One of the most interesting applications of the kite, but a thoroughly
practical one, is its use in photography. This has been
entirely developed within the past year or two; indeed the first
kite-photograph taken on the American continent was one made by
Mr. Eddy's camera on May 30, 1895. Although some attempts in this
direction had been previously made in Europe, this was the first
clearly focused kite-photograph obtained. The previous ones had been
blurred, owing to defects in the devices for swinging the camera
apparatus from the kite-cord, and for loosening the shutter. Mr.
Eddy's apparatus will be better understood from the accompanying
cut than from any description. In a general way it is a wooden frame
capable of holding the camera, and terminating behind in a long stick
or boom, by means of which the camera is made to point in any desired
direction or at any angle. This is arranged before sending up the
apparatus, the boom being properly placed and held in position by
means of guy cords from the main kite-line. A separate line hangs
from the spring of the camera shutter, with which is also connected
a hollow ball of polished metal supported in such a way that it will
drop from its position, five or six feet through the air, when the
camera cord is pulled. The purpose of this ball is to allow the
operator on the ground to be sure that the camera has responded to his
pull and that the desired photograph has been taken. He is assured of
this, having given the pull, on seeing the flash made by the polished
ball in its fall.
All this being arranged, it is only necessary to send the camera up
to any desired altitude and pull the camera cord, in order to get
photographs of wide-stretching landscapes, extensive cities, like New
York, and panoramas of every description. Such photographs could
not but be of the greatest value to geologists, mountain climbers,
surveyors, and explorers. And they must possess particular interest
for students of geography and for map-makers.