Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-05-14
THE STORY OF THE ARK.
Figures showing Plenty Of Room for all
the Animals.


Figures showing Plenty Of Room for all
the Animals.
OF late, in a circle where science is held
as the supreme test, and nothing il 10 be
accepted that cannot be demonstrated
I clearly, 1t has been asserted that the store
Of the ark is positively proved to be a
fable, myth, legend by the fact that it
would be an absolute imp possibility to place
two of every species Of known land ami mats
In the space of the ark. This appears to
some young persons a conclusive proof,
coming from a scientific source. saws How
ard Osgood in Sunday School Times. But
as itis a simple question of the multiplica-
tlon table there Is no science in all this
positive proof as candid Infdal in
high authority in natural science declares.
The matter Is so simple that even an put
slider, like myself, may state IT, The mar
ratlve of the ma king OF the ark is: This
Is how thou shalt make IL: the length Of
the ark 300 cuGits the breadth of it City
cublts, and the height OF it twenty cuhits.
The length OF the cubjt has been settled
10y the comparison ct nuce rous Egyptian
Babylonian and other cuhts of earliest
[ times, 10y Oppert Lausius. Funiers Petrie
and others and especially the conclusive
work OF Labmand. t was between nine
teen and twenty inches; but in order 10
be on the entirely safe side we will take
it to be only eighteen inches Then the
surface of one deck OF the ark would be
450 multiplied by rs, equals 80 $50 square
feet. NatuTalists differ very largely az to
the classification Of species, the majority
estimating from 200 TO 800 species but
we will take the extreme estimate by a
high authority, Wallace. in his "Dlstrib.
ution OF Animals New York, 1870, who
gives 24l5- that Is 290 species above
the size of the sheep, 757 FROM the sheep
to the rats, and 1853 of the rats, bats and
shrews. Then with two of each species,
24l5 multiplied by two equals 4S30, md
with seven of each of the species of clean
animals, seventy, we would have as the
highest estimate of all the land mammaIia
1900, to be placed In the ark. In order to
learn what space would be required, we
must ascertain the average size of these
24l5 species. There is no sort of difficulty
In this, since the measurements of the
species are as well known and familiar to
DatufaIlsts as the species themselves. But,
lest may seem to venture upon ground
that is beyond me, have the very high
authority of Prof. Ward, Of Rochester, In
in the statement that the average size of
all land m8mmalia would be about that of
the gray fox. On the common house cat
Any one can verify this by consultation Of
the special works giving the size of AMI
mails. The ocean steamers carrying cattle
most carefully from America to Scotland
allow twenty square feet 10 each OK. II
we allow one-tourth Of that space. Eve
square feet, for a cat, we shall be giving
a superabundance of room; then 1900 mu-
tiplied by i've equals "a $40 square feet 0
surface and would be ample to contain all
the known species Of animals OF the high.
est estimate of their number We have
seen that the deck of the ark contained 49,
$50 square feet; 80, $50 minus by "a, 500
equals $3.50 All the species, then, could
be placed on the deck of the ark, and st!l
there would be one-third (l23l8 multiplied
by 75) Of that deck vacant Wallace esti-
mates, of birds, l0,O87 of reptiles, a73: of
lizards, l,252; of insects (roughly), 100,
900 species, If we again take the av. rage
of all these species, they could easily be
placed on the 9 $50 square feet not occu
pied by the mammalia. If the ark had
only one deck, two of each known specie,
of land mammalia, birds, reptiles, lizards
and insects, could find abundant room
there But if we follow the majority OF
naturalists, and take above their estimate.
l. ZOO as the number of species, then 700
multiplied by equals 8, 400, plus 70 equals
3,470 multiplied by 5 equals II $50 square
feet. As the deck contained 90, $50 square
feet, then two OF each species of all the
mammaiia would find abundant room in
One-halt of the deck and six feet additional
leaving the remainder nearly oae-haf
(2l9x75) for the birds, reptiles, lizards,
Insects. Leaving the ark, 1t is plain that
any of the great ocean steamers plying
between New York and Liverpool, could
place, with abundant room, two of each
known species of land mammalia and
birds, reptiles, ETC., on one Of their decks. |
These facts are so well known, and so easy
TO learn if one does not know them, that
we ask what claim has man to scientific
Knowledge or to scientific spirit, who
makes the statement that the scientific
knowledge of the species of animals is a
conclusive proof that they could not have |
been placed In the ark, and hence the mar
rative Of the ark is a mere myth2 Only |
one deck of the ark has been spoken Of, to /
show its ample space for all the known |
species. But no one who has studied the !
subject supposes that the ark had only one |
deck The ark is said TO have had rooms !
(narg,, nests) in it, :" ana Clover, second |
and third stories From this it is con-
cDuded that the ark had three decks, for, |
as every waterman knows, a Altboat forty
five feet deep Is an utter absurdity and
impossibility. Retaining the length |
breadth and d pth given for the ark, it
must have been in the shape of a ship as .
Napier, in his Manufacturing Ark in |
Early Time" has shown. The deck of |
the ark, then would have been less than
80 $50 square fee, but not enough less to |
have hindered abundant room TO ali the I
There would have been ample |
room for the animals, for food, for a year
and for Noah and nis family
There are enough questions about the 1
Bible which our ignorance, or the neces-
5ary limits OF our thinking or prejudice /
prevents our solving, but tue question
whether all the species of land mammals,
birds, etc. could he placed in a certain
numoer Of square feet is so simple that It