The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1903-11-04
KITE FLYING EXPERIMENTS.
Proposed Cooperation Between United
States and Germany In Study Of
Atmosphere About Tropics.

States and Germany In Study Of
Atmosphere About Tropics.
Boston, Jan. 10.-one Of the greatest
Of the unsolved problems of meteorol-
ogy is concerned with the permanent
circulation Of the atmosphere, especial
~ in the higher reaches in attitudes
Greater than $4,000 feet. The surface
currents, including the steady trade
winds Of the tropics, have been pretty
thoroughly studied; but just n
takes place in the upper air has still
been rather guessed at than discovered.
In the tropics on either side OF the
equator there are supposed to be great
anti-trade currents flowing above the
trade winds and in an opposite direc-
ton, while in the north temperate zone
peculiar conditions Of temperature and
directions Of air currents have been dis
covered hat have led many scientists
to conjecture that great masses of warm
air rise about the equator and roll OH
in constantly descending and cooling
streams toward the two poles.
In support of such a hypothesis the
scientists bring forward the we'll estab-
ished fact that the air does not grow
steadily colder at the rate Of n degree
Fahrenheit for every 1873 feet OF vertical
ASCS&lS, ab We. "S4C Taught ~ WI R1S
ical biographies at school, but that
there are warm strata even up in the
region Of eternal cold. This phenome-
ncn has been noted frequently In the
k%ite-hving experiments at the BLU Hill
observatory, the meteorological station
Of Harvard university, situated a mile
south Of Boston. In the opinion Of most
authorities, however, the problem Of
such seeming irregularities can be set
tied only in a manner proposed by Mr..
A. Lawrence Roth, the director at Blue
Hill, who was able, moreover, at the
recent meeting in washington of the
American Association for the Advance
ment Of Science to present a definite
proposition from the German govern
ment for international cooperation In
del Atlantic about the equator.
The Germans, Mr.. Roth then an
nounced, have agreed to furnish a ship
equipped for q three months cruise in
the tropics on condition hat American
scientific men provide the necessary ap-
paratus and pay certain Of the inciden-
tai expenses. The total cost to the
people on this side of the water would
notexceed $40, 900, and although MI.
Rotch eddmitted frankly that no one
can foretell with assurance that the re-
suits Of the expedition would be Of
commercial, n even scientific value
since it Is a case Of venturing into an
entierly unexplored feld-heis person
ally confident that great benefit will
come to the weather service Of the
whole world If it can be discovered ac-
curately Just what goes on above the
tropical trade winds.
It is a theory Of MI. Rotch's that be-
Sr-aar TIA FRO 10 winds on6 fho anti
trads ~intervenes an interval Of compar-
atively still air. This is by no means
absolutely certain, but 1t Is accordance
with conditions discovered in the kite
flying experiments at Blue Hill observ-
atory; and, If found, it will justify Mr..
Rotch's contention that the most feast
BILE means Of exploring the higher. at
mospheric levels about the tropics Is
through use Of kites flown from a NOV
abel base.
It Is indeed upon the kite that the
American scientists will chiefly rely II
the proposed expedition takes place;
though the rubber balloon employed for
similar research by DR.. Assman Of Ber-
lin will also undoubtedly be used. The
limitations Of the balloon, however, are
plant the "Hargrave" and "Lansom"
high fiers. It can be sent to great
heights but it cannot be maintained
there for purposes Of continuous OBJ
servation. Furthermore, theh unit for
the meteorological instruments which
are released from it by parachuteS-
over a circle Of 20 or 80 miles radius
Is an annoying feature Of the sport on
land, and will be likely to constitute a
very serious objection by sea. AS for
the paper balloons which the French
meteorologists still use, their case Is
even worse; they do not burst, Ike the
German balloon, on attaining a certain
altitude, but drop slowly, drifting
sometimes 100 miles before they reach
earth.
over both these methods, therefore,
the kite has decided advantages. Kites
have been sent to the height Of three
miles at the Blue Hill observatory, and
by working from a movable base Mr..
Rotch is confident that he can go
higher yet, for the most serious draw
back in flights from the land is that
above the surface winds n ordinarily
encounters deep strata of Stagnant air
through which the kite will not rise.
BY utilizing the onward pull of a NOV
Ing vessel it has been shown that the
kite can be drawn through this quies-
cent layer into the next windy tract.
A further advantage Is that # the d.
rection of this upper current proves to
be opposite to that Of the surface wind
the ship can make a turn to accommo-
date itself to thee hanged conditions
and that If any breeze proves too stiff
for the kite the vessel can be steered
slowly in the direction of the air cur
rent, thus virtually modifying its We
locity.
This use Of kites on shipboard is not
a matter Of mere theory, however. 1t
has already been pretty thoroughly
tested on the sea route from Boston to
Liverpool, on one Of the Dominion Line
steamships. The methods adopted and
the results secured have been described
In a paper by Mr.. Rotch published in
the recently issued report Of the Smith
sonian institution. The facts are GER
tainly interesting enough to bear sum-
mariZing.
Mr.. Rotch and his assistant, Mr..
Sweetland, installed a huge kite reel
on the stern Of the steamer Common
wealth on August %, 1901, and made the
first recorded exploration Of the mid
Atlantic atmosphere. On the five Of the
eight days occupied by the voyage they
were able to raise the kites, though the
breezes were 9 light that the ships
speed of 16 knots an o had to be
utilized to cretae an east wind sufficient
to lift the kites to the height of 1000