The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26
THE POOL of SLOAN.
Recent Excavations Have Thrown
Doubt Upon Its Location.
From the New York Journal.

From the New York Journal.
The excavations which are being made
in Jerusalem have disclosed much that
was hitherto unknown about the Pool
of Sloan. The Identification of the site
of this pool is important. because of its
bearing on the situation of the city
walls.
1t has hitherto been considered that the
Pool of Siloam shown to every visitor to
Jerusalem, was one of the few undisput-
ed localities in the topography of the
sacred city Now, however, as investiga-
ton progresses, doubts have been raised
on this point Among archaeologists a
contest has arisen as complicated as that
concerning the site of Calvary, the sep
ulchre and other sacred places in Je-
rusalem.
The Pool of Sloan is in size the least
OF all the Jerusalem pools, which from the
most ancient times have been relied upon
by the inhabitants to store up water from
the springs. 1t had, however, the singu-
lar characteristic of suddenly increasing
in depth as the water poured in from some
unknown source.
size, played an important part in the sa-
cred history of Jerusalem. 1t was to
Sloan that the Levite was sent with the
golden pitcher on the last and great day
of the feast" of Tabernacles; it was from
Sloan that he brought the water which
was then poured over the sacrifice, in
memory of the water from the rock of
Rephidim.
II was to the Sloan water that the Lord
pointed when he stood in the temple
and cried, IF any man thirst let him
come unto me and drink" The Lord sent
the blind man to wash at the Pool of 81
loan, the sacredness and efficacy of whose
waters are still believed in at Jerusalem.
The Pool of Sloan, which has now
been almost wholly uncovered and which
is the one formerly shown to visitors,
is 1917 feet in depth, IA feet wide at one
end and II at the other The water in
it Is maintained at a depth of three to
four feet, but is likely to rise foot
more at any moment.
II is faced with a wall of stone now
greatly out of repair. Several columns
stand out of the side walls extending from
the top downward into the cistern.
a channel cut in the rock, which is COW
cred for a short distance. This SUISSE
pious stream which empties into gar
den planted with fig trees.
Jerome, who lived only six miles from
the Pool of Sloan, refers to the intermit-
tent character of it's waters which has led
some historians to identify it with Bethes-
da- Josephus speaks of its waters as hav-
ing been very abundant, but recent inves-
tigations do not bear this out.
There are a large rumber of somewhat
similar pools in Jerusalem which has 30
or 40 natural springs within radius of
eight miles II IL cOulu De sloNH llLdt OHS
of these was in reality the Pool OF Sloan,
whose location has not hitherto been ques-
toned. il would add still further confus-
ing element to the discussion of historical
sites in Jerusalem Many of the most i'm
nortant places depend for their identlflca-
fion unoi1 their nearness to or remoteness
from the Pool of Sloan
The mysterious ebb and flow of the wa
tors of the present pool has been largely
reiied unon as sufficiently proving its iden-
tftv with that referred to in the Scriptures.
II has now. however. been found that
similar phenomenon takes place IN the
Fountain of the Virgin, which is close Dy.
There the water rose a foot in five min
,,tes and within five minutes more 1t sank
to its former level. 1t is believed that the
aO,cavations which are being made in Jeru-
salem NAV explain this apparent mystery,
which nobody has yet been able to account