. American engineer and railroad journal . of calico,in which hems were turned at the top and at the two sides,in order to form cases for the sticks of the frame, the loweredge of the kite being left uncased, in order to producebagging and consequent increase of lifting power. At the small end of the cone a couiile of thin metallic tongues werefastened, which, thrown into vibratiiui l)y the wind rushingthrough the cone, produced a howling sound which mightnotify the shipwrecked sailors of the approach of the ap-jiaratus, and tlie whole arrangement, as will readily be per-ceived, was quite chea
. American engineer and railroad journal . of calico,in which hems were turned at the top and at the two sides,in order to form cases for the sticks of the frame, the loweredge of the kite being left uncased, in order to producebagging and consequent increase of lifting power. At the small end of the cone a couiile of thin metallic tongues werefastened, which, thrown into vibratiiui l)y the wind rushingthrough the cone, produced a howling sound which mightnotify the shipwrecked sailors of the approach of the ap-jiaratus, and tlie whole arrangement, as will readily be per-ceived, was quite cheap and readily rigged up or foldedaway, no matter how large it might be. Tile writer does not know whether this apparatus evercame into practical use. It has here been figured in orderto show how a cone can be applied to a kite in order toimpart stability to the latter, but the arrangement wouldneed to be greatly modified in order to admit of its utiliza-tion in an aeroplane, so as not unduly to increase the resist-ance to forward Fig. —1887. In 1886 and 1887 ^M. Maillot, a French rope-maker, triedquite a series of experiments with the kite represented infig. (>8. This was constructed of poles and canvas, in theshape of a regular octagon ; it measured 77.) sq. ft. in area,about o2 ft. across, and weighed Hi.) lbs. It had neitherbalancing head nor tail, and was so poised by the bridle ofattachment that the center of pull corresponded to a pointonly one-third of the distance back from the front edge, orto a spot, therefore, decidedly forward of the center of press-ure, at the comparatively coarse angles (30° to (iO) usuallyassumed by kites. This angle of incidence it was intendedto regulate by a cord, attached to the rear edge and carriedto the seat swung beneath the kite for the operator, whomight then, by hauling in or paying out this cord, regulatethe angle of incidence and cause the kite to rise or to was intended to furnish the longitudinal
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectrailroadengineering
