St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-16
JERUSALEM UNDER GROUND.
Antiqunrians Are Making Re-
searches in the Ancient City.

Ant1IUar1ans Are Making Re-
searches in the Ancient City.
London News.
1t is now more than a quarter of
century since Captain, now Major
General, Sir Charles Warren carried
on his explorations at Jerusalem
for the Palestine exploration fund,
and which resulted in such brilliant
discoveries, revealing to us what was
then known as Underground Jeru-
SALEM" That was the remains of the
ancient city, now covered up with
the accumulated debris of ages, an
accumulation that reached, in some
places, to depth of more than sew
enty feet. Since that time no syste-
matte explorations have been car.
ried on in the holy city. Herr Bau-
rath Won Schick and other agents
of the Palestine exploration fund
have watched wherever any digging
took place-for the foundation of
new buildings or any other purpose
and if anything of Importance turned
up, it has been faithfully reported in
IiiC (uol lCliy SolctSliiClll, pun
lished by the fund, and which is now
the recognized journal of archaeol-
ogy in Palestine.
For some years back the value of
ground at Jerusalem has been increas-
ing, and building, more particularly on
north and west, has been going ON out
side the walls, and it became advisable
to have some excavations made before
houses were erected which would make
explorations impossible. The necessary
firman from the sultan was procured
and DR.. F. ]. Bliss began operations
last year. The first task he undertook
was to trace the line of the ancient
wall on the southern side of Jerusalem.
1t was known that the old wall was
about 500 feet to the south of the pres
ent one, and that it skirted the brow
of the slope which forms one side of
the Valley of Hinnom. Why the build
ers of the new wall left this command
ing height undefended is a question
that is not easily explained. 1t =; GER
tain that the older engineers did ~not
leave this advantageous position for
an enemy to occupy. Traces of the old
wall were first come upon when level
ing the ground for the English ceme-
terry.
In 1874 Maj. Conder, writing from Je-
rusalem, recommended that exlsora-
tions should be made at this point, and
Henry Maudlay, at that time, did suf-
ficient digging to show the existence Of
the wall all the way from the Protes-
nat school to the east end Of the ceme-
terry. Among other things he found
thot ha niy,or Of school had
it's walls standing on the square base
of one of the ancient towers and that
in places the rock on which the wall
stood was scarped below to depth
of thirty feet Mr.. Bliss took up the
work at the point where Mr.. Maudslay
had left off and followed the line of
the wall from the cemetery, where it
runs in a southwesterly direction for
about 250 feet. He also found deep
scarps in the rock, which must have
given great strength to the defense,
and made the battlements to tower
with an imposing appearance over the
Hinnom valley. The stones are of no
great size-that is, in comparison with
some of the masonry at other parts of
the walls, such as that of the Jews
Wailing Place and portions of the
WALL. hey nave lue usual
draught round their borders, and the
lower course is bedded on the solid
rock.
Water supply had not been forgot
ten, as numerous cisterns have been
come upon. The existence of a gate
way was discovered at this point, and
it is here that one interesting point in
the present exploration presents itself.
The main street of Jerusalem runs
from north to south in almost a
straight line. 1t begins at the Damas-
Gus gate on the north and ends at the
south at the Sion gate, also known as
the Bah and Nabi Daud, or gate of
the Prophet David. This is no doubt
the original line of a thoroughfare
that has existed from the earliest
times, and 1t is assumed that there
must have been a similar gate at the
end of this main street In the older
wall This was one of the points Dr..
Bliss was directed to discover. The
gate which has been found Is not ex-
actly in the position where the expect
ed gate was supposed to exist. 1t Is
q little too far to the west to be in