The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-15

/ increase at the cubes. whereas the surface
/ increase only as the square. that is. If
/ one We're building kites for instance. OF
/ increasing size. every time the surface
were multiplied by two the weight would
OF necessity he multiplied by three. the
weight always increasing SO much faster
than the expanse-the kites remaining OF
/ the same proportional strength-that a
/ size is soon reached where the weigh; is
+ fatal and the kite cannot be made to
/ ascend
At the beginning Of his experiments Dr.
Bell took a well known form. the box
/ kite and built kites Of increasing size
/ only to find that this law was so very
much i'm evidence that nothing short Of a
| hurricane wo|I life his structure from
| the ground while as YET the size attained
was very moderate indeed. re then tried
other forms only to meet in each case
| by. that same law of limitation. At last
| after a long and wearied experience. hav-
! ing tried every form Of structure which
q fertile ingenuity could suggest he I'm
ally hit upon a means by which he ac-
tually circumvents this law or mathe-
matics-a law which high authorities have
/ long looked upon rs standing ready for
ever TO defeat the hopes Of human be
ings TO navigate the air
How is it done? Simply enough after
we have been shown how Take three
stTavs and join their ends together 80 as
/ 10 form a triangle. Then at each angle
or corner Of the figure SO formed erect
another straw OF the same length as
those first used and bring their free ends
b r.e fre He h. rr-fFH f4.r-ar 81.
formed the framework Of one Of Or
Bells famous tctrahcdrai ccIls-that is.
2 frame having four bases or sides. Now
cover any two sides. FOR ;hey are all OF
the same form and area. and one has a
one-celied Sell kite.
K is ty joining cell 70 cell that Dr
Bel building NJ his largest structures and
so defeats the Law that weight must Ia
crease faster than the spread q sur
face. for his largest kites-those having
hundreds % square feet OF suTface-rc-
main 60 every respect weight. surface
and strength. proportioned 10 those Il
tho smallest size.
Those cells have rernarkable strength
even when the pieces Of which they are
composed are cry frail. As their IN
ventor has said They are not simply
braced in two directions in SPACE Ike
triangle hut IT, :hree directions. Ike r
solid II ! mag coin word. they possess
three-diuac asonsi strength. not tzG-
dimen1onaI strength. ike n triangle. OF
one-diueaslouaI strength. ike rod. Il
IS TIE skeleton NJ q solid not ~ a SUI
face or ~ q line
These coils may be combined and used
tu-e. q house. "a barn boat has already
been framed urcn thls principle. se,.-
eral kres bulit Up q ;he-e cells ARE here
shown They are S1rpr1siaEiy HEhf ia
proportion % their expa1se - rs5rface =
frame @ tins pattern strong enough e.
hft q man weighs out twelve Tolsnds
ard what is e1uaiiy elco1raF i-E. tnsse
kites aye The best fgers ard their sta
taity. even ia atfal winds owinr o ere
angie 80 2hsch tHr ird.~fsuai caN H-r-
faces starf. leaves B;;le 70 - 6ssire1
Tke cells we're usually uaGe - hlzck
spruce and eoverei w.th tight Six ~
ver5- ere 1al1socx cotton. ~. 19v that a
practical ran Hfefn- uathiea H. Bnfsr
way. alu-iauu tubing S. b1ins use1 IN
stead ~ ere etecks ~ ETrece
The smaller Kites have been scNu f2Et
~ The tre.-ai s-zu 10y asez h.z kires
only vAh ,ae Bel H-e E b. n7t asce--
ssry 20 tua
n l1se-3 kites ~ this s5re sriss waea
being r~lIief forward tse1 sAey zlll arizg
when t@i-g propelled forward TA4s Is
Dr. Bels reasoning zad stree e
Enova b. aetasi experience tsat TerT
.seh larger lssss haze lees l.tis1 b.