Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-11

scientifically measured their flying capaci-
ty and strength. have discovered that
kites, large and small: may be made of
these units and that they are stronger in
proportion to their ssfzafand weight than
any kites ever made IA
but 7 can show yoiridnodels and photo
graphs of my work INFANTS line said Dr.
Bell He thereupon fect the room and a
little later returned bridging several large
scrap books filed wEH photographs and
also some kites and ktei frames of a pc
culiar shape.
This is the way note down my work"
said he, as he opened III scrap book II
find 1t almost impossibde,to keep a record
of inventive progress with pen or pencil
Just at the time one makes discovery he
is so Interested in going on with 1t that
he fails to put down Tact and the time
The result is there is danger of losing the
record and the possibility of establishing
his priority of the discovery. Now L have
one man who does nothing else but make
snap shots of everything I do In the way
of experiments This is one of the books
showing our Investigations in this par
ticular line" ---,I
Kites Which VIII Carry Men.
Dr. Bell here handed me the volume 1t
was filled with photographs Of kites of vari-
Gus shapes; in flight, at rest and in con-
struction Some were made of small tet-
rahedral units combined together into a
flying kite as Big as q dgoed-sized cottage
others were boats made of similar units and
others had other shapes. There were large
single kites with a framework of aluminium
tubes and small kites OF silk with wooden
frames; little kites flying from the hands
of Mrs. Bell and other ladies' of the family;
and kites so big that a steamer the
bay or a man upon horseback had to rush
along with them to raise them into the
airs J.
THE strength of the unit was shown in
many of the photographs. and also the
great power of the flying tefrahedrals
Some. Dr. Bell told me. were strong enough
seats in them where one might sit If he
wished to risk flight. Others when they
flew up from the water carried the tetrahe-
dral boats on which they rested up with
them, and DIR. Bell said that some had al
most torn the masts from the steam tug
used to raise them. There were photo
graphs OF men hanging to the framework
to test it's strength and, in short, Won
derful collection of snapshots, showing
every phase of these hundreds of expert
ments and their results.
You can easily test the sustaining power
OF each kite" said DR.. Bell as we looked
at one of the pages of the book. I'VE
know. for instance, that if it takes a horse
running at the rate of ten miles an hour
to raise a kite so that 1t may be kept in the
air an engine Of one horsepower will do the
same, provided the weight is not greater
than the power exerted by the kite as 1t
flies. We have had such kites raise into
the air bodies weighing six hundred pounds
and more. Such kite could therefore sus-
tain an engine and machinery which might
direct its flight. provided their weight al
together was not more than SIX hundred
pounds. l say this. not to indicate that L
have invented a flying machine, but merely
to give you an idea along what lines l am
working 1 am merely seeking to discover
the foundation principles upon which such
an invention must be based. When l have
reached that end 1 may try to go farther,
but not until then
FRANK G. CARPENTER.