The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-03-26
rfIE pEul,sEA.

~ This remarkable sens ~ the southeast
border Of the Holy Land mot named in the
New Testament, and - aom named in the
Old Testament ltis called the Salt
Sea, the Sea OF Sodom. s}ihe East Seat and
By Josephus and classic xtttrrs, Lake Asphal.
ities, from the asphaltuflef bitumen itprc-
duces. Its ordinary mof'H name, The Dead
Sea, is highly approprlfse {pr these dreary
and ,acfid waters, in when Ho hsh csn live,
and which, having no 'oatltt, swallows up
ritetb and living springs Qfteyery side.
Tho Jordon on the north pours ln about
6,00O, 1000 tuns Of water dialy. Midway on
the eastern side Is thu mc,th Of the ancient
Aruon; aud north and hou{hof tihis the Eur
ka, the outlet Of the, Warm springs Of Calirr-
hoe, and the brook ZdFed tiY hrook Kid \
ron and several eoPiods spnh Nnd Winter
torrents enter u on the west; streams from
the south also empty IN this sea. VI this
vast supply OF water, part may be absorbed
in the earth, bat most.of it is evaporated by
the Intense heat that here prevails. T. :, ~
There are many wonderful facts respecting
this sea; and these, half known and supper.
stitiously exaggerated, have made it an object
of terror, as if still under the curse of God.
II has been little visited in modern times, un-
til our own day. Costigan, an Irish traveller,
in IL 35, spent eight days upon the sea, and
dled there OF fever. 10 ls47, Lieut.. Molly
Ifeux spent day on the sea, caught the fe-
yer, and died soon after at Jatfa. But in the
same year Lieut. Lynch of the U. 5. Navy,
with two metallic boats, descended the Jordan,
and spent three weeks on TIE sen, thoroughly
exploring it, The "fire and smoke of an-
cient annnlists were traced 10 natural causes;
the great evaporation covering the sea with
n vapor like the smoke of burning SULPHUR
while the surface was at times 'one wide
sheet of phosphofescent foam, and the waves
as they broke on the shore threw sepuI.
chral light upon the dead bushes and frag.
ments of rock Josephus and others speak
of "iruits which have color ms if they were
fit to be eaten; bul if you pluck them they
dissolve into smoke and ashes" These ia.
nous "apples of Sodom" are found to be the
osher Of the Arabs, resembling large smooth
orange; It is fair to the eye, but being pressed
it explodes with a puff, and is found to have
contained nothing but air, and a few shreds
and seeds. 4
The Dead Sen lies in n daen oo,dro, NOR.
than 1000 feet below The leve of tho Mes,t
erranean-the Limestone cliffs which enc,os,
it from the yetpe Of a table.land !, o00 ri
1900 feet above the sea, rising still hiphe
| towards Jerusasrm s,aS Hebron on the ives,
and towards the mountains Of Moab ON th,
east. The shores Of The sea are desolate, ex
cept where stream Or spring forms an oasi
OF green canes, low trees, and shrubbery."-
The water looks remarkably clear and pure
says one traveller, but on taking 1t into m
mouth | found it bitter, think beyond an
thing ever tasted. Ny clothes were wet b.
the waves, and as they dried, found then
covered with salt" 1t produces an evapora
ton one-fourth its weight Of solid salts. 1t i
far more dense and heavy than sea- water
DR.. Robinson, though not able to swim else
, where, could stand, lie, sit, or swim in it,
Another traveller could mot swim, his fee
being thrown high and dry out Of the lake n
every stroke; while horses driven in foate,
upon the surface on their sides, snorting witt
'e"'' hleu'' hynch eh'ereu the sea whei
'oae" WV" "'sh w'hu' 'nd says ''i' seemed
'"o Do"s, 81 uense was ''e "".e,' we.
'"'''"'e'ps '"e s''use "",''he'S VI '"e
.a"' '"''e. e., ''''''' '''o oppose's waves Vi "'
angry SEA. ..,r....
, The sea is divided into two equal parts b.
apeninsnla reaching two thirds across fror
the eastern shore. The part thus shut of a
the south is perhaps one.fourth of the whul
lake, which is about forty miles long, an
eight or nine wide. The main sea is 900 t
1900 feet deep, the bottom being sprinkle
with rectangular crystals of salt. CAREFUL
+ sounding across this sea in every direction
Lieut.. Lynch reports n deeper ravine in it
bed, continuous with the bed of the Jordan
, The whole chasm, extending from the sea q
Galilee to the Red sea 100 miles south OF tn
Dead sea, bears marks OF volcanic action, an
+ would seem to have been sunk to its preser
level by commissions of the earth, which wer
most violent at the seatherR end oft the Dca
, Sea. 49, 'e'a'
u