Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-06-09
TO USE KITES IN CUBA.
Lieutenant Wise's Signaling and
Aerial Photographing Outfit.
PLAN OF THE INVADING ARMY.

Americans Benef1t-Construction of the
Kites = Their Liability to Injury by
Bullets.
When Spanish soldiers see string of
kites flying between them and the Amer
lean camp, they probably will wonder
what manner of an enemy has come
from the north to fight them. 1t may
be they will draw bead on the kites
with their Nausers, but unless the bull
lets strik" the sticks of every one Of the
aerial tandem team the little square
box swinging on its platform from the
string will do it's 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 enemy's 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, crack bicyclist 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 9 feet high,
two feet, two 7 feet, two 6 feet and
one 515 feet. The kites are so construct
ed that they can be rolled up in Il bum
die, occupying less space than a 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 a black center. In the outfit are Is
regulation signal flags, with code stats,
5000 feet of cord of several sizes,
portable field windlass, 4 by 5 inch
camera, with Wise automatic camera
operator-a clockwork device-a Wise
aerial camera support, rings and pulleys,
and other attachments sufficient for the
purpose of signaling and field photog-
.aphy.
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
endless cord is run. If the kites are to
be used for signaling, two code stats
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
continuance 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 on.
This 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 i'll the
army and navy. Thus white flag indi
Gates the numeral l., red flag the nu
neral 2 and five flags represent the
numeral 8.
) Lieutenant Wise says that an altitude
of 500 feet is high enough to send the
signal flags, though they may be lifted
: to any desired height. This apparatus
has been tested, and with it Lieutenan
Wise has signaled with the flags, using
the telescope, a distance of seven miles
} This gives wide range, for ordinar.
. flags of the size used with the kite
could not be used at that distance A
: night red and white lanterns are uset
0 instead of flags, and an electric high
: system, similar to the Ardoise system
l used in the navy, can be used. Wit
t electricity the system for signaling diff
l. fers from that used with lanterns.
white light burns brilliantly and con
+ stantly, so as to indicate the where
# abouts of the aerial station to the re
J. ceiving station.
Q Near it is white and q red incan
y descent electric light, operated by key
= on the ground and connected to til
r keys by an insulated cord wire, whic
5, runs through the pulley. Two re
% lights represent the numeral l, re
IS and white the mineral 2, and tw
n whites and red the mineral 3. ]
! this way all the combinations whic
if apply to the Meyers code can be secu
IS ed. Lieutenant Wise also has devit
le by which lanterns and flags can be o.
or Grated somewhat after the manner
e the electric light signal system. This a
J. paratus is so arranged that the position
re of the lanterns and flags can be change
ot without hauling the code staff to Il
Of ground, something after the style of Il
al semaphore used in railroad block al
~ signal systems.
a. Kite photography is done by means
er camera which is carried on pie
is form The platform hangs from Ri
a. which slides over the tandem line. I'll
tie ring also is attached to the cord of
al kite which is used solely for the purpc
Of pulling the platform up the tande
L. cord to stop which prevents the ri
he sliding higher When it is desired
tn take photograph. the camera is plac
" on the platform, and the clockwork q
H. paratus used for operating the shut
tn is set for a certain number of minut
er Then the kite hauls the whole affair