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Show 11 i Prof. Bell Solves I M a fa Problem l 1 Gives Exhibition of Tetrahcdral Kite w ' .Which He Believes Is Secret of Hi' ' Ijj ( Aerial Navigation. II' ' ! WASHINGTON', April 30. Prof. A. Itl;;, I 1 G. Bell today gave at Columbia p f f Station, a Virginia, suburb of j ' I "Washington, on exhibition of tho Ijj 1 1 i tetrahedral kite, which ho believes la Ijj ' j tho secret of aerial navigation. The RS I , demonstration was made to the mcm- jj i bers of tho National Geographical eo- L clcty, of which Prof. Bell was formerly Ijj , , the president. The wind was light, and I " i Tlioreforo the trials were not as su.c- I 1 cotwful ns .-xmie which ha've been made J 1 In prlvato, but concerning which much I i has been written by tho Inventor, and other scientists. Three slxteen-ccll , klteF, each said .to have a sustaining II power of seventy-five pounds, wero sent to heights varying- from 400 to 1100 feet; I (but tho wind was bo uncertain that , I the tests wero not regarded as eatis,- I factory, i Preceding the exhibition, of klte-flylng ' Prof. Bell explained briefly what h6 I '( is doing at Capo Breton where he has L hln laboratory He said that tlie ex- I pe-rlments there were on a much larger i Bcnle, but that the Idea would .be ap parent from nn examination of the kite used In the local demonstrations. The manner of construction of kites, j from the first light sticks or aluminum I tubes to the finished kite, was shown by Frof. BclL The aluminum tubes or sticks are eight inches long. Three are first used- to form a triangle and threo . I moro are jointed, to the ends of the I first triangle and formed together at I a common apex, making a figuro bounded bv four triangles. Other cells of tho sam size and weight then are takon, until sixteen form tho tetrahe-dral tetrahe-dral kite, the same size as the first cell. "Weight Is saved In putting the cells to-' to-' gether by using one stick only where I' two cells aro fitted together, go that i while one triangle requires three rods, two triangles can be mado from five 1 roads. When- covered' with silk as tho kites, the two triangles have twice the resistance power of one, but one-sixth I , ; less weight than two ordinary trlan- I, gies. The same principle of saving weight is continued further in forming the te-trahedral, te-trahedral, the Idea being that by making mak-ing the kites large enough and continuing continu-ing to save weight a sustaining power will be possible so that a motor and 1 man can bo carried. It has been asserted as-serted that hls has been, provon at the Cape. Breton laboratory, and the trials today have given the pubHo the first general understanding of how it Is done. Prof. Bell said tho motor oven-tuolly oven-tuolly would take the place' of the kite-elrlng, kite-elrlng, and that when this had been I accomplished aerial navigation would1 be established. |