ELECTRICALKITE
ToPeterCollinson
[Philadelphia], Oct.19, 1752.
Sir, AsfrequentmentionismadeinpublicpapersfromEuropeofthesuccessofthePhiladelphiaexperimentfordrawingtheelectricfirefromcloudsbymeansofpointedrodsofironerectedonhighbuildings, &c., itmaybeagreeabletothecurioustobeinformed, thatthesameexperimenthassucceededinPhiladelphia, thoughmadeinadifferentandmoreeasymanner, whichisasfollows:
Youwillfinditstreamoutplentifullyfromthekeyontheapproachofyourknuckle.
Makeasmallcrossoftwolightstripsofcedar, thearmssolongastoreachtothefourcornersofalarge, thinsilkhandkerchiefwhenextended; tiethecornersofthehandkerchieftotheextremitiesofthecross, soyouhavethebodyofakite; whichbeingproperlyaccommodatedwithatail, loop, andstring, willriseintheair, likethosemadeofpaper; butthisbeingofsilk, -pointedwire, , nextthehand, istobetiedasilkribbon, andwherethesilkandtwinejoin, -gustappearstobecomingon, andthepersonwhoholdsthestringmuststandwithinadoororwindow, orundersomecover, sothatthesilkribbonmaynotbewet; , thepointedwirewilldrawtheelectricfirefromthem, andthekite, withallthetwinewillbeelectrified, , sothatitcanconducttheelectricfirefreely, ; andfromelectricfirethusobtained, spiritsmaybekindled, andalltheelectricexperimentsbeperformed, whichareusuallydonebythehelpofarubbedglassglobeortube, andtherebythesamenessoftheelectricmatterwiththatoflightningcompletelydemonstrated.
.
THEWAYTOWEALTH
(From "FatherAbraham'sSpeech," formingtheprefacetoPoorRichard'sAlmanacfor1758.)
