MESSENGERS.
[Illustration: FIG. 138.]
All are more or less familiar with the piece of paper with a hole in
it that is slipped over the string of a kite high in the air. The
wind catches it and whirls it along, until it finally reaches its
destination, the kite. Sometimes urgent business demands several
communications to the kite, so several pieces of paper are seen
whirling at various distances from the boy, making their way, now
slowly, now faster, overtaking, falling behind and so on until they
fulfill their mission. Such is the usual kite messenger.
[Illustration: FIG. 139.]
[Illustration: FIG. 141.]
[Illustration: FIG. 142.]
[Illustration: FIG. 140.]
=A clever little messenger= was described by Nungent in _St. Nicholas,_
for October, 1900. This has been modified and used at a number of kite
tournaments. It is in the form of a little yacht, and has a beam on
which is attached two pulleys under which the kite line runs, a mast
that carries the sail and that also extends downward thru the hull to
carry a weight that holds the yacht upright. The mast slants backward
a little so as to brace against the pull of the sail. The sail is held
up by a string that is attached to an easy trip, and when released the
sail drops and the yacht returns down the kite line to the operator by
gravity. Fig. 138 shows a complete model with sail up as it appears on
the up trip. Fig. 139 shows the various parts: the beam, _a_, is made
of a light wood, ¼” × ½” × 15”, portions are cut away to reduce weight;
the mast _b_, is round, ¼” in diameter at bottom, tapering to a point
at the top, is 29½” long, 9” below the beam and 20” above; the mast is
lashed to the side of the beam; _c_ and _d_ are yard arms, _c_ being
16” and _d_ 14” long and both about ⅛” to 3/16” thru; _c_ is lashed
above the beam, and _d_ is hung by a thread 15” higher up. A thread
is run from each end of both yard arms to the top of the metal loop
supporting the back pulley wheel. The threads are for the purpose
of preventing twisting of the sail. The sail is of some light soft
material that is very pliable in the breeze. Some use silk, others soft
cotton, and some paper. I used a Chinese tissue paper sail and found
it very satisfactory; it lasted several seasons. The strong way of the
paper should be put on up and down. The sail is pasted or sewed to the
yard arms. The sail line is a piece of linen thread that is fastened
to the middle of the upper yard arm, passing thru a loop made of small
wire, _u_, which is lashed to the mast, see Fig. 140. The line then
passes to the eye of the wire forming the trip on the side of the beam,
see Fig. 141. _t_ is a small nail in the side of the beam _a_; _m_ is
a long slim wire nail with an eye bent at the top and two bends at
right angles about half way down. A piece of small spring brass wire
will do as well as the slim nail. A small round wooden stick, _e_, not
larger than ⅛” at the largest end and about 14” long lies loosely in
the screw-eyes, _r_ and _s_, under the beam. The end of the hook that
the sail line is fastened to passes down thru a small hole in the end
of the small stick _e_. A weight, _p_, is secured to the lower end of
the mast to prevent overturning of the yacht, and a piece of light
cardboard is used for the hull.
=The pulley wheels= can be turned on a lathe or small metal ones,
especially aluminum can be used. Strips of tin make good frames for the
wheels, and are attached to both sides of the beams. If wooden wheels
are used, care should be taken to see that the holes are in the center.
Wire nails make good axles. The kite line is liable to jump out the
grooves of the wheels, so small screw-eyes placed in the beam just in
front and behind each wheel will keep the kite line in place. It may be
an advantage to press the eye together some so as to make an elongated
hole, Fig. 142. Some care will be necessary to see that the screw-eyes
are screwed in just the right distance so as to prevent the string from
resting on the screw-eyes instead of the grooved wheels.
[Illustration: FIG. 144.]
[Illustration: FIG. 145.]
[Illustration: [TN: Image missing] FIG. 143.]
=The Release.= The sail is tripped by the stick, _e_, being pushed
against an obstruction of cardboard fastened perhaps three hundred feet
from the kite, see Fig. 143. The reason for placing it away from the
kite is that when the weight comes on the kite line, the last part of
the trip is very steep; by placing the obstruction some distance from
the kite this difficulty is largely overcome.
As a final warning, the sail line should just be tight enough to hold
the sail in place while going up and not tight enough to prevent easy
tripping when _e_ touches the obstruction disk. Some put on elastic
bands to pull the sail down quickly when it is tripped. The nearer
the sail can float out straight behind on the return trip, the less
resistance there will be to the breeze. Some even go so far as to have
a little rolling up device for the sail. A thread should be attached to
the beam and to the little rod _e_ to prevent its falling out on the
down trip.
The Chinese and Japanese sometimes have little messengers that are
released when a punk burns down so as to burn off a supporting thread.
This might be applied to parachutes too. Another good device but which
is not self-propelling on the upward trip is the trolley car, Fig. 144.
The car is pulled up the kite line to a trip, when it is released and
returns by gravity. The pulley block is tied into the kite line, Fig.
145. The line below the block passes thru the car under a little roller
on the inside of the car at each end. The car can be made up of any
light material, but need not be as light as self propelled devices, the
weight being an advantage on the downward run. The line that pulls the
car up passes around the grooved pulley, thru the guides in the pulley
block and one end goes to the car while the other goes to the operator.
A release is necessary, and perhaps a little sharp blade like a safety
razor blade will be as effective as any, Fig. 146. In Fig. 147 another
trip is shown in which a wire is bent, as at _a_. This wire passes up
thru the upper portion of the roof at _b_, and passes thru screw-eyes
_c_ and _d_; _d_ is bent forward. The lower portion of the wire as
represented is much longer than the upper, and when it touches the
pulley block is pushed back, and the shorter portion is pushed back of
screw-eye _d_, which releases the small ring, _e_, to which the pulling
line to the operator is attached, and also sets free the car to run
down the kite line. This last is not a difficult attachment and seems a
little more scientifically mechanical.
[Illustration: FIG. 146.]
[Illustration: FIG. 147.]
There are other ways of effecting the release. A good pulling kite is
necessary, as in the excitement of pulling up the car, more strain is
put on the kite than one would realize. If a race is on, a fishing
reel would be an advantage. This last messenger is not limited to the
street car, but the form might be a locomotive and train, an automobile
or an air ship. The latter might have adjustable wings so as to be
open to the breeze on the up trip and so be self propelling as in the
yacht, and by releasing that which holds the wings open, they will
close up, and the messenger would be ready for the down trip. In the
messenger races, it is necessary to measure the string. At a tournament
it is necessary to do this beforehand. It is not necessary, but more
interesting, to have all the contestants operating at the same time. In
case all cannot operate together, each can be timed. Some very comical
devices might be devised as messengers, not so much for speed as for
amusement. Certain motions might be developed that would add much to
the entertainment of all.