The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-19

tUulktA OF temperature OF tUe upper
air from day 90 night
Il Is usually colder nj high nlt!-
tudes than near the ground, espo-
clally in tho summer time. one day
last July, when Broken Arrow in
hAbltants were sw6ltering under q
temperature Of 90 degrees. n kito at
n height OF three miles was floating
in n wintry wind OF so degrees and
when brought quickly down was still
icy. The kito wire furnishes n good
path for lightning II the kites are
caught out in a thunderstorm. Twice,
at this station, the lightning has
struck the wire and converted It Into
largo volume of'smoke. However.
a heavy copper cable carries the
discharge from tho reel into tn"
ground so that the kite-man inside
the reclhouse Ia in little danger.
AlPs not always plain sailing for
| tho kito flier, according TO Reihle.
| This Is how he tells It:
THE greatest strain on the good
nature OF the kito flier IS 10 have n
long string OF kites rise from n light
wind into stiff gale al higher
altitude, with the pun on the wire
increasing from 100 pounds 10 200
ana then 800 pounds; then zing! tho
wire has broken and tho kites are
leaving for parts unknown. Then
tho kito-mcn are I'm for n week or
moro OF searching, perhaps over
muddy roads and fields, through
river bottom swamps and forests,
until the missing kltos are re-
covered.
Cut Down Two Trees.
"Ono January day in 1921 the
Kites broke away and started off to-
ward the east, Men, in n truck be-
longing at the station, Immediately
| started after them but tho roads
were 50 muddy that progress was
very slow, About an hour before
| dark we came upon them flying
| over forest in tho Nerdigrls river
| bottoms. Tho end Of the wire had
| thrown n hitch around small
| branch IN tho ton OF n tan tree.
| with darkness coming on, aud the
probability that 10 the tree were cut
/ tho kitcs would break loose again and
/ go further into tho forest. Il was de-
! cldod 10 let them fly until morning
/ Just as we were starting home we
/ found that the gasoline was all gone
ana only tho generosity OF n farmer
IN selling us some enabled us 10 re-
/ turn TO the station. on returning the
/ next morning II was found that tho
| wire had changed trees ana had
| gone n milo or moro deeper into tho
! Forest After considerable search
l the anchorage of the kites was
found; after two trees were cut the
wire was brought within reach and
tho kites were lowered by wrapping
the wire around stump.
! Despite numerous brcnkaWavs
| inc Kites have usually been returned
10 the station without difficulty. BUT
on one occasion when tho kites came
down near the Curtis southwest fIy-
ing field, northeast Of Tulsa. some.
one picked up Kite which WAS LETT
tied down near tho roadside and
carried IL off II was traced along
the road and several days later was
found I'm a secluded corner 10 miles
from whore II was picked up. When
We tounds the kltC and claimed IL we
were threatened with sudden and
severe bodily harm by the now pro-
prietor who defied us TO touch the
Kite, unless We paid dollar for
services rendered in restoring tho
KITE 10 our possession. In due time.
however the irgsCihle guardian re-
Tented and let us bring away tho
kite"
Pilot balloons are released twice
daily, morning and afternoon. from
tho station, and within 80 minutes
have reached an altitude Of $4,000
feet The balloons, filled with hydro
gen gas, mount very rapidly. The
balloon Is watched until il enters the
clouds, disappears or bursts. The
instrument OF observation Is tho
theodolide, n kind of glorifiod teIe-
scope, through which one can see 30
miles up and away. In n fcw min o.
utes after the observation Is finished
the path OF the balloon Is plotted on
a plotting-hoard and the speed and
direction OF the wind are known for
every minute that the balloon was
observed.
Real Dope for Avlators.
! Pilot balloons sometimes show a
wind blowing IN the opposite direc.
tion, at a moderate elevation, from
the wind direction at the surface.
These observations from different
parts OF the country form the basis
for Flying weather forecasts" issued
at Washington, and show the aviator
! the best altitude TO maintain for