Omaha daily bee., 1911-11-12
RRz1E Ro7E xRcH NHEEE KzZzGS ARE EZODV

that It will test the temperature from 40
degrees below zero to 100 degrees above
It. The thermometer in the kite that
reached the highest flight recorded "a
temperature of 20 degrees below zero
and this was sent up from Mount
Weather the 9th of August In the face
of the hottest sun of the dog days. The
kite that went up In April of that year,
reaching 23,1O0 feet, recorded tempera-
ture of II degrees below zero, so that
supposing other things to have been
equal, the difference OF temperature in
the 700 feet of these two kites showed a
falling off of IL degrees. The ink used
for recording such flights has to be
carefully made and the oil which lubri-
Gates the machinery must work down
to forty degrees OF cold.
II is important that the weather sell
entists know the conditions OF the upper
air, and the records made by these daily
flights are telegraphed to the other bu-
reaus all over the country as soon as the
kites come down.
How the Kites Are Made.
During my stay here have ex-
amined two dozen OF these weather
bureau kites. They are not like the
great paper shields with floating tails
which l flew in my boyhood. They are
different from the dragon kites OF
China or the great aerial fishes of the
japanese. In fact, they have no tails
at all, and they are mighty boxes,
which soar and shoot through the air
They are of different sizes and kinds
There is the hlgh-wind kite. the mod
erate-wlnd kite and the light-wlnd kite
The larger ones are about seven feet in
height, over six feet wide and from one
to three feet thick. l took one into
the open, and Prof. Henry and myself,
both Of whom are fairly tall were photo
graphed beside it. 1t reached more than
"a foot above our heads.
These great kites are made of sticks
Of straight-grained spruce. put together
In a skeleton forming two boxes with
sticks between. The boxes have neither
tops nor bottoms, but they are covered
with the finest and stron sest of cambrlc
and are braced with fine plano wire.
Every bit of the kite is carefully studied.
Almost as much care has been taken in
selecting the material as Edison takes
In the making OF new filament for an
electric light The elastic cord for the
] biANitS lb lilduuluCIuTGO especially LOT
the weather bureau, and IL consists OF
thin strips Of rubber about a quarter
OF an inch thick tightly bound in a
cloth cover so that 1t forms a small
rope flve-eighths of an inch in diameter.
The elasticity of the rubber protects the
kite from sudden gusts of wind by allow
ing It to take a smaller angle and thus
diminishing the pull The kite cloth Is
often waterproof, consisting or a mer-
cerlzed silk. which sheds the water better
than the cnmbric. Such kites are used
on foggy days.
The pull of these kites H. enormous.
No ordinary setting or cord will hold
them, and the man who would attempt 10
ny them by hand might find himself soar
ing with them toward the clouds. The
cord used here Is tho finest of steel wire,
which is wrapped around a roller and
reeled out and in by means of a power
ful electric motor.
The kites are flown from the kite
house. little building which looks llk,
a Dutch windmill, save that It lacks the
arms which excited Don Quixote and
made him imagine the mill demon as
they flew about through the air inside
this house is the reel with about ten miles
Of this wire wrapped around It. The wire
l am told, is so strong that a single
strand OF It viii support 200 pounds. You
could fasten two OF those wires to the
ceiling Of the east room Of tho White
House and President Taft could swing
upon them and be safe from falling
Nevertheless, the wire Is not as thick
as a darning needle, and it is so flexible
that you can tie It like string
Balloon Investigations.
In addition to the kites. Uncle Sam ha,
now system OF balloon recording Of tn.
weather: lie makes balloons OF different
kinds and sends them up at the variou.
stations over the United ESTATES to brln4
down records OF the upper air. Thes,
are sent up from day 10 day, and the re-
suits are telegraphed all over the coun
try. 1t is partially from them that oul
weather forecasts come. These ballooni
are filled with hydrogen Of quality
which IS difficult to obtain. Indeed, ther
are only one or two places IN the countr,
where II can be had. The result is tina
the government makes It's own hydrogen
and II has a great machine for the pur
pose here at Mount Weather. HYDROGEN
you know Is one Of the t@o gases VIM.
form water. The other gas is oxygen
The oxygen has 20 be taken out and onl,
the pure hydrogen left This is done b.
means OF electricity the machine FOR m,
purpose having been imported from
Switzerland. The hydrogen Is stored o.
little round cylinders, each about
thick and long as the leg OF the averap
man. The cylinders are sealed so tina