Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-05
TO SEARCH FOR OIL
Commission Appointed to Ex-
pIore the Jordan Valley.
SELECTED By THE SULTAN
Much Impressed by the Reports Of
Scientists.
BANKER WARKENT1Ns DEATH
Glidden's Car the First Automobile
to Be Seen at observation-disclosures
s can Exports to Syria.
BANKER WARKENTIN's DEATH
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS

NEW YORK, May 4 1905.
1t has graciously pleased his majesty
the Sultan of Turkey to appoint q COM
mission to explore and report on the
geology, the mineral resources and par
ticularly the indications Of petroleum in
the Valley of the Jordan. The commits
sion has already been selected and or
ganized under the direction of DR.. M.
Blanckenhorn, a we'll known German
geologist,: who is assisted by specialists in
different departments, Germans and
Frenchmen. They have gone into the
field equipped with a great variety of
meteorological apparatus and implements
for boring into the earth and for otner
purposes. They began in the neighbor-
hood Of Jericho, just north Of the point
where the Jordan flows into the Dead sea.
Sea of Galilee.
| tidewater and the lowest portions Of the
earth's surface is full of geological phe-
nomena as we'll as historical and scriptu-
raj associations. but it has never been
subjected to an accurate or q thorough
scientific survey. Indeed, only small
portion of the Valley of the Jordan. has
ever been explored. Casual observations
have. however, noticed many curious
freaks of geology. botany, meteorology and
even zoology The soil contains phos-
pilates. bituminous rocks, nOdules or sui
phur, gypsum and rainbow colored mari;
and there are evidences of meteoric iron.
|. But those who have given attention to
that. sacred valley have been searching
for historical and scriptural evidences
rather than for natural phenomena. The
agents of the Palestine exploration fund
have made a topographic map of the val
ley: they have tabulated accurate hydro
graphic records concerning the Jordan
and the Dead sea with a view to ascer-
tanning their past levels and depths Of
water as compared with those of the
present.
They have exhaustive reports of the
volume and rapidity of the flow and its
effect on the topography of the valley.
They have observed remarkable phenome-
ma in terrestrial magnetism and unex-
planned variation in the magnetic needle.
They have also reported the existence OF
petroleum on the west side OF the Dead
sea and favorable indications on the east
bank of the river. But nothing definite
has been determined because they have
not followed up their discoveries In these
respects The Palestine exploration fund
is contributed by biblical students and
those who are interested in Christian
archaeology. rather than in the develop
ment of material resources. It's agents
have been looking for footsteps Of the
prophets and tombs Of the patriarchs
rather IEdU U1clcOIIISS cllu tAdCCo VI ~
troleum.
Sultan Much Impressed.
The sultan seems to have been i'm
pressed by the representations of German
scientists. and the reports of their investi-
cations will be Of universal interest be-
cause no other spot means so much to
both the Moslem and the Christian world
as the Valley Of the Jordan. 1t is a weird
place. and unlike any other section of the
earth's surface. It partakes Of several
California, but usually has too much
rather than too little water.
Some years ago the sultan undertook
a scheme of irrigation. which was to
the Jordan, and fill it with cotton plan
tations and other agricultural enterprises.
But the climate is deadly during the sum-
mer months and the atmosphere is satu-
rated with poisonous mtasma the entire
year. No one can be induced to settle
there voluntarily and the soldiers who
were sent down to do the work died like
flies in the plague Of Egypt. Since then
its acrid wastes have been deserted ex-
cept for an occasional Bedouin wanderer,
and the irrigation enterprise has never
been revived.
The entire Jordan valley is the personal
property Of the Sultan Of Turkey, and ii
Dr. Blanckenhorns commission find Pc
trOleum or Otner valuable minerals ne
will be the gamer.
The Death Of Banker Warkentin.
A friend in Syria writes me a graphic
account of the accident which recently
caused the. death of Mr.. Warkentin,
banker from Newton. KAN. which has
been frequently referred to in the papers
and Is likely to become an international
incident. He says that Wednesday, April
1, a party Of seven American travellers
left Damascus by the morning train for
Beirut They were Mr.. and Mrs. Bar
rett and Mr.. and Mrs. Sterling of Phila-
delphia, Miss Pritchard and Mr.. and Mrs.
Warkentin of Newton, Kan. They oc-
cupied two flrst-class compartments with
their courier. Mr.. Kosmos of Amsterdam
Holland and a dragOman named Mussar
from Cairo.
just before the train left Damascus
a young man. who proved to be q grand
son Of the famous Algerine Abd-el-Kadir,
entered the train and sat with the trav-
elers He took a heavy belt and revolver
from his waist and placed it on a. rack.
A little later he took it down, showed 1t
to the travellers. two of whom warned
him of the danger of handling such a
weapon, and as he was about to place
IL in his saddlebags he accidentally pulled
the trigger The heavy bullet pierced
the cushions. the light partition into the
next compartment and entered the back
of Mr.. Warkentin, INJECTING mortal
wound. The young Algerine, after realiz-
ing what he had done, leaped from the
train which by that time had slowed