The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-14
AN EYE OF FIRE.
Wonderful Submarine Exploration BY Means o
the Electric Light.


Chicago Times.
When it was discovered that an arti-
fetal light that very closely resembles
the natural light of day could be Iro-
cured from electricity, and that it could
be so easily provided as to take, in a
great measure, the place of gas for light
ing purposes everybody was naturally
astonished and thought that the cleo
tricians were the greatest men on
earth. The new system was hardly old
enough to be an assured success before
lot of wise men began considering the
ACCESSIBILITY of devoting this light to a
greater purpose than that of
merely lighting up the humdrum of
everyday life.
As an experiment a small incandescent
light was thrust beneath the water in
fountain. The effect was superb while
it lasted, but the water managed to
work its way into the globe, and the
light was extinguishe6. This gave the
electricians something to think about,
and they began immediately to rack
their brains for means of keeping the
water away from the source of light.
A coating of rubber was finally placed
over the joint where the glass globe joins
the DTdSS UOiueT. anu over LniS was
drawn rubber bag that fitted tightly
over the top of the globe and around
the pipe through which the wire passed
| This promised to be successful, but a
brief experiment showed that the glass
was not strong enough to stand the
| pressure of water, and, after being ey-
| posed to it for a short time, would col
| lapse. A globe was then made of plate
glass that proved able to stand the
| strain.
For some time this was only used in
| lighting up fountains by way an orna-
Inent. Then it occurred to Professor
| Baird of the United States Fish Com
mission that if light could be used
under water it would prove of great add
vantage to him in his search for fish
| that never allowed themselves to be
caught by any of the old-fashioned
methods. He believed that there ex-
| listed at great depth in the ocean va
| rious kinds of fish that had never been
seen. Every body who has ever lived
near the water knows that favorite
| method of catching eels is to lure them
within spearing distance by bright
| light placed III the bow of boat. Ligh {
| not only attracts eeis but nearly every
| thing else that lives in the water, and
| the Professor was sure that if light
could be made to live at great depth
! in the water the reward would be great.
The steamer Aibatross of the commits
sion was provided with an engine and a
| dynamo. A liberal supply of heavy
glass globes that would hold light
equal to the lighting power of one hun
dred candl4s was placed on board, and
equipped with other necessary articles,
such as lot of insulated wire, a large
/ Nv of Ityht Gtr q
| number of heavy weights to serve as
| sinkers, the steamer started out. The
| attempt was unsuccessful, for at depth
of 600 fathoms the pressure was so
great upon the globe that it broke. An
other trial was speedily made with heav-
| Ter globes, ana they We're found able to
stand the pressure of any depth to
which they could be sunk. But the most
wonderful part of this trial trip, which
took place something like three years
ago, was related to Secretary Frank S.
| Hastings, Of the Edison Electric Light
| Company, by Prof. Baird.
AT point near the Bahamas, accord
ing to the Professor. the light was
dropped overheard and sunk by means
| of heavy weights to nearly one thous-
| and fathoms below the surface On the
I deck of the vessel stood the crew with
nets ready to drop them under the fish
| that We're lured from their homes in the
great depth. The light was allowed to
remain in the water for some time, and
then it was slowly raised. 1t looked like
! the reflection of star in the water at
| first, and its rays were seen, and in them
were visible the forms of dartIng fish.
| The light soon lit up the water for twenty
| feet around, and weird assortment of
| fish that had never been heard of be-
| fore was seen.
When near the surface the entrails of
| some of these fish burst from their
| mouths. THE Professor ascribed this, >
said Mr.. Hastings, ''to the inward pres
sure. Nature had made them so that
i they could live in the great depths in
which they were found, and when this
| pressure of the deep water was removed
| there was counteracting force that
killed Them
| The dead fish were Just as useful for
! the purpose for which the Professor
wanted them as live ones, and he gath
| cred in a great many rare and curious
| specimens without much trouble. The
| light was also used to good purpose for
| discovering the various depths in which
| different kinds of fish lived