Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23
JULES VERNE OUTDONE.
His Wonderful Submarine Boat Re-
produced in a Practical Way.

FROM icarSol Magazine.
The divers room and the "intermedi-
ate chamber are the most Interesting
places in the submarine boat Argonaut
The divers room can be shut off from the
remainder Of the boat by a door, and then
can be made air-tight. In turn the Inter
mediate compartment can be shut off both
from the divers room and the main part
of the boat. When the divers room is in
use it has in 1t a pressure of air almost
double the pressure Of the atmosphere in
the main part of the boat (Which is equal
to the pressure Of the atmosphere on an Or
binary street,. 1t Is to prevent this great
pressure of air from passing into the main
part of the boat-aS II certainly would do
with tremendous rush If the air-tight
door were opened-and yet to make it pos
sible for person to pass from the main
part OF the boat into the divers room. that
the intermediate chamber was invented
When person IS to be transferred from
the cabin to the divers room while the lat
ter Is in use (when it is not in use this room
Is free of access in the ordinary way) he
Is placed In the intermediate" and a cur
rent Of compressed air is here turned on
until the air is equal to the air pressure in
the divers room.
But meanwhile that persons life is far
from being happy one, unless he has been
through the intermediate before, or has
learned two hints, namely, to say not a
single word, but to drink cold water con-
tinuously all the time whilst the compress-
ed air is being turned into the ROOM If he
does this he Will not suffer the least incon-
venience; on the contrary, he will be given
quite pleasant tickling sensation, and in
a few minutes he can step into the diver
room and enjoy what Is going on without
noticing any popularity about the air there
Otherwise, while he is In the intermediate
he will probably be doubled up with pain
the drums of his ears will feel as though
they were being driven into his head with
mallets. his head will feel as though it is
going to blow off from the eyes upward
and his eyes will fill with tears. The writ
er has experienced the full list Of afflic-
lions.
But once IN the divers roon although
the air is al the same pressure as in the
intermediate, you have become so accus-
! toned to 1T that you feel exactly as If you
We're breathing ordinary air.
When the pressure Of air in the divers
room had been raised to as many pounds
pressure there was pounds pressure in
the water a door, which forms half Of the
floor Of the divers room, was dropped
downward and, strange to say (to US who
did not understand science very welD, the
water did not rush in and drown us. To
demonstrate further this wonderful law of
science. Mr.. Lake let soma Of the air pres
sure in the room escape. 'fThe moment he
opened the valve the sea commenced to rise
in the bottom of the boat at the same even
rate at which the airrwaS released, but the
moment the valve was closed the water
stopped where 1t was. A new current Of
compressed air was turned on, and at once
the water went down again.
Those of the guests who cared to leave
the boat and walk along the bottom Of the
sea were given diving suits one Of which
had telephone in the HELMET. by means OF
which the wearer coiild talk with those re-
naming In the boat When the suits had
been donned, and tho helmets screwed up
each man had only ito make a step Of 3
feet and he was standing ON the actual sea
bottom-with some 3 feet Of his body stick
ing up through the bottom of the boat and
into the divers room. By simply ducking
their heads. however, the explorers were
out of the boat entirely, and with one step
more they were able to walk upright as
far away they felt inclined