Evening star., 1897-06-12

length, ana ls threaded abIOvoH9wtth stout
spruce Strengthening trueses, ih weight is
something under eight noundse and with
the meteorograph attached to the kite line
close to the kite the wheae weight at the
end Of the line is not morerfhan nen pounds
Obstacles in thS WY.
Another point in scientific kite flying
which Prof. Marvin concluded was a pref
ty sizable one by the time he chad lost a
number Of his kites-one f theSh he never
saw or even heard of a&ain-is the kite
string" He tried all SORTS of experiments
with different kinds of wire, finally discov-
ering to his satisfaction that thetkite string
best suited to his purpose is fineasteel piano
wire of about the thickness of pin. One
mile Of this wire weighs 1o0 pounds, but
as kite sailing a mile above the earth
has Sag of almost another mile in so
far as its string is concerned, the actual
weight Of the wire used in letting out a
kite mile from the ground is something
like 200 pounds.
The designing of satisfactory kite for
meteorological purposes was, Of course, the
heaviest task that confronted Prof. Marvin
in undertaking his investigation. But
when he finally achieved the right sort Of a
kite he found another moderately big job
looming up before him-the combination of
the weather observation apparatus all in
one connected instrument, with a sufficiently
great reduction in the weight of such ap-
paratus to permit of its hanging on to the
kite wire, near to the kite, without break
ing 1t. This work he has now accomplish
ed. His wire is capable OF resisting a tug
of 200 pounds at either of IT'S ends, and the
weather scientist has 80 ingeniously COM
bined the observation apparatus and light
ened 1t in the process of combining 1t, that
he has t,igging margin OF 100 pounds to
spare-that is to say, the kite and the
meteorological apparatus combined exert g.
pull Of over 100 pounds only on the wire
under ordinary conditions.
The automatically registering observa-
several times sent above the clouds since
May ! has operated with clock-work pre-
cision, and the results have been eminently
satisfactory. All that he has to do is to
the meteorograph trailing a little under
meath it, begins Its upward fight, and the
fine needle pens attached to the apparatus
DO the rest chartfng the weather condi-
beginning of the ascent until the kite is
hauled to the ground, the duration of an
ascent lasting ordinarily from four to six
hours. When the kite Is hauled in the
weather scientist pulls out the automati-
cally inscribed charts from the meteorolo-
gtcal apparatus, and thus he has q perfect
picture not only Of the state of the
weather mile above the ground. but of
the kites upward and downward flight.
Therefore, it being scientific fact, as
stated at the beginning of this article, that
a change in weather conditions makes it
self felt at a considerable distance above
the earth a long time before the warning
Is given in the lower air strata, the fore
caster, with the aid of the kite observa-
tions, Will In the course Of a few months,
when the use of the kites becomes gen.
eral, be transformed into a parsonage of
almost absolute infallibility.
Crowned With Success.
The meteorological apparatus which Prof.
Marvin has succeeded in combining for his
purpose ascertains and records of itself
the four cardinal points of weather obser-
walton, the basis for forecasting, namely,
the temperature, barometricak pressure,
wind velocity and humidity. Bs
In making their experiments over at
Arlington, Prof Marvin and Mrs Potter do
not necessarily pay any ;atten nuon to the
conditions Of wind OF weather, for the
whole effort in conducting then investiga-
tions has been to devise ia kits that will
not only maintain its stability and equilib-
rum under perfect conditions. but a work
ing kite capable of beings used, every day
Tor observation purpcses-even when q cy-
snow storm-and this is the sort of kite
they have succeeded in makin2' The per-
feet self-control of the Marvin kite in the
high winds Of a great altitude fa the point
tnat proves It's perfection ana consoles
the neteorologist for ally Of his earlier
fascos. ri
The expense of establishing a kite obser-
walton system throughput Jthea entire coun-
Try at ali OF the l0O weather OBnc6S would
Of course. be considerable Such thing
is not contemplated under the present ap-
prolriaton for the work Of the weather
bureau, but 1t is not unlikely that within
few months at least twenty Of the larg-
est stations will be supplied with the nee
essary paraphernalia for making kite OBJ
servatie Ms. 1t is not expected that the
Kite observations are to entirely revolu-
tionize the present admirable system Of
forecasting, but 1t is confidently expected
the fact, in truth. has already been COM
pletely proven by Prof. .Marvin), that
the kite observations will not only enable
the forecaster to make his predictions
many hours sooner than he can make them
from HORIZONTAL observations, but that
the vertical observations shall furnish
data So thoroughly reliable as to approach
ing weather conditions on the surface of
the earth that under the new system the
forecaster will find it almost impossible to
err.