IXVESTIGATION OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE BY MEANS OF KITES. 77 



Investigation of the Zipper Atmosphere by Means of Kites in co-opera- 

 tion u'ith a Govimittee of the I^oi/al Meteorological Society. — Report 

 of the Committee, consisting of Dr. W. N. Shaw (Chairman), Mr. 

 W. H. Dines (Secretary), Mr. D. Ajjchibald, Mr. C. Vernon Boys, 

 Dr. A. BucHAN, and Dr. H. R. Mill. 



The Committee submit the following notes, drawn up by the Secre- 

 tary :— 



On the invitation of the Committee appointed by the Royal Meteoro- 

 logical Society it was decided to hold joint committee meetings, and 

 such meetings were held on October 25, 1901 ; January 14, April 8, and 

 May 7, 1902. 



The sum of money at the disposal of the joint committee, viz., 751. 

 granted by the British Association and 251. by the Royal Meteorological 

 Society, not being sufficient to meet the necessary expenses, it was decided 

 to apply to the Meteorological Council and to the Government Grant Com- 

 mittee of the Royal Society for further assistance. The Meteorological 

 Council kindly undertook to supply the necessary instruments for a base 

 station, and the Government Grant Committee have made a grant of 751. 



Inasmuch as there is considerable risk of damage and also of injury 

 to life should a long wire carrying one or more kites break loose in a 

 thickly populated district, it was decided to make observations in some 

 thinly inhabited part, and, if possible, over the sea, so as to reduce this 

 risk to a minimum. Furthermore, as we have no information whatever as to 

 the vertical temperature gradient over the great oceans, and this know- 

 ledge is of supreme importance for theoretical meteorology, it seemed 

 desirable to work on the west coast, since the prevailing westerly winds 

 must make observations taken there equivalent, as a rule, to those taken 

 over the open sea. It was also thought that if a fair number of observa- 

 tions could be obtained at the height of Ben Nevis, but somewhere on the 

 coast in the neighbourhood of Ben Nevis, some light would be thrown 

 upon the question as to how far the temperatures taken on a mountain 

 summit differ from the temperatures of the free air in the surrounding 

 districts at the same level. 



With these objects in view I was commissioned to obtain the necessaiy 

 apparatus and erect it at some convenient spot on the west coast of 

 Scotland. 



The apparatus has been obtained and is now (June 17) erected on a 

 small island at Crinan, a small village lying at the north end of the Crinan 

 Canal, about thirty miles south of Oban, 



The apparatus consists of — 



I. Winding-in apparatus for the wii-e. 

 II. Engine and boiler to drive the same, 



III. Set of kites. 



IV. Twelve miles of steel music-wire. 

 V. Instruments. 



I. The winding-in apparatus carries two reels of 1 6 inches diameter 

 and 4 inches broad, to hold the Avire, and two strain-pulleys to reduce 



