Show dead sea latin lacus Asphalt ites arab aral bahr lot ancient sea of lake of palestine the terminus of the river jordan about fifty five miles long and fifteen fideor according to codr dr robinson fifty miles by twelve lieutenant lynch making it several miles less in each direction the length varying a little at ait dif Terent different seasons according to the rain bordered on the east and west by lofty precipitous lime stone hills on the north it opens to thelow plains of Jericho and on the south the valley vailey of el chor extends to the gulf of akabar a re gion glon lon ion more elevated than the sea six other streams besides the jordan empty into thia this seething caldron and as none flow loutit must be the immense evaporation caused by subterranean heat which keeps the waters nearly at the same level but changes so materially their mineral properties from fifteen parts of of magnesia saven sev seven en of of soda and one otte of of lime in the hundred to ten parts of magnes magnesia a thirteen of soda and one of lime even G galen alen remarked that the sea bea ea wa was b bitterer it in summer when the evaporation ia is greatest and the supply of fresh water less laan llan than in winter the wafer water is of greater specific grav gravity ity than any other and more depressed in its bed than an any y known lake but less saline than the lakes bilton or Uru smia from its bottom rises bits of asphaltum or mineral pitch melted by the heat and disengaged r by earthquakes used for embalming pa paving paying ving ying caulking sculpture the coloring of wool and medical purposes this asphaltum has its importance as an article of commerce sulphur is found along its dreary shores robinson picked aked up a piece the size of a walnut near bits of niter and bomeli sometimes mes pumice are found clearly showing the volcanic nature of the region the arabs obtain their theli supply of salt for their cattle and families along the southern shore more absurd stories are circulated of this thia famous sheet of water than any other no birds it was said could fly over the sea its surface was never stirred and a smoke perpetually rose from its it 8 sunken bowl but though the there is frequently a slight haze over the southern portion sometimes a aulph ury smell and in winter a heat beat remarkable in co contrast n tr as t with chilliness chil chii linesa at jerusalem yet the waters rolled enough to keep the metal boats of the american expedition continually polished foli polished shed and robinson frequently saw birds I 1 fly y I 1 over the sealand sea and one morning heard the carol of the lark the whistle of the quail the call of the partridge and the scream of the bird of prey no life ilfe exists within none around this gloomy wa ws ste of waters the intense heat to together ether with the marshy evaporation creates inter intermittent mitte nt fever the inhabitants of jericho are notorious ly sickly i kly kiy open wounds are found to festervand fest erand the ardds arabs call anyone insane who lingers in ill the neighborhood fortunately no more ilves lives need be hazarded within this silent tomb of the guilty past ever question of an any y interest has been settled by the american expedition the sounding soundings I 1 of lieutenant lynch have proved what was wag suspected before that a portion of the thi bot bottom torri torii is thirteen hundred feet below the rest ahi ahl that the channel which the jordan formerly made can be traced over 0 V er this t h is sunken part a i sufficient explanation of the disappearance of the guilty cities of the plain which de saulcy imagined he had bad discover ci scover d t considerable distances from one another upon the shores of the sea the prominent objection to this french savans discovery is that sodom ardd arid gomorrah whose places he would determine at a great distance from each other by similarity cf of name and the existence of extensive ruins must have been near neighbors shai sharing rino ring S a common character and visited according to t the scripture narrative bv the sime same fate ciso clio vig vis sible at the same time Thep HIar can be stilt seen up upon on hill bill at the head bead of an abrupt abarm h josephus jore Jose and clement of rome imag imagined ined to be lots wife and the apples of sodom fourd nowhere else itt id palestine dr Ro tinson believes to be the obbe osbe of the we A arabs the gigantes Gig antea of botanists a sort of milkweed milk weed tree whose orange like fruit fair to the eye and soft to the touch bursts upon a slight pressure and leaves leares a small quantity quant ity of gloe fine silk which the arabs twist up tor for their guns and prefer to any other match the wonderful buoyancy of the water has not been exaggerated it is very difficult to keep on ones es feet down in it and quite impossible to shik horses exhibit great alarm at the novel state stze of taj ggs a and d ba bathers ahers swim 01 difo who never awde swam before at different pencils ibis the ilkin of 0 diff different ereLt persons is daffe affected by the bidy slimy wash washout but the laste is always disgusting and toffen offensive sive Ordin ordinarily nothing is s been seen around the white bhore shore eave save a few thoin thorn bushes and some stranded bonghi boughs washed down dov n by the jordan and nothing heard but bu ii thel the faint sounds of a Af distant stant convent bell so that it is no lovely scene seene but one of dee deepest p est solemnity emedin even in the glare of a brilliant noon its whole look elook is deat deathly bly and when nithe bithe the and the earthquake heaves with in thebe these shattered mountains upon this molten mabs mass no more fitting burial place could be imagined i ed for a 9 sodom anda and a gomorrah |