The morning times., 1896-10-11
tCopyright, 1s96.l

tCopyr1Sht, l"'"''
For originality and luxury Aiiiei''"h'
are thought 10 surpass the worid' pu' a'
their efforts have been outdnne by an
E,g,is,,man. whose recent happy Thought
plaoes him in the front rank Of inventors
and dis,,ovcrerS besides setting tim DOWN
~, ,,c a,lhor OF 4 new means Of amuse-
meDt.
This Englishman, whose name is Pent-
land, has built a house In the middle oi
a lake upon his country property, ana ne
IS entertaining tie celebrities of England
and SEQ. land in this submarine abode.
The plan of The house is not unlike that
ur other homes. There is dining-rooin,
q small reception room and servants
quarters There have. been no sleeping
rooms bult as yet, as the guests go home
every night and sleep on land. But That
is n small matter yet to follow. The house
as il stands would drive Jules Verne, VITO
thought his Nautilus barely possible, TO the
vtrS v.Ise OF insanity with realized JOY
Upon th.' estate of this Englishman there
was small lake five miles in circumfer-
cncc and perhaps q mile across at Inc
widest This makes fair sized lake Tor
purposes of beauty and for fishing, hut Tor
sailing a yacht il was far too small Tor
pleasure Oncday while reading scientific
book a thought came to the owner Of the
lake
DIGGING THE FOUNDATION.
Calling together his landscape gardener,
his consulting engineer and some drainage
experts, lie ordered them to drain the lake
dry and make ii possible TO work within
the excavation where the lake was.
As soon as the water was drained off
by temporary pipes, he called his work
men and set them digging upon trench.
II was for q foundation to a future home.
In the bottom of the trench was laid
concrete. Above that was stone tightly
sealed. Above that was more concrete
Then came solid flooring, into which
no water could possibly penetrate. no more
than through a stone pier.
Now from the foundation of the struc-
ture there were erected walls of solid
plate glass. These were very heavy, and
there We're several thickuesses of them to
make the walls strong and proof against
The beating of waves. Last OF all
glass roof was laid on. This work went
slowly along. because it had To be done
in the most careful manner. The smallest
error, one unprotected crack, weak place
III any part of the work, and the house
would not have been water tight.
Leading from this glass house in the
middle of the lake a passageway WIS
built. This had a stone floor, glass sides
and n glass top. II led TO land upon the
shores of the lake. Here a beautiful
lodge was constructed and fully furnished.
At the rear of the lodge was door which
opened upon a flight of stone steps. in
closed with glass. down which one could
travel through the glass passage into the
glass house beyond. Nothing more com.
ple'e could have been invented.
The matter Of supplying air was an i'm
portant consideration. 1t could be done
with pipes, butpipes are never ornamental
and the whole was to have an aesthetic
aspect Incompatible with the idea of lead
and tubing. Another happy thought came
70 the inventor.
WATER LILY DRAINAGE.
lie ordered quantity of large artificial
water lilies made. These were to lie upon
the surface of the water, while their stems,
big and hollow would reach down TO the
house below Being such large hollow
the inmates of the glass house a small
apartment where the engineer and his
pumps were locatedi in the rearof the house,
would communicate with the lily stem
pipes, and thus air would be freely sup.
piled TO the rest of the house. There wcr,
cluster after cluster of these lilies, enough
TO positively insure a supply OF fresh
air
when al was done the water was turned
back into the lake In IL ran with a rusl
and a swirl, but the glass house stood
firm, and the lilies on top of the watci
responded with supply of air, while tn,
pumps inside sent back the bad air 10 othel
lily pipes. II worked much as diver;
suit Is managed, but without the danger
The house, now thatit stands completed
Is worth a long journey to see. If openet
as "A museum Of living curiosities IL would
be filed night and day with visitors
Within all is quiet as at the dead OF night
The peculiar stiffness is what first strikes
a visitor. Positively not a sound Is heard
Then you notire the peculiar surroundings
Swimming all around you outside the glass
houses are fish of every description. You
Zee shellfish near the bottom, rea,hins
upward with their rasping claws, and above
them are the big fish, mouthing their wa y
through the water, while the little ones
scurry to get out of their way, their fin,
Tapping like submarine fans, and theil
scales giistening like chips of sunlight.
ELECTRIC SHOW UNDER WATER.
The house itself is lighted by electricity
Otherwise the light below wout. be din
aud half the glories OF the water lost
With these lights glowing there Is n posi-
tive picnic under the sea all the time
The fish rush towards the brilliant light
beating their heads against tile glass. ant
the more sluggish OF the marine inhabitant,
drag themselves there to lie alougsid,
the stone foundation and bask in the light
It may be curiosity that brings them there
or it may be the hope of warmth, but tber
they nrc swimming close in such grea
quantities that at times the water look
Ike sea of phosphorus Strange to say
at this depth of perhaps fifteen feet III
water has a green look, verging to black
and recalls unspeakably Bayard Taylor
emerald sea.
With such a multitude of the finn,
family floating around it. it is not TO b.
wondered at that a mind 50 sportsman