Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-01-06
NEW USE FOR KITES.
TELEPHoNlc COMMUNICATION WITtl-
 OUT A BATTERY.

on His Kites and shows How to Talk
 With Friends h Hesleeed Town Ills Emergency Telegraph system.
 The feasibility of establishing tela- graph and telephone communication be- tween two distant and isolated points without constructing an elaborate sys- tenn of electric batteries, poles or oon- 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 hier of that city
 The equipment used by Aerologisb Eddy for his emergency telegraph and telephone plant comprised several of his aeroplanes, reel of stout kite cord, a reel of ordinary copper wire, number of common lanterns, tWo simple tele phone transmitters and a telegraph sounder He utilized the ground and atmospheric currents for his electric ] power. Mr. Eddy and his assistants 1 Henry Allen of this city and Dr. i William H. Mitchell of Bayonne, con- triyed to send and receive perfectly in- telligible vocal telephone messages and decipherable telegraph messages durj : a period of several hours from points fully 1, GOO feet distant and separated by double that distance of wire.
 The scene of MT, Eddy's achievement was the Bergen Point section Of Bay onne. Hia aereplaaes and the wire they carried were sent up from the open lots in the rear of bis 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 t ridge of sufficient height to prevent the experimeHtalists from even signal i ing to one another with lanterns also interYened. This Heeessitated one of the trio stationing himself at an inteIlne- diate point to transmit signals before the aerial circuit was completed.
 When the pilot kite attained all alti- tude of l, 800 feet, the wire and it's low ering device were connected with the kite cord. an eight ounce red lantern designating the place of connection and similar lightweight green lan- tern being fastened to the plummet on the end of tho wire. The lanterns were allowed to ascend to height of 500 feet before an attempt to lower the wire WAS made The wire ran out short distance and then became jammed in Che pulley Efforts to disengage Il j wire resulted in the green lantern be= coming detached. 1t fell and WAS bre= ken to atoms.
 The kite string and wire were reeled in, and q 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 ed in the eesd and wire and attached 9 red lantern to the plummet, Line ar E wire were extended until the twin lan- terms attained an altitude of i, GOO feet, and then the lowering plummet and signal lantern were allowed to descend safely to the earth. Dr. Mitchell next carried the lowered end of tbe wire far down Lexington avenue and grounded it with q steel rod Mr. Eddy did like wise with hls end of the wire, the tele- phone trananitters were attached, and the aerial circuit was established.
 Satisfied that telephona communion tion was practicable both eXperimen. ters signaled Mir. Allen at his intepme- diate station. It was half past O clock when Dr. Mitchell sent the first vocal message to Mir. Eddy.
 Hello, do you get mel" he queried
 "Yes, good, replied E1r Eddy.
 General conversation oyer the wire ensued, Mrs Eddy, Mr. Allen, Freder- ick M. Wilson and reporter partiei- pating X times watches were held against the telephone transnitters, and their tiekings 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 per mitted the wire to sag so much at times that it crossed the upper wires of the long distance telephone lines stretched along Lexington avenue, and scraps Of conversation were transmitted to the experimenters. During the operations the lantern at the apex of the wire arch burned out, leaving the point of con- neotion in absolute darkness.
 The wire used in the experiment. was a thin copper dlament, about the size of patent thread, and entirely bare Bo- ing suspenl d from the kite string and freed from oonnecton 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 transmitted.
 The success achieved by Mir. Eddy in his experiment. demonstrates the fur ther utility to which his aeroplanes can be put by the army 5 signal service de- partmenb Rivers and straits forests.