a little. They did SO
and up went gently and pleasantly. II
was the first ascension made in the
United States
by using steel tubing for the frame
work | can build a kite light enough for
one man 20 carry. one that will fold up
fiat like an ironing board and Will yet
'rve e-orgh nftirg area 10 raise him
lie would need companion however.
TO carry the kite rope which is a weighty
consideration. Kites fall or are pulled
down by the weight of the cord that
holds them.
STRAIN OK THE CABLE.
1t would be difficult to get a single kite
OF any size whatever up more than 1900