Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-03-29
NEW USE FOR KITES.
TelEPHoNfc COMMUNICATION WITH.
 our A BATTERY.

Mr. Eddy Of Esyonne, N. j., Strings Wire
 on His Kites and Shows How to Talk
 With Friends h . Besieged Tosn--T-is
 Emergency TelegFaph System.
 The feasibility of establishing tele- graph and telephone communication be- tween two distant and isolated points without constructing an elaborate sys- tenn of electric batteries, poies or con duits and wires or resorting to the complex day heliograph or night fash light devices was successfully demon- strated on Saturday night at Bayonne, N. J., by William A. Eddy, the scien- tific kite dier of that city
 The equipment used by Aerologist Eddy for his emergency telegraph and telephone plant comprised several of f 8 aeroplanes, a reel of stout kite cord, d reel of ordinary copper wire, number of common lanterns, two simple tele. phone transmitters and telegraph sounder. He utilized the ground and atmospheric currents for his electric power MT Eddy and his assistants. Henry L Allen of this city and Dr William H. Mitchell of Bayonne, con, trived to send and receive perfectly il, telligihle vocal telephone messages q deoipherable telegraph messages dur : a period of several hours from poinrs fully 1, 900 feet distant and separated by double that distance of wire.
 The scene of Mr Eddy's achievement was the Bergen Point section of Bay 0nne His aeroplanes and the wire they carried were sent up from the open lots ill the rear of his home, on East Third street The kites carried and supported the wire over houses, streets, telephone and telegraph poles and wires to the point selected for the dis tant connection with the earth. Be- tween the two stations thus established ridge of sufficient height to prevent the xperimentalists from even signal. ing to one another with lanterns also intervened. This necessitated one of the trio stationing himself at an interme diate point to transmit signals before the aerial circuit was completed.
 When tbe pilot kite attained an alti- tude of l, 800 feet, the wire and it's low ering device were connected with the kite cord, an eight ouneo red lantern designating the place of connection and q similar lightweight green lan- tern being fastened to the plulnmet on the end of tho wire. The lanterns were allowed to ascend to a height of 500 feet before an attempt to lower the wire was made The wire ran out a short distance and then became iammed in the pulley. Efforts to disengage tl j, wire resulted in the green lantern D. coming detached. If fell and was bro. ken to atoms.
 The kite string and wire were reeled i'll, and white lantern was fastened to the plummet This lantern was also de- stroyed in same manner as the first. Mir. Eddy and his assistants again haul. cd in the ccrd and wire and attached a red lantern to the p,ummet. Line ar [ wire were extended until the twin la,. terms attained an altitude of 1, GOO feet, and then the lowering plummet and s1gual lantern were allowed to descend safely 10 the earth. Dr. Mitchell next carried the lowered end of the wire far down Lexington avenue and grounded it with steel rod. Mir. Eddy did like wise with hls end Of the wire, the tele- phone translnitters were attached, and the aerial circuit was established.
 Satisfied that telephone communica- tion was practicable, both experiment ters signaled MT Allen at his interme- diate station. It YVES half past o'clock when Dr. Mitchell sent the first vocal message to Mr. Eddy.
 "Hello, do you get me?" he queried
 Yes, good, " replied Mr. Eddy.
 General conversation over the wire ensued, Mrs. Eddy, MT. Allen, Freder1 ick M Wilson and reporter partici. pating. i times watches were hel1 against the telephone transmitters, and their tickinga were plainly heard at the other end of the wire. Once or twice the telegraph sounder was attached, and the clicking of the Morse alphabet on the instrument was carried clearly to the telephone receiver at the other end Of the circuit. The wind s fluctuations par mitted tho wire to sag so much at times that it crossed the rpper wires of the long distance telephone lines stretched along Lexington avenue, and scraps of conversation were transmitted to the experimentsrs. During the operations the lantern at the apex of tho wire arch burned cut. leaving the point of con, neetion in absolute darkness.
 The wire used in the experiment. was a thin copper lilamont, about the size of patent thread, and entirely bare. Be- ing snspenC d from the kite string and freed from Gonnee5ioa with any surface object except at the ends, it was per feotly insulated from every element save the ground and atmospherieal electrical currents. This fact made the wire mo ! potential in conducting the messages