Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-31
JENSON'S TRAVELS.

I Dead Sea in straight line the dis
lance is only about sixty miles. But
in its course the river so unfolds ana
doubles it's channel by frequent winu-
| ings as TO run a course OF Two nun
dfed miles. In this wonderful course
| from the Sea of Galilee TO the Dead Sea
| the Jordan dashes over twonty-seNen
] frightful rapids and makes perpen-
/ dlcular descent of one thouGand feet.
! The channel of the river is deeply EN-
| bedded between opposite terraces run
| ming nearly parallel TO each olher. at
the distance OF from three TO 1--WE miles.
| The terraces present sometimes per-
| ptndicular cliffs. sometimes steep pre-
| cipitious banks from the commence
ment OF high rounded knoila. conlcal
hills and rocks, thrown together In
Wild confusion which rise irrcgulnrly
MS they recede TO the highlands Of the
central chain of Palestine on the west.
and to n higher series of mountain
heights on the east beyond Jordan.
Between these terraces the river, which
| is from aeventy-fve to one hundred
feet in width. and six and eight feet
in depth,rolls on through its endless
sinuosities and contortions. chafed
ana angry tide Of water, sometimes
turbid. sometimes clear. sometimes
swift, sometimes slow, leaping down
frequent and fearful rapids and dash
ing from side to side of the narrow bed
In which 1t is imprisoned, "as If strug-
cling to burst the barriers
by which 1t Is confiened. and save its
sacred waters from being lost In that
sea of death below" The entire dis
lance from the highest source of the
Jordan to Its outlet i'm he eDad Sea Is,
in direct line. not more than one
hundred and twenty miles, in which
distance 1t makes q descent of about
two thousand feet.
\ hat ~
in and about the river Jordan. whose
banks are fringed with trees and
bushes of different varieties. We then
started on our return trip to Jericho.
distant about six miles. About two
thirds the way up we passed within
a short distance on our right OF an an
Gent cromlech situated on the north
side of the Wady el-Kelt wash which
is supposed to be the site of the ancient
Gilgal: 1t Is about two miles southeast
of modern Jericho. In Gilgal tJoshua
4: 10, 20) the Israeltes erected twelve
stones Tor according to Joshua 4: 9. In
the midst of the Jordan itselO. In A.
u. 123 Willlbald found wooden church
here. On the other hand II is question:
able whether the Gilgal OF 1 Sam. Z:
l6; IL: IA, 10. was situated here. or in
another locality to the northwest of
Jericho In the time of the Crusaders
church stood here enclosing twelve
stones;" and the spot was then known
as Gilgal. Glgal was situated on the
frontier of Judah and benjamin. About
n mile and half east OF Gilgal is Kasr
el-fehud tcastle of the Jews).
also named Der Har Yuhan-
ma monastery of St. john.
1t Is situated about Il mile west of the
influx of the Wady el-Kelt INTO the
Jordan. Here are found the remains
OF monastery of St. John which was
in existence as early as the time of
Justinan, and, according to tradition
was erected by the Empress Helena
over the grotto where John the Bap-
fist dwelt. 1t was restored in the 18th
century; number of vaults, frescoes
and mosaics are still visible. A Greek
monastery now occupies the site.
The ride from the Jordan to Jericho
was an unpleasant one to me on ac-
count of the excessive heat. Though l
had left all my spare clothing at the
Roman hospice where we started out
in the night, and only sufficient on to
afford proper covering, I prespired as
| perhaps have never prespired before
The hot weather which I had recently
experienced in the tropics was as moth
ing compared to the heat that OPP
pressed me in the valley of the Jor-
dan. At 1880 am. we reached Jericho,
ana Immediately sought protection
against the hot rays of the sun under
the beautiful grapevine bowery which
covered quite square in the garden
of the hospice. But even under the
thick foliage, the heat was most OPP
pressive until the middle of the after
noon, when gentle. cooling breeze
commenced to blow from the north. on
our morning tour.o or visit, to the Dead
Sea and the River Jordan. we had
Travelled about fifteen miles, including
extra distance when we were lost, and
our route described a sort of a triangle.
After resting in Jericho about 1--WE
| and half hours. waiting for Ii cooler
atmosphere. we started out on our re-
turn trip to jerusalem; and we arrived
at the Olivet House about II pm.
tired and fatigued. but glad indeed to
get back from the burning REGIONS
of the lake of fire and brimstone," as
the country around the Dead Sea might
appropriately be called during the hot
summer months.
ANDREW JENSON.