Evening star., 1901-07-11
GEOLOGY AND THE DELUGE
CONFIRMATION of THE NARRATIVE
IN BOOK OF GENESIS.
I'm Central Asia Made
by s.. f. Wright - His Journey
Through Mongolia and Siberia.
From the Literary Digest.

where the Scriptures and tradltlon locdte
the flood This is the conclusion which has
been reached by Prof. G. f. Wright of
Oberlin College, the well-known geoioglst,
in "a recent journey through Mongolia and
Siberia, and stated by him in an article in
McClure's Magazine. DR.. Wright asserts
that the evidences of a deluge are not one,
but several, and extend from Mongolia to
the western borders of Russia. In the first
place, he tells us, there is no evidence in
this region of glacial period such as once
existed in Europe and North America. He
writes:
"On the contrary, throughout this entire
region, we were confronted with the evil
dence of great subsistence of the land
which had taken place in recent geological
time, and which, in date, would correspond
roughly with that of the glacial period in
North America. For several hundred miles,
while driving through the region south of
Lake Balkash and the Aral sea, we were
evidently upon a terrace of the fine loan
which is called loess, about 2,JO0 feet above
sea level. Indeed, at different elevations
this 1oess extends continuously in a broad
shelf along the base of the mountains, from
the Irtish river to the Caspian sea, and is
found in extensive level areas over various
portions of the Caucasus and northern
Persia around the base of Mount Ararat;
while the so-called black earth of southern
Russia is deposit of the same material.
feet in thickness The distribution of this
loess is the key to the whole situation"
Result of Submergence.
That these deposits are the result of sub
mergence and are not wind-transported as
some travellers have maintained, DR.. Wright
is convinced. To quote again:
"On coming around to the northwester ern
side of the great Asiatic plateau, in Turk
estan. which is in almost the exact center
OF the continent, the wind hypothesis be-
came entirely incredible, and the evidence
accumulated that the land had lately been
depressed to such an extent that the water
o. the ocean reached the base of the bor-
dering mountains, rising to a height, GER
tainly of about 1900 feet; for, at this level,
south and southwest of Lake Balkash, we
found the loess spread out in such an ex-
tensive terrace that the wind would be en-
t1rely incompetent to produce the results
we were interested to find, upon visiting
ST. Petersburg, that the chief Russian
geologists had arrived at subst antially the
same conclusions which we had formed"
The recent depression of Central Asia,
Dr. Wright holds, is also proved by the
fresh. We should expect both to be salt,
IKE the Dead sea and our own Salt Lake,
as they have no outlets. Says the writer:
A Recent TRANSFORMATIONS.
1.-THE only explanation Of the freshness Of
the water In these two great seas Is that
there have recently been great changes
both in the climate and in the level of that
region. Salt is washed into such inclosed
basins so rapidly that it would take no pro-
longed period of evaporation to render
them salter than the ocean. In general,
salt vats which are approaching nearer and
nearer the point Of saturation. In the case
of Great Salt Lake and the Dead sea this
point was long since reached; but in the
A~o1 md
progress has been made.
1T is therefore clear that this region has
lately emerged from below sea level and
In consequence, rapidly passed through eli
matte changes which have transformed ii
from recently well-watered region to one
that is now desert. During this transi-
ton stage, the rivers coming into the Aral
sea We're so mucn larger than now that the
sea overtioWed the rim of it's basin in such
volume that nearly all of its salt was car
rled into the Caspian and the sea thus be-
came practically flesh"
This submergence took place after the
creation of man. Says DIR. Wright:
The crownng point of interest is reached
In the discovery by Professor Arma shevskv
at kief of flint implements and burnt
stones In connection with the bones of ex-
tlnct animals fifty seven feet below the un-
disturbed surface Of this soil. The dscov-
cry was made in the bluff of loess border
ing the River Dnieper, whose general sur
face is 633 feet above the sea and $40 feet
above the present stream, and totally un-
connected with any deposits that NAV have
been made by it. In this discovery we have
the link connecting the recent geological
changes in the east with those in the west
the flint implements of glacial man found
in France England and the United States
lnolcate the same stage of culture as that
attained by the men who We're overwhelmed
IN the great subsistence of Central Asia
and southeastern Russia, and of the region
about the base Of Mount Ararat"
Truth of the Bible Story.
In the opinion Of the writer the Biblical
story Of the deuge is shown by these facts
to be In substantial harmony with geologi-
cal history. He says:
If we may be permitted briefly and pro-
V1sionally to summarize the facts as thew
appear probable, both from the Biblical
story and the illustrative geological facts
the completed narrative might be made to
read something as follows:
some time during the prevalence Of
glaclal Ice over northern America and
northwestern Europe man came into exist
ence in central Asia, where the climate was
still congenial. From this point he spread
as far west as the Atlantic seaboard in Eu-
rope, and eastward to the Pacific coast
whence he succeeded in reaching, by way
OF the Bering sea and Alaska the western
coast of North America, and thence mi
grated to the Atlantic coast, where his
remains are found in the glacial grayels
VI trenton, N. j. But the extreme and
rapid changes incident to the closing stages
of the glacial period naturally, and yery
likely, exterminated man in company with
many of the animals ACCOMPANYING him
both In America and in Europe. The de-
struction of many of the species of ami
mails accompanying man at the close of the
glacial period is a well-known fact It
also seems probable, from scientific evil
dence. that man shared largely in the de-
struction. There is everywhere a sharp
line of distinction between Paleolithic and
Neolithic man-that is, between the men
who were limited to the use of faked OF
rough stone implements and those who used
smoothed stone implements. 1t Is Paleo-
lftbic implements only which are found in
the glacial gravels of America and north
western Europe, and beneath the loess of
Kief, and at three or four other localities
In southern Russia The Palaeolithic man
Of science may well be the antediluyian
man of Genesis.
I'm Asia the rapidity of the subsistence
spoken Of, though so great that man could
not adjust himself to it, might still have
been so slow as to be almost imperceptible
But toward the close of this period there
were 120 years Especially mentioned in the
Bible as time of warning) in which the
movement was accelerated to such a de-
gree that the rising waters. gave point to
the preaching of Noah. During the last 371
days of this period the catastrophe culmt-
mated In the facts specially related In