The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-23
ElTE.ELYINe AT Q
R,,uits OF ths Work Of iIassnshunsts Oh
ssryers-ApparAius Used.

ReAult1 OF lMo hoEh W AA9G OH-
ssrysrs-ApParAius Used.
r Al a recent meeting OF the Boston
Scientific Society. says the Transcript
NJ that city, Blue ILL observers made
n good showing, one paper being pre-
nared with reference to the ltsults OF
the kIte-nyng and the other giving the
"details OF the apparatus used. S. p.
Ferguson, who has Invented and adapt
ed the mechanical part of the work,
Hoke OF the kites ana the wlndlass.
The Eddy kites are delicate in their
adjustment, the Clayton keeled kite
less so, but somewhat difficult 10 keep
well balanced, so that the most OF the
work has been done with the Fa-grave
cs,nlar kite. A new for by Lamson,
" portland, was employed IL thf veg,
%tgtsst ascent OF all-tT'o mlles and
IA feet-Uut It was damaged ~ the
RICH Wind. during which tine ilsl u
ments were lost, and 1t Is now pc ng
Quite full accounts e the wladlass
nave been given at previous meetings
Of the society, but with the appliea-
lion OF a steam engine and the use OF
a strain pulley It has been substantial
~ remodeled in every essential partie-
,lar, Formerly the wire was wound
directly from the kites on the drum of
+he winch, but the cumulative pressure
OF so many turns OF wire is such that
no material Is able to Withstand the
pull. A strain pulley has, therefore,
been introduced, around which the wire
passes four or five times, Just as the
rope does around the windlass when
houses are moved SloaS the streets.
From this 1t goes TO u storage reel on
which It is loosely wound, the whole
mechanism being automatic even TO the
distribution Of the wire evenly over the
entire width OF the reel, From the
strain pulley the wire goes out through
A counting reel ws!cl. measures 1t as
Il goes out, This counting pulley is
Atted on a sleeve so that 1t can turn
and deliver the wire fairly to the kites,
no matter what may be their direction
from the windlass. Between the strain
pulley and the counter another wheel
is Introduced which measures the pull
OF the kites, this pull being recorded 50
that the relations OF wind pressure to
pull at any moment mt y be figured out.
As to the construction Of the instru-
nent, which Is sent up on the kites, q
number OF different ones have been
used. The most comprehensive OF them
records the barometer, thermometer,
humidity and velocity Of wind. while
the direction OF wind is known from the
quarter In which the kites fly, 80 that
Ave meteorological elements are secured
from these flights.
Mr.. Ferguson gave many interesting
details regarding the work. The abil-
ity Of the kites to Withstand high gales
has been shown, a Blue Hill adaptation
In the shape of a rubber bride to the
kite permitting 1t to ssum a different
angle when the wind Increases SO that
the strain on the kites and the wires
does not Increase In proportion to the
increase OF the wind.
Mr.. Clayton described briefly the
methods employed in getting the height
OF the kites. One Of these is by a COM
b!nation Of the known length Of the
string and the angle made by 1t with
the horizon. This is subject to the
error of the sag of the string, which is
Inherent uIutT ullltItlEt NtloSlNlNb VI
wind, The second method is by the
record Of the barometer which the
kites carry up, which Is quite accurate,
but still subject to some minor inaccu-
racles; but the third, which Is the
measurement of the angle Of the same
kite from two stations, gives the abso-
lutte height within three or four feet.
He smoke OF the results secured by the
high flights. During the time that they
have been experimenting at Blue Hill
they have Increased the attitude reach
I'd about a mile each year. They have
efficient observations to give a fairly
good knowledge OF conditions obtaining
at about $500 feet to a mile, and these
show some rather remarkable features.
At the surface OF the earth there is a
marked increase In temperature during
the day and a decrease at night. At
the elevation OF three thousand feet
this change disappears entirely, so that
the days are as cold as the nights. The
changes Of temperature In the air are
very large from one time TO another.
but there Is no daily fluctuation. In
the matter Of humidity the surface con-
dltions are changed. At the height OF
two or three thousand feet the days
nre wet and the nights are dry. The
observations at Blue Hill point to sew
eral typical relations of the air at a
height to that of the surface. both In
temperature and humidity. These re-
Iatlons Mr.. Clayton has in part identi-
ned with storm . fair weather condi-
tons, so that they will be valuable in
thn f~nreca sting of weather.