The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-01-29
SITE OF sODOM AND GOMORRAH
Also the Volcano That DESTROYED
1hem-Cave Where Lot stayed.

dec. ares that he has VERIFIED the Ei-
BILE story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Hundreds of pages he says in
Harper's Magazine. "have been writ
ten to prove that the story is a myth.
or that tho ancient towns were de-
stroyed by the bursting forth Of OF,
wells like those Of Texas or Bsl.u.
which sometimes are ignited and
burn for days. Other hundreds of
Lagos have been devoted to proving
that Sodom and Gomorrah were or
were not at the north end OF tine
Dead Sea. and that they were or were
not buried under the saline deposits
at either end Of the lake.
among recent writer's there seems
to be a tendency to believe that So
dom and its sister town were prob
ably located at the south end Of the
lake. where the name Usdum is
thought to represent Sodom, and
where Arab tradition now locates the
III fated cities. The means of their
destruction are believed to have been
the oil wells mentioned above. This
rather unsatisfactory conclusion has
teen adopted largely because 1t has
been supposed that no volcano is To-
Gated in such position that 1t could
have borne any part in the story.
According to the story in Genesis,
Lot and Abraham were at Bethel, ten
miles north Of Jerusalem. when their
herdsmen Quarreled and they dec!d-
ed to separate. And Lot liftei ap
his eyes. and beheld all the Plain CT
the Jordan. that It was we'll watered
everywhere, before Jehovah dstroy-
ed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the
garden Of Jehovah. like the land OF
Egypt. az thou goest up to Zoar. SO
Lot chose him all the Plain of Jor-
dam
| Then the story goes on to the
time when Jehovah rained upon So
dom and uron Gomorrah birthstone
and fire fron Jehovah out Of heaven,
while Lot fed to the near town of
zoar. He did not stay there long.
Tut went out Of Zoar and dewitt in
the mountain-in a cave.
Having freshly read the story and
having looked over the strong argu-
ments for locating the towns south OF
the Dead Sea and for believing them
! to have been destroyed by something
In the nature Of bituminous out
bursts. was taken by surprise when
visited the little ruin Of Suwelmeh
and picked up bits of genuine scori-
aceous lava. while the sheikh who
acted as guide told the story Of So
dom a. the story Of suweimeh or Su-
vein. The name may be q coryup-
ton Of Sodom.
| II went into the mountains at once
from Suweim in order to see where
the lava came from. As we climbed
tho lower hills the sheihh noticed
that picked up black pieces OF lava
and broke them open.
Don't bother with those he said.
Up here pointing south east. there
II q whole mountain Of black rock
like that
along the line Of the great fault
which separates the Ghor from the
plateau Of Moab. we found the
mountain. a genuine little volcano of
very recent date geologically. From
II flowed q sheet Of lava which made
the small headland already mention.
ed between Suweim and Ghuweir.
The namo Ghuweir Is believed by
many students to be a corruption OF
zoar. although It may also be all
Arabic word, Ne diminutive Of ohor,
meaning "Aittis Valley
"a late eruption of ashes from the
volcano may easily have wrought
havoc In q town located near su.
weim. On the other hand Ghuweir
lies In such situation that 1t would
De protected by intervening hills.
The present ruins Of Ghuweil
doubtless date from a time man,
hundred or even one or two thou.
sand years after the days of Abra.
nam and Lot. There Is one work OF
man, however, which may go back
to the period Of the Patriarchs and
which may have played a part ir the
Biblical narrative.
Near the head of the valley which
leads eastward from Ghuweir up to-
ward the plateau of Moab we discov-
cred carefully excavated cave
among the mountains at a place call.
ed Ell Ghuttar. between Abu Hassar