The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-07-11

feet The larger tho kite the stronger
and heavier must be- the cord. and tho
greater Will Doe the sag. II was 10 take
up the sag that tandem kites were first
used. Now tandem kites are used tor
lifting as well as for reaching a great
height. For lifting they are put mucn
nearer together than they would be other
wise
"A few days ago ! received letter
from Brooklyn engineer named sar-
gent. lie has a contract 10 build bridge
across a canyon in Mexico. The canyon
IS $500 feet wide and the side opposite
him. the one TO which ne wishes TO get.
is 200 feet higher than the place where
he is. lie wished for information as To
the best way TO get a line across and ]
wrote TO him that as there was a fair
wind there I thought a half-dozen seven
foot Eddy kites would do exactly what
he wished. Eddy kites are made now
50 that they can be taken apart and
rolled up i'm the cloth like sail round
a boom. and can be carried as easily as
a fishing rod IN its case.
EXCITING EXPERIENCE.
William \. Eddy. of Bayonne. y. j..
has watched the reports OF Mr.. Lam
sons experiments i'm Maine with keen
interest. lie was with Mr. Lamson when
he tried his big Hargrave Kite last Au
gust. and took several photographs OF
the high structure when II was weighted
with the lj0-pound dummy.
Twenty men pulling on the kite rope
could not control the kite" says Mr.
Eddy. THE three or four nearest TO tie
kite were lifted off the ground by the
tremendous pull. As fast as they were
taken up they let 90. dropped 10 the
earth. and ran TO the rear end OF the
line Of men. So each one OF MS in turn
had a bit Of ride on the wind. II was
q vivid Illustration Of power. We let out
some 900 feet when the rope broke and
the kite went sailing away gracefully
and in a downward course. until il bump
cd into a distant fence We SGT chase.
and when we reached il we found that
one end was broken but that the dummy
was uninjured. This convinced all Of us.
excepting Mr.. LamsOn. that II be had
been i'm it instead OF the dummy he would
not have been killed.
THE dummy was seated on a horizon
tai platform between the two cells in
exactly the position q man would occu-
by If any had been bold enough 10 go
up. Had he known as much as Frank
enstein he might have sailed away in
definitely for his arms were fastened
10 lever arranged so as 10 diminish
or increase the inclination of the for
ward cell. ana thereby adjust and regu-
late the angle Of incidence by which the
kite might be raised or lowered at pleas
ure.
PIANO WIRE FOR ROPE.
zone Improvement Mr.. Lamson has
made to good purpose in his latest cx-
periments. That is the substitution OF
piano wire for rope. Weight for weight
the wire is far stronger and it occupies
much less space. \ steam windlass makes
the control more effective and the wire
is more easily regulated than il could
be otherwise. As the kite is now con-
trollod. II will serve admirably for launch
ing flying machines. and will herein mn
a want that experimenters have long
felt sorely. Whether or not kites will be
OF service i'm tine way OF transportation.
do not say. but certainly they will
he Of much assistance I'm taking many
Of the observations from which the
Weather Bureau secures its data"