The morning call., 1892-07-03
a MAN WHO SAW TIE ARK.

morning contemporary, which IS moth
!ng If not accurate, has discovered a dis
q cOYerer who has discovered Noah's ark, not
IN the toyshops, but on the top of Mount
ATaIat He says he is an Archdeacon Of
the Armenian or Greek church. that he
holds number Of diplomas and commits
sioDs from authorities in Turkey and p. &
sia, and that he has devoted his nfe to
travel. One of the strange places which he
has visited is the Mountains Of the Moon In
Africa, where he discovered gold mines of
surprising value; but they were nothing 10
the rock which he found in Senegal, which
ran so per cent in pure gold. Returning
from Africa TO Asia. he found that the
sources Of the Tigris and Euphrates were
not where geograpbers have located them.
but in the foothills of Mount Ararat, on the
border OF Armenia and Persia. Having
got thus far, and remembering that the
mountain had never been cimbed-he has
apparently never heard of the ascents of
Parrot, Freshfeld, Monteith, Stewart.
Cnadzko, Wagner and others-he resolved
TO immortalize himself by ascending TO the
summit.
He climbed to a height Of 1900 feet. at
winch point his companions left him. and
then he pushed on 200 feet more. II is not
.
cend to an elevation Of 1900 feet. Monnt
Blanc and Popocatepet, which ara hotb
over 1900 feet. have been climbed. but
Israel Russell last year was unable n rat
as lar up Mount ST. Elias. At that elevation.
say three miles above sea leye,. the air il
so farfhed that only strong persons can
breathe it. aud the cold is so intense that
movement Is extremely difficult. The
afchdeac0n, however, was able to get out
lis held-zlass and Inspect the summit
inG4saHd feet above him. There he saw
some peculiar colOrs" breaking the mo-
hclony OF the white snow After a time the
colorS assumed shape, and he could make
cut a great vessel over 800 yards long and
100 yards In height. 1t was partly covered
win snow; but the archdeacon saw enough
ol II to make sure that it was Noah's ark.
LIE archdeacOn's measurements do not
quite tally with the Biblical legend. TIE
ARK IN which Noah took refuge in his six
heh0feith year, according to the seventh
ot Ornesis. was less than tw hundred Yards
lopg oy seventeen yards high; but perhaps
IL had grown since it stranded on Mount
Ararat. Again, Genesis tells us that the
waters rose to a height Of twentysix feet
ana though 1t adds that all the high hills
were covered commentators have explained
lhis by assuming that the historian of The
aeluse llYed ina latcountrv where twenty
hPe loot hill Is considered high-as is the case
IN western Kansas to-day. But a flood that
could float large vessel to a point eighteen
thousand feet above sea level is not easily
conceived Ai''
III Is pity that the archdeaeon cannot
claim the merit Of originality for his discov-
cry ohoftiy alter the Hegira, pous
follower Of Mahanlmed announced that he
had discovered the remains of the ark ON
the top--not OF Mount Ararat. but ON a
mountain near by which was not quite so
inaccessible. 1T was crednlous age. the
Mussuimah's story was credited alike nv
Mosiem and jew, and he drove q thriving
trade In splinters o. the ark. After time
believers In the true faith built a mosque ON
The spot and worshiped therein with much
comfort to their souls, until one day fire
broke out and the building was DESTROYED
Within the past half century dozen or
more travellers have ascended Mount Ararat
1t is not very far from Kars, and both the
Turkish ana the Russian governments have
supplied money TO explorers, who have
stood On the edge of the crater Of the vol
eano OF Ararai, that was active in eompara
lively recent times. Not one of them saw
anything Of all ark. or Of its remains In
deed, in view Of the fact that the Genesiacal
record makes no mention Of Mount Ararat,
but speaks of ''tlie mountains of Araiai,"