Evening journal., 1897-08-23
MONDAY. AUGUST %. 1897.
FICTTON's PART IN CREATION

A new submarine boat. the invention
of Simon Lake. was launched at Balti-
more on Thursday. II is designed for
commercial work such as the examina-
tion Of the bottom OF rivers. and the ox-
ploration of the lower depths of lakes,
bays and seas, for lost treasure or more
practical purposes.
The Argonaut is SO feet long and 9
feet N diameter built of steel and
strongly ribbed, to resist the water
pressure. She is propelled, when on the
surface, by a White & Middleton gaso-
line engine Of 30-horse power. She also
can be propelled, while on the bottom,
by the same engine. the air supply be-
ing obtained through hose leading TO
the surface, and supported by float.
She can be propelled along the bottom
by an electric motor as well, taking
current from a powerful storage bat
terry.
A strong searchlight Is located in the
bow, capable Of lighting up a pathway
in front OF the craft as she moves along
the bed OF the ocean. Lenses are also
arranged to project beam Of light to
either side of the boat. so that objects
may be seen I'm the vicinity of the YES
sci as she passes along.
Her speed is estimated to be about
eight miles an hour on the surface, and
about five miles on the bottom. She
will have fuel Carrying capacity for
run OF about 1000 miles. The crew will
consist Of a captain, an engineer and
four divers. It is claimed that one man
can handle her If necessary.
The cigar-shaped hull has two big
iron wheels attached to II near the bow
These wheels are about as large as an
ordinary cart wheel and are of solid
metal. The edges of the wheels are
corrugated and cogged like those OF a
cog wheel A smaller wheel of a SINH
lar character is attached to the boat at
the stern. The wheels are intended to
enable the vessel to run along over the
bottom of rivers and other bodies Of
water, the propeller of the vessel sup
plying the necessary motive power
The boat will be so arranged, it is un-
derstood, that divers can come in and
go ont Of the vessel while she is on the
bottoms OF rivers.
Jules Verne opened the eyes of the
world to the great possibilities OF sub
marine navigation just as he did to the
future OF steam transportation and ex-
ploration by means Of the balloon.
When he wrote Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea-" the Nautilus
was accepted as a pleasing, but highly
impossible creation Of a gifted man
with most vivid and versatile imagi-
nation. His story of the "Tour OF the
World in Eighty Days" was read.
Phileas Fogg was admired Passepar-
tout was laughed at, Detective Fix was
detested and mathematical and Aouda
was beloved by every reader But the
world laughed at the idea Of any globe
trotter making the circuit in eighty
days and cherished the story as another
evidence OF the elasticity OF French inn
agination. But we all know that the
trip around the world can now be made
in less than eighty days.
Five Weeks in a Balloon" was writ.
ten to demonstrate that balloon could
be used to advantage in the prosecution
of African exploration. Professor An
dree is at the present time somewhere
in the Arctic regions and he merely
transferred from the equator to th'
Arctic circle the application OF julie.
Verne's idea.
There Is a mine of truth in the fictioI
Of the present century and the novel
lists clever ideas find soil and frultior
in the minds Of men who make practi
cal application of them for the ad
vancement of human happiness, com
fort and convenience. The novels o
Dickens worked a revolution in tn
court procedure of Great Britain
Charles Reade did more by his novel
to bring about prison and penal colon
reform than all the other laborers Il
that behalf. Let the good work go on
The novelist, printer and scientist wal
hand in hand in this century Of pro
gress.