New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-24

.
to fasten it to the earth. The reel is provided
with a brake to control the outgo and levers Tor
winding the wire up again. At the present time
there are nearly or quite score Of weather
stations in this country equipped with such
apparatus. and simultaneous observations are
attempted daily when practicable.
The observer near Cincinnati tells the follow
ing story. Early on the morning Of May IL he
started to get his kite aloft and by G1j o'clock
he had nearly two miles and a half Of wire out
r. 100 feet. to be exact. Suddenly an electric
current came down and burned the wire out. so
that the kite escaped. and drops of melted metal
were distributed on his reel stream Of fire
seemed to reach all the way from the kite to the
reel. What made the incident appear exccp-
tiona was the condition Of the sky at that mo-
r0cnt. The only clouds visible over in the
West. few minutes later there a light
sprinkle. lasting two minutes. but there was no
thunder
In accordance with the practice Of the Bureau,
| the kite had been tagged previously. with
quest that any who found it would send in
formation TO the proper official. postmasters
and schoOlmaSters for twenty miles around had
also received notices OF a similar purpOrt in adj
vance. In consequence. the observer was on
ablcd to recover his kite and instruments unn-
jured. although they foated of fully twenty
miles from his post
! Another observer. in the vicinity Of Lansing,
Mich. had a like experience two days after
ward. Al 4. m. there wore about seven thou
sand nye hundred feet Of wire out Twenty
minutes later the man heard distant thunder
aud began to reel in Just at o o'clock, eight
minutes after rain began 10 fall. bolt came
down the line shower Of sparks flew from
J - of mo 500
along the route Of the wire on the reel the
wire welded to a metallic brake strap. and
other evidences of sudden heat were detected
there. There only four thousand feet Of
WIRE out 1t the time. and the observer speaks Of
this aS having been destroyed" The kite was
found At distance not exceeding four miles.
and it slightly hurt that repairs could
! easily be Effected
Two more cases Of this sort occurred with<
. the next fortnight. Il Springfield H.. ard one
At Topeka. Kan. The observer at the former sta.
ton distinctly refers 70 the approach Of a thun,
! lerstOrm just before he lost his kite; but the
Kansas man mcntions-what the others may
have noticed but 10 not speak ola great con-
cussion attending the discharge Of electricity.
/ We were rcellng the kite in the usual man.
Her." h. says. each with a hand the steer
ing handle Of thu reelbox The discharge
stunned mcasurably 1t was some moments
before we realized all that had happened The
kite. which had an elevation Of about three
thousand feet. had fallen nearly out Of sight
bef'r" W. recovered our self possession"
The Review" says. professor Marvin has
employed the electric light current from the
small dynamo If the Weather Bureau in testing
the cLrry ing power II the steel kite wire and
finds that / continuous current II about fifteen
lmp"r"s At about hundred volts is required
- heat IN" wire - full red incandescence and
keep 1t A. that temperature. Nearly a minute
II time VAS consumed in reaching that degree "
heat This IS doubtless the minimum strength
Of destructive current irasmuch AZ the wire
must be- torn asundcr by the pull OF the kite at
IN" time when IT reaches a fun red heat under a
more Or loss steady current. At red
heat the electrical resistance Of the wire IS
nearly fyr times greater than when cold. From
;hcs" data we are led - conclude that the cleo
tr.cli discharge which fused 1000 feet Of wire
near Cincinnati had potential Of at least l3O-
Or) yDlts'
IntSniuch rs the re' is 50 connected with tho
ground that any excess II current coming down
IN" wire ~ tho observations will pass into the
earth without hitting the attendants. no serious
results lre - he anticipated from what seems to
hc / p'ri,ous task Tn" worst that is to be- an
tspl'cd Is shock " SCARF The Editor 4
! Tho Review" therefore. ignores the question 4
danger - The observer. ana .rt"rs only - tho
annoytnc- 4 having valuable record If tho
condition u THINGS IN the upper air iuterrupteI
by the escape If the kite H. says But ,ne
record must be- obtaiu-d m" progress IF mrteo-
roosy must not Do tlv Iricl. "a simple method
for N.rcDtuIu-. tN. .lllir.llt. must De- found