Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-10-06
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Dead Sea.

I AA NV httI ASANSloAJ
petition was planned by Lieut.. Lynch, and
assented to by the Secretary Of the Navy in
the Spring Of 1917. The store ship "Sup-
ply took out Lieut.. Lynch and two metal
ic boats as transports. These boats were
carrie over mo cores and precipiccs
by the party appointed for the expedition,
and on The 9Th Of April, 1913, they were
launched upon the Sea Of Galilee. The
Richmond Republican has condensed the
interesting article OF Lieutenant Maury as
follows:
The navigation Of the Jordan was found to
be most difficult and dangerous, from its
frequent and fearful rapids. Lieut.. Lynch
solves the secret of depression between Lake
Tiberias and the Dead Sea by the tortuous
course Of the Jordan which in a distance Of
sixty miles, winds through a course Of two
hundred miles. Within this distance Lieut..
Lynch and his party plunged down no less
than twenty-seven threatening rapids; be-
sides many others Of less descent. The diff
ference Of level between the two seas is over
a thousand feet.
The water of the Jordan was sweet to with
in a few hundred yards of its mouth. The
waters Of the sea are devoid of smell, but
bitter, salt, and nauseous. Upon enter
ing il, the boats were encountered by a gale,
and : ii seemed as if the bows, SO dense was
the water, were encountering the sledge ham
mers Of the Titans instead of the opposing
waves Of an angry sea-"
The party proceeded daily with their ex-
plorations, making typographical sketches as
they went along, until they reached the
southern extremity Of the sea, where the most
wonderful sight they had yet seen awaited
them.
ain passing the mountain of Uzdom, ESQ.,
DOM we Unexpectedly, and much to our
own establishment" says Lieut.. Lynch, saw
a large rounded, turret-shaped column, IA
cling southeast, which proved to be Of solid
rock salt, capped with carbonate of lime, one
mass of christylization. Mr.. Dale took a
sketch of 1t, and DR.. Anderson and | landed
with much difficulty, and procured specimens
of it,"
The party circumDaYigated the lake, re-
turned to their place Of departure, and brought
back their boats in as complete order as they
received them at New York. They were all
in fine health. This is a specimen of the
skill, system, and dicipline of the American
Navy. No nation in the world has such a
service. The time is coming when it will
give proofs Of that fact palpable 10 the most
dull understanding.
Thanks, 10 the good management of Lieu
tenant Lynch, the whole cost of this sci.
eniifc exploration Of the Dead Sea Except,
Of course, the cost of equipage and mainten-
ance of the crew of the ship) was but seven
hundred dollars.
From the letters ofLieutenant Lynch, quo
ted by Lieutenant Maury, we transcribe the
following interesting facts elected by the
exploration.
"The bottom Of the northern part Of this
sea is almost an entire plain. Its meridian
al lines at a short distance from the shore
scarce vary in depth. The deepest sound
ings thus far 1873 fathoms, C,l2S feet.)-
Near the shore the bottom is generally an
incrustation of salt, but TIE Intermediate one
is soft mud with many rectangular crystals
mostly cubes-of pure salt. At one time
Stelllwager's lead brough; up nothing but
crystals.
" The southern half OF the sea is as shall
low as the northern part is deep, and for
about one-fourth of its entire length the depth
does not exceed three fathoms, (l9 feet. y
Its southern bed has presented no crystals,
but the shores are lined with incrustations OF
salt, and when we landed at Uzdoln, in the
course of an hour our footprints were coated
with crystilization.
The opposite shores of the peninsula
and the west coast present evident marks Of
disruption.
"There are unquestionably birds and in.
sects upon the shores, and ducks are some
times upon the sea, for we have seen them
but cannot detect any living thing with.
in il; although the salt streams flowing into
it contain salt fish. ! feel sure that the re.
suits of this survey will fully sustain
the seriptural account of the cities of the
plain"
He thus speaks of Jordan: "The Jordan
although rapid and impetuous, is graceful in
its windings and fringed with luxurience
while its waters are sweet, clear, cool, and
refreshing"
After the survey of the sea, the party pro.
ceeded to determine the height of mountains
on its shores, and to run a level thence via
Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. They
found the summit Of the west bank of the
Dead Sea more than 1000 feet above its sur
face, and very nearly on a level with thu
Mediterranean.
III is a curious fact, says Lieutenan
Maury " that the distance from the top Il
the bottom Of the Dead Sea should measure
the heights of its banks, the elevation of tn
Mediterranean, and the difference of leve
between the bottom Of the two seas, and tina
the depth of the Dead Sea should be also a
exact multiple of the height of Jerusalem
above it,"
Another not less singular fact, in the opir
ion ofLieutenant Lynch, is "that the bottor
Of the Dead Sea forms two submerge
plains, an elevated and a depressed one.-
The first, its southern part, of Shiny mu
covered by a shallow bay the last It's nortl
ern and larges, portion, of mud and incrus
atoms and rectangular crystals Of salt-at
great depth, with a narrow ravine runnin
through it corresponding with the bed of III
river Jordan at one extremity, and the Wac
dy Eel JerO,' or 'wady within a wady,' at III
other"
"The Shiny ooze," says Lieutenant MAJ
~, "upon the plain at the bottom of III
Dead Sea, will not fail TO remind the sacre
historian Of the "slime pits" in the va