The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-08-08

nearly an hours ride from the Jericho
Of Christ, showing that the substa nee
was used in primative times for roofs
and floors and as a covering to prott ct
brick walls from damp. Besides it is
known in our day that petroleum exudes
from the rocks on both sides of the Dead
s as well as from its bottom, and be-
ing hardened by evaporation and oxija-
tion forms the asphsltum referred to by
80 many travellers.
1All this will help us to unlock the
chief mystery of the Dead Sea in con-
nection with the destruction of the
d omed G ties
1t is boastfully maintained that there
searches of geologists like Hull and Lar
tet have disposed of this mystery by
proving a very great antiquity for the
Dead Sea. The labors of scientists have
only destroyed the theory that the Dead
Sea began to exist with the destruction
of these cities. The question still re-
mains, what, if any, relations exists be-
tween this deadly lake and Sodom.
Genesis relates that the Eastern invad-
ers marched along the western side of
the sea by way of Engedi, and that they
were there met by the Kings of the vale
of Siddim in place full of slime of btu
men pits. At present it would be i'm
possible for any army to march by the
coast OF the Dead Sea northward of
Eugedi, and neither is it probable that
the hust OF Chedorlaomer and his con-
federates went through the Engedi pass
westward and around the plain of the
Jordan by the hill of the Amorites. The
greater probability is that they passed
through on a fringe of low land now
submerged, and in which were the slime
pits whose exudations are now seen on
the surface Of the sea. Cannon Tri9tran1,
Dawson, Merrille, Geikie, all agree that
the cities aud the vale of Siddim were
at the northern extremity of the Dead
Sea and that there has been subsidence
of this land, resulting partly from natur-
al causes and partly by the vengeance
of God carrying down the doomed cities,
aud over them swept the bitter waters
of the adjacent sea,
In bringing about this awful destruc-
tion there is no reference to volcanic
eruption nor to an earthquake. All the
circumstances point to disaster caused
by an eruption of bitumen or petroleum,
such as we are accustomed to hear of in
the oil regions of Pennsylvania. "These
arise from the existance Of reservoirs OF
compressed inflammable gas, along with
petroleum and water, existing at con.
siderable depths below the surface,
When these are penetrated, as by well
or borehole, the gas escapes with eX.
plosive force, carry ing petroleum with
it, and when both have been ignited the
petroleum rains down in burning show
ers and floats in fl lmes over the elected
waters, while dense smoke towers high
in the air, and the inrushing draft may
produce a vortex, carrying upward to a
still greater height and distributing still
more widely the burning material, which
is almost inextiuguishable and most de.
structive to life. The removal Of &C
much material from benea h the surface
of considerable vertical depth, will &C
count for the dropping down of the
plain and the overflow of the sea.
1t is not necessary that God should
employ other than natural forces as the
instrument of his vengeance, and all re.
searches prove that these were near al
hand in the pit tro'eum, water and gases
The extent of the interference of divine
justice was in suddenly unbarIing these
fearful elements and allowing them Il
sweep with indescribable destruction
over Sodom and Gomorrah and their as
sociates in in,quily. Much might bt
said in detail confirming this view, bu
we must not tire the patience of tht
reader. We have already referred tC
the American expedition under Lieut.
Lynch, equipped to explore the Jordan
md tho naaH Saa IIt1 IN -
worth quoting. He writes EVERY
thing said in the Bible Of the Dead Set
and the jordan we believe to be fully
verified by our observations. The infer
ence from the Bible that this entire
chasm was a plain sunk and over
whelmed' by the wrath Of God seems tt
be sustained by the extraordinary char
acter of our soundings. The bottom o
the sea consists of two submerged plainl
an elevated and depressed one-th,
former averaging thirteen, the lattel
about thirteen hundred feet below tn
surface. Through the northern and lar
gest and deepest one, iu a line corrC
spending with the bed of the Jordan, il
ravine which again seems to CORE
spoDd with the Wady-el-Jeib, or raviI
within a ravine at the south end of tn,
sea. Between the Jabbok and this SCI
we unexpectedly found a sudden breal
down in the bed of the Jordan. If ther,
be similar break down in the wate
courses to the south of the sea, accom-
panied with like volcanic characters
there can scarce be a donbt that tn,
whole Ghor has sunk from some extra
ordinary convulsion; preceded probabl,
by an eruption of fire and general con
fiagration of the bitumen which abound
ed in the plain"
In explanation of what was said abov,
with reference to the mythical charac
ter of the so-called Dead Sea fruit, ashe
and all, we ought to say that on the tabl
land above Engedi on the west side o
the sea grows fruit in clusters of thre
or four called by the Arabs, "osher,
resembling a smooth apple or orange
which probably is the apple Of Sodom
When ripe it is fair and yellow and sof
to the touch, but if pressed, it burst
with crack and only the broken shel
and row of small seeds in half opel
pod and few dry filaments remain il
the hand Troy Press.