The telegraph manual: a complete history and description of the semaphoric, electric and magnetic telegraphs of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, ancient and modern.

60 STATIC ELECTRICITY.
THE FRANKLIN KITE EXPERIMENT.
The experiment made by Franklin was in June, 1752; the
description of which will be found in the following:
Fig. 2.
"He prepared his kite by making a small cross of two light
strips of cedar, the arms of sufficient length to extend to the
four corners of a large silk handkerchief stretched upon them;
to the extremities of the arms of the cross he tied the corners
of the handkerchief. This being properly supplied with a tail,
loop, and string, could be raised in the air like a common paper
kite; and being made of silk, was more capable of bearing
rain and wind. To the upright arm of the cross was attached
an iron point, the lower end of which was in contact with the
string by which the kite was raised, which was a hempen cord.
At the lower extremity of this cord, near the observer, a key
was fastened: and in order to intercept the electricity in its
descent, and prevent it from reaching the person who held the
kite, a silk ribbon was tied to the ring of the key, and continued to the hand by which the kite was held.
Furnished with this apparatus, on the approach of a storm,
he went out upon the commons near Philadelphia, accompanied
by his son, to whom alone he communicated his intentions,
well knowing the ridicule which would have attended the report of such an attempt should it prove to be unsuccessful.
Having raised the kite, he placed himself under a shed, that
the ribbon by which it was held might be kept dry, as it would