248 The National Geographic Magazine 



NOTES ON THE PRECEDING ILLUSTRATIONS 



By Alexander Graham Bell 



Copyright, igoj, by the National Geographic Magazine 



Plate I. — 1. Cellular framework for 

 bod}- of Multicellular Giant Kite. Al- 

 though not built up of separate individ- 

 ual cells, the frame is composed essentially 

 of nine tetrahedral cells connected to- 

 gether, corner to corner, at the tops, 

 and held in position below by means of 

 two parallel sledge runners braced diag- 

 onally with wire. Total length, nine 

 meters (29^ feet). The diagonal wires 

 do not show in the picture, and it may be . 

 possible that the photograph was taken 

 before the rectangular part of the struct- 

 ure was braced. 



2. Cellular framework shown in No. 1 

 provided with two covered cells to con- 

 vert it from mere dead weight to be 

 carried by the superstructure into a real 

 flying structure by itself. 



3. Cellular framework shown in No. 2 

 supported in the air as a kite without 

 any superstructure whatever. It is fly- 

 ing by a rope attached to the front cell 

 and has also a stern line to facilitate 

 landing. 



4. One of the individual kites form- 

 ing the cellular unit or element of the su- 

 perstructure of the Multicellular Giant 

 Kite (formed of two triangular kites 

 one inside the other) . The superstruct- 

 ure was composed of seventy of the kites 

 shown in No. 4 tied together at the 

 corners, arranged in two sets of thirty- 

 five kites each. The seventy kites were 

 tested individually before being com- 

 bined, and each was found to fly well 

 by itself. 



Plate II. — Different views of a Multi- 

 cellular Giant Kite. The framework of 

 the body is of stout material composed 

 partly of tetrahedral cells, but the sledge 

 runners at the bottom, being parallel, 



require diagonal bracing. This same 

 body is shown in Nos. 1, 2, 3, Plate I. 

 The superstructure is of light material 

 and is composed of 70 triangular kites 

 (like that shown in No. 4, Plate I) tied 

 together at the corners and arranged in 

 two sets — one at the bow, the other at 

 the stern. 



Plate III— The Multicellular Giant 

 Kite rising into the air. The bod} 7 

 broke as the kite went up, so that no 

 photograph of the kite could be taken 

 at a higher elevation. • The light super- 

 structure seems to have escaped injur}' 

 in the air, but a few of the constituent 

 kites were broken by contact with the 

 ground and the broken framework of 

 the body: It is somewhat remarkable 

 that the stout body sticks should have 

 given way rather than the fragile sticks 

 of the superstructure. 



Plate IJ'. — Giant kites, too large to 

 pass through the double doors of the 

 storage building, had to be put together 

 in the open field. This proving to be 

 impracticable without some sort of 

 shelter from the wind, a wind-break 

 became a necessity, and I determined to 

 build one out of tetrahedral cells. After 

 the necessary number of tetrahedral 

 cells had been prepared they were put 

 together in a single day, the ridge-pole 

 being added subsequently. When the 

 kite-flying experiments ceased for the 

 season the framework was taken to 

 pieces and the tetrahedral cells em- 

 ployed in the construction of tetrahedral 

 houses — covered with tent-cloth — for 

 the shelter of sheep. The materials 

 can be reassembled at any time desired, 

 and the wind-break rebuilt in a few 

 hours. The photographs illustrate dif- 



