Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-06-07
TO USE KITES IN CUBA.
Lieutenant Wise's Signaling and
Aerial Photographing Outfit.
PLAN OF THE INVADING ARMY.

; When Spanish soldiers see a string O
kites flying between them and the Amer
lean camp they probably will wonde
what manner Of an enemy has com
, from the north to fight them. 1t ma,
be they will draw bead on the kite
with their Mausers, but unless the bull
lets strike the sticks of every one of tn,
aerial tandem team the little square
box swinging on its platform from the
string will do its work and will deliver
to the commanding officer of the expe
dition photograph which will betray
all that can be seen from an elevation
Of several hundred feet.
Kites will be practically and thor.
oughly tested for signaling and photo.
graphing the enemys position when the
American army gets to Cuba Several
years experimenting has shown con-
clusively that the kite can be employed
to good advantage in warfare. Lieuten-
ant Hugh d. Wise of the Ninth infan-
try, a crack bicyclist, a scientific and
enthusiastic amateur photographer, has
made study of aeroplanes and has
brought with him eight kites, with a
complete signaling and aerial photo
graphing equipment, which will be put
in active service as soon as the army of
occupation lands on Cuban or Puerto
Rican soil.
This equipment consists of eight Wise
Eddy folding kites one feet high,
two s feet, two feet, two feet and
one 5la feet. The kites are so construct
ed that they can be rolled up in bun
die, occupying less space than 7 foot
tent, with its poles and fly. The kites
are made of black, white and black and
white cambria, some of them being white
with black center. In the outfit are 16
regulation signal flags, with code stats,
5000 feet of cord of several sizes, q
portable field windlass, a 4 by 5 inch
camera, with Wise automatic camera
opcrator-a clockwork dovice-a Wise
aerial camera support, rings and pulleys,
and other attachments sufficient for the
purpose Of signaling and field photog-
raphy.
Everything in this field equipment
has been put to hard, practical test,
and it is believed the outfit will prove
Of great value in Cuba. In practice from
three to five kites will be flown in tan
dem, the tandem string serving to sup
port the signal flags or camera. A pull
ley is attached to the tandem cord or
kite string and through this pulley an
ON a lace l..
be used for signaling, two code statfs
are used, and they are attached to the
endless cord in such fashion that while
one is up supporting the signal flags the
other is on the ground where the signal
flags are attached or hooked on This
contrivance permits the signal man to
send up his bunting rapidly and easily. |
The code or flag stats are fixed so that |
four flags may be quickly hooked Oh.
his allows the flags to be hooked on to |
the code stats in such order as to indi-
cate the numerals which represent the |
letters in the Meyers code used in the
army and navy. Thus white flag indi-
Gates the numoral /, red flag the nu-
neral and five flags represent the
3.
Lieutenant Wise says that an altitude
If 500 feet is high enough to send the
signal flags, though they may be lifted
o any desired height. This apparatus
has been tested and with it Lieutenant
Wise has signalcd with the flags, using
he telescope, distance of seven miles.
This gives wide range, for ordinary
laes of tho size used with the kites
ould not be used at that distance. At
hight red and white lanterns are used
instead of flags, and an electric light
ystcm, similar to the Ardoise system
lscd i'll the navy, can be used. With
lectricity the system for signaling diff
ers from that used with lanterns A
White light burns brilliantly and con-
family, so as to indicate the where
bouts Of the aerial station to the re-
Giving station.
Near it is a white and q red mean
escent electric light, operated by keys
II tho ground and connected to the
eys by an insulated cord wire, which
ans through the pulley. Two red I
ghts represent the numeral /, red
nd white the numeral 2, and two
'hltes and a red the numeral B. In :
ais way all the combinations which
pply to the Meyers code can be secur- {
|. lieutenant Wise also has device ]
y which lanterns and flags can be OPP {
'atcd somewhat after the manner of s
lc electric light signal system. This APP E
lratus is SO arranged that the positions {
the lanterns and flags can be changed |
ithout hauling the code staff to the &
'ound, something after the style of the !
maphore used in railroad block pnd {
gnal systems. L
Kite photography is done by means of v
camera which is carried ON plat t
I'm. The platform hangs from ring S
hich slides over the tandem line. This a
ng also is attached to the cord of t
to which is used solely for the purpose t
pulling the platform up the tandem c
I'd to stop which prevents the ring
ding higher. When it is desired to d
Ike photograph, tho camera is placed y
the platform, and the clockwork APP Il
ratus used for operating the shutter a
set for certain number of minutes. b
len the kite hauls the whole affair up v
o main tandem cord, and when tho II
itch Of the operator advises him that fl
o plate has been exposed the kite is Il
uled down and another plate put ill., Sc
i this is done without disturbing the tt
nm of kites. The bottom of the plat u
m which supports the camera can no CT
ted to give any desired angle of incli- w