The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-06-21
SUBOCEANPHOT0GRAPH
PICTURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN sue.
CESSFULLY UNDER WATER.

Artificial Light Can Be Employed-Great
Benefits May I;e Obtained in the Ex-
animation of Sunken Wrecks-Nore
Valuable Than Divers Observations.
Professor Louis Boutar, of the Sor-
bonne, has written an article For the
Century describing his successful ex-
periments in Submarine Photogra-
ply" Professor Boutan, descending
in e diving suit, took number OF
photographs of the bottom CT the sea
at various depths. Some Of these pic
lures are reproduced in the article,
including one taken by magnesium
light. Professor Boutan says:
The extent of the surface of the
earth covered by water is vast, since
it far surpasses that of the dry land.
What do we know of this part of the
globe hidden by the seas and oceans?
Very little, it must be admitted. TX
cept along the Immediate edge Of these
immense bowls which can be explored
in diving-bells, the means which
naturalists have at their disposal for
examining these depths are most rudl-
mentary. Nobody can go down into
them, as the tremendous pressure OF
the water renders this impossible.
For a long time, therefore, it was
imagined that the bottom OF the sea
was one vast extent of mud, without
the presence of living things; but
numerous scientific expeditions fin
ally proved that such was not the case,
and that multitude Of curious and
even fantastic animals were to be
found there.
The product of aa--''iBgle catch, IN.
Guiding many sharks, as made by us at
the Arago laboratory, convinced me
that at depth of eight hundred
meters the bottom of the ocean is full
of life. All these big sharks are car
nivorous. In order to live, these AMI
mails must eat other animals; so there
must be many other animals whence
these come, although we know almost
nothing about them.
As regard the sea, the naturalist is
in much the same situation as would
be an inhabitant of the moon who
could live in ethereal space, but could
not breathe the air which envelops
our earth. Let us suppose that this
voyager from the ethereal regions
should come in contact with our at
mosphere. He would float about tue
highest strata without being able to
penetrate them, separated from the
earth by the gases which surround 1t.
What must he do if he wishes to know
something of what exists below the
layer of clouds which hide our globe
from his view? He would do as our
naturalists have done-construct
dredges and nets, and, having weight
ed them, would let them down like
the anchor of balloon and try and
pull them along the surface OF the
earth. Do you think tnat with such
primitive instruments he could obtain
very precise ideas of the terrestrial
globe? Every agile animal would fee
before the apparatus. which, iflt did not
get,irretriev evabiy caught in some oak,
rock, or lofty factory chimney, might
bring back, after having scrsped for
some time along the surface OF the
earth, bits of leaves, pebbles mingled
with soil, etc., all of whlchS however,
could give only avery vague idea con-
cerning the constitution of the globe.
Up to the present or atdralsts
have done hardly more t this.
Thoughts is quite true That ap :
paratus& Used is as perfect as Sssible,
and that the most illustriou .udents
of nature have displayed in tS4r labors
an ingenuity which I sh9agd never
dream of calling into questi&, at bot
tom the proceeding is th5 safae in both
cases. They drag rudimentary instru-
ments blindly through the depths of
the sea.
What a change will come over the
situation the moment it becomes pos
sible to let dcwn to the bottom of the
ocean Photographic apparatus pro-
vided with powerful artificial light!
Although this camera will not be able
to bring back pictures of wide extent,
may it not succeed in satisfactorily
photographing one hundred square
meters of space? And will not such
photographs contain a most precious
fund of information?
Everything leads one to believe that
it will soon be possible to construct
Photographic apparatus which will ac-
complish it's work successfully at any
depth of water. But without going so
far as this, and without launching forth
into hppotheses which have not yet
been realized, it may be asserted that
submarine photography can already
produce useful results.
In the immediate vicinity of the
coast, the phohographing of land
scapes, the interiors of grottoes, ami
mails caught in their medium, fur
nishes the student useful and precious
information; and, from the industrial
point of view, one may see how it can
be employed practically. Suppose,
for instance, q ship to be at the bot
tom of the sea- How are we to know
its exact position, and to determine
the extent of the damage which it his
suffered? A good submarine photo
graph would be more valuable to the
engineers than all the information
which divers could furnish.