The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-04-13
From Me Nalional h.teR.genes,
The Pillar oI SmIi--IoTs Wife.

Ehe PIli1r Ot S'Jit--I.Ois Wife.
II was lsiely mentioned in this paper
that there might be seen, in the library
Iof Congress, specimen of Salt, taken
from pillar Of salt in the Dead Sea. fan.
Icifully called Lots Wife. For an ac.
count ofthis curiosity. and other objects
lofinterest in Palesine and the remote
East, we are indebted to a work ahou,
TO be published by Cary Il Hart. of Phila.
delphia, entitled, "A Narrotire IF tie
late, Erped4tioa 10 tie Dead Sea, from a
D'ary By one Of Me Pmty, Edited by
Edward p. Montague" We quote from
the Diary the following description: s.
WEDNESDAY, April 26. 1S4S.-This
morning we are examining the hills OF
Usdom. and seeking. with good deal Of
curiosity. the ever,famoUs Pillar Of Salt,
WHICH marks the judgment Of God upon
Lots wife. On pulling round the shores
of the sea. we saw an immense column,
rounded and unet-shaped, facing 10.
wards the southeast. This we were told
by our Arabs. was the Pillar of Salt 10
which Lots wife was encased at the ovei
throw of Sodom. With some difficulty
welanded here, and our esteemed com.
mander and DR.. Anderson obtained spe
cimens from il, and Mr. Dale took a
sketch oft. Our boats crew landed al.
SO. and their curiosity was gratihed by
their gathering specimens, some from its
summit aud others from its base. 1t was
measured and found 10 be sixty feet in
height and forty feet in circumference
We cannot suppose that Lots wife was
person SO large that her dimensions e.
qualled those of this column. Many
think that the statute of Lots wife was
equal to the rillar eft salt which the Bible
speaks of. Let that pillar he where it
mny, and whatever be its size, they will
not probably credit that this is the pillar
Their preconceived notions having much
TO do with the matter, they would have
every body think that she was at once
transformed into u column Of very fine.
grained beautifully wh,te salt. about five
feet or few inches more in height, and
in circumference that of common sized
person Of the nineteenth century. BE
that as il may no twomnds have perhaps
formed exactly the same opinion on This
matter who have not visited this spot
But here we are, around this immense
column, aud we find that it is really oi
solid rock salt, one mass Of crystalizalion
1t is in the vicinity which is pointed on,
in :he Bible in relation to the matter in
question, and it appears to be the only
one of its kind here. And the Arabs Of
the district, to whom this pillar is
pointed out, declare il to be Lots wife
the identical pillar of salt to which the
Bible has reference; the tradition having
been handed down from each succeeding
geaeration 10 their children, as the A
mericans will hand down to succeeding
generations the tradition of Bunker's Hill
Monument, in Boston My own opin
ion of the mattcris, that Lots wife having
fingered behind, in disobedience to the
express command of God--given in or
der to ensure her safety--that while SC
lingering she became overwhelmed in The
descending fluid and formed tho model VI
foundation ofthis extraordinary column
1t it has been produced by common, b,
natural causes, it is but right to suppos,
! that others might be found of simila
description. One is scarcely able to a
bandon the idea that it stands here as
lasting memorial of Gods Furnishing
most deliberate act ofdisohedience, com
mittcd at a time when he was about Il
show distinguished regard for the yer,
person. We carefully brought away ou
specimens, intending to show them to on
friends in America, when we shall have
the good fortune to arrive there and tail
with them on the subject. This end o
the sea is very shallow, and its water
more dense, more salt than when they
are of greater depth; here it is from one
to five feet In depth. We now leave thi
Pillar of Salt and return to our boats
richly laden with specimens from it, We
cross the sea and obtain soundings on oul
way. We had neatly reached the oppo
site side when new danger assailed us
We had braved ak the dangers nf the
Jordan, in its stream and on its banks
and the peculiar storms on the Dead Sea
and now a new specimen of the dangers
to which man is subject visits us. The
fearful scorching SiryOcco RACES around
threatening suffocalion and blindness
and causing almost insupportablt
thirst. The fiery atmosphere seem,
as though it would doom us TO the very
fate of the unfortunate citizens who now
f lie engulpbed below our boats; but we
fearlessly pull away, until coming to {
place called 'Mesarah.' we land amids
the raging heat Of the wind, and ther,
encamp for the night"
~ Talking of prescription, read The
suhjoined paragraph, from Baltimor,
letter in the National lnteligencer. ant
tell Us if you ever heard of Locofoco
doing otherwise, when they had the pow
er:
The new Directors of the Marylan,
Peuitentiary came into power yesterday
aud sign 4ized the occasion by "cu,tin!
off the heads" of not less than a dozel
Wing ofice.holders, filling subordinat,
stations in the Penitentiary, who werl
turned adrift without mercy, for no othe
purpose than to reward political friends
Even the matron. an excellent woman