New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-03
SELECTIONS FROM THE NAIL.
FACTS ABOUT THE DEAD SEA
IT'S LEVEL BELOW THE OCEAN AND THE DENSITY
ITS WATER


To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: In your Passing Throng' column OF to-day
md an interesting Renaissance of Henry Dex-
ter apropos Of the Dead Sea. which i so Gu
rously divergent from the experiences OF other
travellers that persuaded 10 bespeak your in
dulgence for a few comments The famous Greek
convent which he visited is Mar Saba-=rroaeous
written 'Massa ba'-nterally St Saba. as mar is
The Arabic Tor saint" The Dead Sea j. given as
300 feet below the ocean Level This Is rather an
overestmate. In March, 1897, Moore and Beke ac-
cidentally discovered its northern shore that
water was boiling at : different Fahrenheit degree
and concluded they We're 500 English feet below
sea level "A month two later Schuberts baro-
metric calculations Melted him depression Of
osS feet. IN 1888 Russegger and Berton made it
more than l.300 feet Meanwhile the only iudis-
pensable thing has been done for exactness-the
intervening country has been surveyed and the
relative levels Of the seas trigononetricaIy
asceTtained and the accepted depression now IS
l2SS feet. To the east the mountains viii average
2''o feet ana to the west 100 The flowers which
he near the are tufts Of the salrwort which
wax strong in and salty soil
Mr.. Dexter's bathing experience in the Dead Sea
Is also unique among all those who have enjoyed
that delicious bath. A. early as 1888 the famous
Dr. Robinson. whose work on Palestine and Syria
is monumental, writes of the Dead Sea;
The water Is exceedingly buoyant Two Of Us
batned IN the sea and, although l could
swim before, either IN fresh or salt water Yet here
difficulty
and TWO others baUhed there in 1883 and -
perience was Identical To propei body forward
by any process of swimming very arduous, If
not impossible, because OF the awkward tendency
OF me teet TO ny up 10 the surface. The hands
"Oud Follow suit II not restrained. Tredding water
was = normal recreation. Diving impossible
without an initiative OF momentum. and then the
resisting, dense water made the effort shallow and
FORCED the OpQy back to the surface. The normal
position, which could be kept without effort
lying on the stomach. The bather cannot float
Ease on ms PACK Tor the reason that IN that ee-
ment the body is seeking its centre Of gravity and
equilibrium, and therefore, unless checked, the
swimmer Will invariably turn over on his stomach.
The tendency Is intensified for corpuleGt people
Ihe water Is salty. bitter and oily by cOmbIna-
ton with common salt magnesium and calcium.
The color OF II Is light green, like the shade
Known as chemical cobalt. It IS transparent, but
not deeply so. Al varying depths, depending on
relative densies this oily element makes The water
misty.
The mysterious island 474 feet from the shore and
565 feet in diameter, bsected by a wall, and coy
cred with the ruins of fortress. of which Nr.
Dexter desires explanation, Is called Radon
Bahr Loot Heap of the Sea Of LOt. The ruins
are the relquige Of the Crusaders. who built this
fort and used the island stOpoYer and depot
when they were Obliged To carry supplies from one
shore to the other in small boats. IN 1860 this isl
and accessible with dry feet. Since ISIS the
visitor must reach II by water. and some years In
the tourist season il is entirely submerged This
OF enchanted isle. and perhaps has made
Mr. Dexter's quest for informal iou the more diff
cult. I ".
Troy. y. Y, March !. 1909.