The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-10-18

YOU his tomb. Farther along tne Iodu
we pass through a great gorge IN the
cliffs, on the north side Of which, near
the top. is a cave, in which Samson
lived. And I verify believe that II we
should offer our guides sufflcient re-
ward they would find us his bones or
some pieces of brass from the gates
Of the city Of GAIA. which, you remem-
Der. he carried away on his shoulders.
The Excavations at Gezer.
In our ride up to Jerusalem we go
by a mound which has several build
ings upon it, including the dome or a
Mohammedan mosque. The ground
about it has been dug over and over,
and the ruins discovered have excited
the religious and scientific world.
III excavations which have been
made by the Palestine exploration
fund show Gezer to be one OF the Old
est, if not the oldest, city Of history.
The scientists have o down into
the earth finding one city built upon
ruins of another, down to the seventh
city or settlement, which seems TO
have been occupied by the cave dwell
ers Of the flint or ston age, a period
before history began to be written.
In these cave dwellings, pottery and
flint Instruments were A
burial place of hat ancient race was
opened up and email found which
show that the ave jewellers practiced
cremation. In one of the SIX Other
cities, higher up. bronze tools were
dug out. and higher still the remain
of the ancient Egyptians. In one Of
the caves was found large jars con-
tanning skeletons of infants Who had
been sacrificed as a matter Of worship,
probably during the Caaaanlte period,
and in another was q cistern, the
T1Outh of which was guarded by the
skulls of two young girls, and inside
which were found fourteen skeletons,
one being that of q girl Of sixteen
who had been sawn asunder.
Belonged to solomon.
The King of Gezer was defeated by
Joshua, and later the city was cap
tured by a king of Egypt, who was one
of Solomon's three hundred odo
fathers-in-law. The story is tina Pnn-
raoh gave Gezer to Solomon as a dow
ry with his daughter, and that Solo
mon rebuilt the city. At the time OF
the cruSadeS Richard Occur de Lion
and Saladin fought over it. and it was
an important fortress at the time Of
the M~accabees.
The archeologists Of the Palestine
exploration fund have been excavating
here for five years, and they say there
is much yet to be found. They are
about to publish a book giving a full
statement of their work. They have
discovered bronze pots, ivory tablets,
statues. jewels and other treasures OF
a half dozen different periods of his
tory. In one OF the cities q complete
olive press mad of stone was IN
earthed. and in another an Egyptian
~statuette about 1000 years old The
statue was that of a man with a beard
and a wig. Bronze tweezers We're
found and also many articles of Greek
and Roman times. One Of the most
interesting discoveries was a reservoir
of a capacity of four millions Of gal
Ions, and another was a palace sup
posed to belong to one OF the Macca-
bees.
New Light on Palestine.
This is only one of a number Of
cities which are now being excava1ed
between Jericho and the Mediterran-
can sea. in addition to those wnicn
have lately been dug up east of the
Jordan. The Germans, Russians ana
!, Austrians are e~xcavating in different
: places, but the most of the WORK ~
that of his exploration fund, which
was founded more than forty-fve
!. years ago and is supported by volun-
! tary contributions
= The Palestine exploration fund is
not a religious body. but rather a
scientific and historical one. 1t is nov
). spending about $4,000 a year on sucn
work, the most Of the sums being col
lected in amounts of IS or less from
Englishmen and Americans all over
the world. The association has made
great discoveries in Jerusalem. 1t has
surveyed and mapped the most of Pal.
= estine and has added about $50 Bible
sites to those already known. Durine
my stay here l have met its secretary
DR.. Percy D.. Wheeler, and have learn.
ed much concerning it's work.
The Jerusalem Railroad.
d But let me tell you something abou
the railroad up to jerusalem. It ha,
o been in operation more than eighteel
n years, and its rates are so high tina
it ought to pay We'll. The cost of gu
If passage is about 6 cents a mile
Freight rate on coal is 81 per ton an
all express is proportionately high
h. h track is a narrow gauge, and til
ears are much like street cars, wit
little racks for baggage along eac]
n side under the roof. Each carriage i
divided up into compartments, tn