Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-09-18
rbe Crossing Of the Jordan.

George Frederick Wright, in the
Records of the Past, writes very in
terestlngly of the submerged trees
of the Columbia river, familiar to
tourists who have made the trip up
that stream to The Dalles. He dis
cusses thre theories advanced to ac-
count for the phenomenon, and ac-
cents that of an immense landslide,
which turned the water of the river
into the rocky bed which forms the
Cascades. Incidentally, he remarks;
"In addition to the interest which
is itself pertains to this phenomenon
I'm the Columbia river, 1t is of special
significance, as illustrating the Bibi-
cal story of the way the children of
Israel crossed the River Jordan.
where the phenomena as described
are closely analogous to these in the
Columbia river. except that in the
Columbia the dam produced by the
landslide was permanent, owing to
the hardness of the rock obstruction
over which the water was compelled
to go, while in the case of the Jor-
dan, there being no rocky obstruc-
tion, the former level would be soon
resumed after the obstruction was
once surmounted by the water. Ac-
cording to the account of Joshua,
the waters which came down from
above stood. and rose up in one heap
great way off, at Adam. the city
that is beside Zarethan; and those
that went down toward the sea of
the Arabah, even the Salt sea, were
wholly cut off. And the people
hasted and passed over and
the waters of the Jordan returned
upon their place, and went over all
its banks, as aforetime.'
This sequence of events is Just |
what might have been produced in |
the valley of the Jordan on the oc-
currence of the facts similar to those |
involved either in Major buttons or
DR.. Newberry's theory to account for |
the submerged forests Of the Colum- J
bia. On Major buttons theory, a
gentle anticlinal arch of Is or 20 |
feet thrown across the valley of the |
Jordan by an earthquake would fur
nish the temporary obstruction nec-
essary to set the water back to Zare-
than; while the softness of the sedi-
deposits which fill the val
ley of the Jordan would permit the
river speedily to resume its former
gradient.
"But the conditions more precisely
ft the theory of landslide; for the i
valley of the Jordan, about Is miles |
wide, is filled to a great depth with |
Through this sedimentary deposit |
which accumulated when the water
In the valley stood several hundred
feet higher than it does now.
Throuhg this serimentary deposit
the Jordan cut narrow gorge. or
ghor' as 1t is called. to a depth of
from 90 to 100 feet, and varying
width of a few hundred feet The
bottom of this ghor is occupied both
by the river and by the hood-plam.
which covered by water when the
Jordan overhows its banks. As this
shor is constantly growing wider
through the action Of the river as II
swings from side to side aud i'm
plnges against its banks IL must have
been considerably narrower 5000
years ago than 1t is now. But even
now 1t would not be at all impossible
Tor the landslide temporarily to OBJ
'truot the channel. as it is supposed
% have done in the time OF Joshua.
.t Is thus that geological records
may render credible. and aid us in
understanding historic records that
II nrst sight seem improbable
-- Co..