Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-02-12
WINDOWS OF THE SEA
THE OBSERVATION CAR" OF
MARINE EXPLORATION.

Boats With Glass Bottoms Have Been intro.
duced on the Florida Coast. by Which
Beautiful Kaleidoscope of the Gardens of
the Sea Arc Passed by the Deeply Interest.
ed Observer OF These Hitherto Unknown
Wonders.
BY Charles F. Holder, in Scientific American.
Some sixteen years ago. when watch
ing the play of fishes along the kelp
beds OF the Santa Catalina group, the
writer described to the boatman plan
for using "sea window" he had en-
pioyed on the Florida reef, also the
water box for collecting; and from
this suggestion has grown al industry
at Avalon by fleet of so-called glass
bottom boats, whose owners or cap
tains crowd the wharf and shores of
this place much as do hackmen in
large cities, or gondoliers in Venice.
The writer had a boat in Florida
which had we'll by 6 feet, boarded
at the bottom, with perforations, after
the fashion of all the smacks at that
time, which carried their catch in
wells. But the central portion of this
we'll was covered with glass, go that as
the boatman poled along over the coral
reef, every object could be seen and
secured by diving or otherwise. Used
with this was an ordinary water box,
one end being being left open, the
other covered with glass, which when
placed upon the water, made every
thing plain and discernible.
The Catalina boats are built on this
plan. A we'll in the manner described
is used, but instead of having a per.
forated wooden bottom the latter is all
glass and the we'll empty, there being
no occasion to hold or keep the speci-
mems, the design is merely to see them.
The success OF this scheme was at once
apparent, and many men built boats.
Old sailors, who had been masters of
ships, now became captains Of glass
bottom boats" while their runners
gathered in the streets and shouted
the varied attractions of the craft.
The first glass bottom boat was large
fiat yawl or barge capable Of holding
twelve people, possibly more. The
we'll rose about as high as ones
knees, and was eight or ten feet in
length; the passengers, leaning their
elbows ON the cushioned rim of the
we'll, literally gazing through a win
dow into the ocean, where every object
to q great depth became distinct, af-
fording beautiful vista OF submarine
seen cry, appreciated by the landsman,
to whom it was remarkable novelty.
The kelp beds OF Santa Catalina
lend themselves particularly to this,
being in smooth water in Avalon Bay
and very beautiful. The first glass.
bottom boat was propelled by man
who sat forward and rowed, also act
ing as guide, pointing out the won.
ders OF the deep with no sluggish imag-
ination. As the fame of the glass
bottom boat spread afar, new and time
saving methods became necessary, and
the motor glass bottom boats appeared.
This was catsmaran with house On
deck and a screw and engine astern !;
but it promptly sank, and no one
could be induced to enter the box !;
indeed, there was always certain per-
centage of "riders and seers" who
were suspicious of the window"
What if the glass should break?-for-
getting that water would not rise in
the we'll higher than it was on the
outside.
The evolution of the glass bottom
boat continued, and finally some ven-
turesome spirit built large power
boat with q commodious we'll which
carried successfully large number Of
passengers. She was of peculiar build,
being very fat, 80 that she could pass
over the floating kelp and run in the
shallowest water. As a propeller or
screw would tangle in the kelp, this
feature was avoided by using old.fash-
ioned side paddle. wheels made very
shallow, SO that they Just caught the
water and did not catch the weed.
The boat represents for the. present the
perfection OF the glass-bottom boat,
which is, in way, a liberal education
in marine zoology, affording as it does
opportunities to observe rare and sin.
gular objects.