Omaha daily bee., 1890-01-19
In THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
A Birdseye View Taken from the
Top of Mt. Golgotha.
EVERYTHING SLOW AND souALID
A Wonderful Contrast to the Life and
Activity of American Cities
CHASTITY scene at
Funeral.
From GoIeotha's Top.

JERUSALEM, Dec. 13.-[Special to THE
BEE. The present station of our party is
Mt. Golgotha. We are on its highest point,
from ninety to one hundred feet above the
ground surrounding its irregular base,
., 500 feet above the sea level, and ID, 700
feet above hat of the Dead sea to the east of
US. The surface of this little hill is fairly
even and round, gradually sloping down
toward the north and covering an area Of
about two and one-half acres including its
northern slope. TIL ground is composed Of
grayish DIRT, intermixed with innumerable
little chips and pebbles of limestone and used
as a Moslem graveyard. An extension of tho
hill toward the southeast w eps with a mar
row surface and lower in heighth
than Golgotha proper toward the
wall of the city and is only
separated from IL by the road that runs east
and west under this wall respectively to the
Mount of Olives aud to n new gate lately
o~peEed-Akra gate. This extension holds
the grotto of Jereuisah, where tradition re-
lates the prophet wrote the book of Lamenta-
tons and where he was buried. The rocky
tombs In the semi-circular limestone fronting
toward the city present an interesting fea-
ture. They are ut present enclosed by an
artificial wall and in order to gain admis.
SION an absurdly high fee is demanded.
From Galgotha the view is q commanding
one, especially overthat portion OF Jerusalem
erected on Akra aud Zion, which couples her
western site, and most prominently, as we
view it from here over the Damascus gate,
stand the black and large house of the Church
of the Holy Sepuichre. Farther beyond aud
in almost the same direction we see the
citadel Of David standing out boldly
with ltS circular tower terminating
in an elongated little dome. From here out
David espied the beautiful Bethsheba bath
ing in the lower pool of Gideon. Also 1t is said
that within these confines he wrote his
Psalms. just now we listen to the military
band, located within Its walls, striking Off IA
lively air. IL Is not far and We can hear 1t
distinctly. The highest point in Jerusalem
is occupied by the Latin church on the Akra
hill. 1t is a large, fine structure of lime
stone, surmounted by a square tower Of the
same material covered by q steep pyramidal
roof terminating in a spire with a cross.
Below the caves OF this tower is an iron rail
ing which surrounds the same, and below it
are four arch like openings facing the cardi-
nal points of the compass. The city as spread
out before US presents a dead appearance;
partly SO because IL IS a gloomy morning,
with q thick silvery fog rising in the east
from the Dead sea. No noise or hum of a
lively busy people is heard. The few people
that issue from the Damascus gate, dragging,
guiding and riding donkeys and camels, are
of an indOlent cast generally.
an old Moslem told US the other day when
We visited the temple area, or "Haram-esh-
Sheriff." as he termed 1t, that on the great
judgment day q thread, as thin as a SPIDERS,
will be spanned across from the top Of this
wall, tho place which is shown by a broken
column %protruding therefrom, To the summit
OF the Mount of Olives, where every Moslem
will be judged by the great prophet Ma
homed, who will sit on this wall. The
righteous will be supported by angels and
cross IN safety. The guilty will fall from
the cord into the caldron of hell.
Tit "Street of DAVID" leading from Jaffa
Gate In the west toward the Haram areain