unless there was a heavy pull on the string. We had better success
with the scow, however, which provided a sufficient drag on the kite,
and with the two kites to pull us we sailed a long ways up-stream,
drifting down with the current when we had gone as far as we cared to.

THE DIAMOND BOX KITE.

[Illustration: Fig. 243. The Scow Towed by Kites.]

[Illustration: Fig. 244. Cleat for Spreader.]

[Illustration: Fig. 245. Corner Stick and Spreader.]

[Illustration: Fig. 246. The Narrow Frame.]

[Illustration: Fig. 247. Tacking on the Cloth.]

[Illustration: Fig. 248. Forked End of Long Spreader.]

Professor Keeler also gave us instructions for making a diamond-shaped
box kite, and though we never built one, it may not be amiss to publish
his instructions here. I quote from the chronicles of the S. S. I. E. E.
of W. C. I.:

"Materials: Four sticks, 1/4 inch thick by 5/8 inch wide by 44 inches
long, for the corner sticks. Two sticks, 1/4 inch thick by 5/8 inch wide
by 15 inches long, for the short spreaders. Two sticks, 1/2 inch square
by about 38 inches long, for the long spreaders. Two strips of cloth 81
inches long, hemmed at each edge to a width of 13 inches. Whittle out
twelve cleats to the form shown in Fig. 244. At the ends of the 15-inch
spreaders nail cleats on each side with long wire brads, so as to form
forks, as shown in Fig. 245, in which two of the corner sticks are held.
The short spreaders are fastened to the corner sticks, 7 inches from the
ends, with brads driven through the cleats, making the frame (as in Fig.
246). To prevent the frame from skewing off sidewise it should be braced
with wire running diagonally across from one corner stick to the other.
Ordinary soft stovepipe wire will do. Care must be taken to have the
spreaders meet the corner sticks squarely or at right angles. Now take
one of the cloth strips and sew its ends together to form a band. The
end should be lapped about an inch and fastened with the sailor stitch
(see Fig. 223). The same should be done to the other cross strip, and
then each band should be marked off with pencil lines at four points,
all equidistant from each other. The two bands may now be tacked to the
two ends of the frame with opposite pencil lines over the edges of the
corner sticks, as in Fig. 247. The two remaining corner sticks are then
nailed to the bands at the two other pencil lines. These corner sticks
will now be braced apart by the long spreaders,