The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-22
BOAT THAT WOULD BE FINE IN
THESE WATERS
Principle of the Old Telescope-A
Novel View Is acknowledgements
tion of Ocean Life.

The principle of the water telescope,
so long used by fishermen to detect
the presence of fish far below the sur
face of the water, has been successful
! ly applied to the construction of
pleasure boat
with glass bottom has been con-
structed by Newfoundland genius
and the experiment has proven sue
cess to the extent that occupants of
the boat can, while cruising about, see
distinctly objects many feet below the
surface of the sea.
The little craft darts every day
through the water of Trinity bay,
Newfoundland, and creates as much
wonder and speculation among the
simple minded natives as would the
appearance of strange fish. At pres
ent the little glass-bottomed craft S
used by it's owner and inventor simply
for pleasure and an amateurs study
of the mysteries and curiosities of the
waters of the bay.
But Pierre st. Felix, the inventor
and owner of this curious craft, eX
poets to make a comfortable living
out of it, He has had the idea for his
boat ever since, as a fisher lad at Cat
alma. he made his first water glass by
setting a bit of window glass in the
bottom of rusty tin can. He noticed
how, when he put this glass-bottomed
can below the surface of the water, so
many feet into the depths of the wat
er. AS he leaned over the side of his
boat, looking into the water until he
was stiff in the back, little Pierre
thought what a good idea. il would be
if he could fix his glass in the boats
bottom, so that he could see the water
without bending over. He kept his
idea to himself, however, and it was
not until the present year, when he is
a grown man with many years of ex-
perience with the danger of the rough
=
and one that is likely to carry him
past the necessity of dangerous work
forever.
The greater part of the eighteen
feet of st. Felix's boat on the bottom
is taken up with the glass. 1t is ar
ranged in three divisions, fitted close
with strips of heavy leather at the
edges to prevent leaking. The glass
is an inch thick.
Ranged along the length of the boat,
so as to enclose the glass on every
side, there are fixed chairs, arranged
in position so that Il sitter many look
downward without the slightest effort.
Catalina is sixty miles north of st.
Johns, and every year many visitors
have been in the habit of going there
for no other purpose than to look into
the water through the rough water
of the bay is particularly clear, and
under ordinary conditions a depth OF
fifteen feet can be examined. With
the completion of his boat st. Felix
Immediately monopolized the greater
number of visitors, and many curious
sights were seen. The bay abounds in
curious fish, for close to the shore
there are more than $4,000 varieties.
IIammer-headed sharks keep just be-
yond the reach of those who hunt for
them, swordtish sport gayly about,
and, as seen through the bottom of ST
, Felix's water boat, make a strange
, contrast to the shoals of Goldfish. Far
down below the multitude of fish the
. great beds of seaweed wave in grace
full folds, making a background for
the sights above.
Aside from its possibilities as a
unique pleasure craft, the glass-bot-
toned boat is of immense advantage
: to scientists, who can, by means of it,
, make uninterrupted observations of
, marine life as it exists in it's natural
, state below the surface of the sea. In
clear, calm water objects far below the
surface can be distinctly seen and mo-
tion noticed.