Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-01-11
TO EXPLORE dead
SEA and ENWRONS
University Of Berlin Will Head
Expedition Which Will Have
Great Interest.


Jerusalem, Palestine, Special: An
expedition, the purpose OF which is to
thoroughly explore the Dead sea and
Its env1rons, under the leadership of
DR.. Bruhl, of the University OF Berlin,
has just arrived from Europe and con-
tinued to the scene Of it's future opera
tons.
The motives Of the expedition, so it
is emphatically averred by DIR. Bruhl,
are purely scientific, with absolutely no
elements of commercialism entering
into Its ultimate object. Its members
are, with the exception Of q man from
Copenhagen and possibly another from
Sweden, all German scientists and en-
gineers.
The expedition was organized in Ger
many several months and seems
to be most thoroughly equipped, sc1en-
t~idcally and otherwise. 1t Is financed
by private subscriptions, a few mem
bers defraying their share of the ex-
pense while among the contributors
several leading Zionists figure very
prominently.
Work Of Exploration.
The work OF exploration will consist
I'm the major part OF sounding the
depth Of various sections Of the lake
as we'll as analyzing the unique and
complex composition Of it's waters,
studying its shores. Investigating the
nature Of the different minerals that
are said to abound in that region, ex-
ploring, as far as is possible. the chan
nels of the many rivers and hot water
streams, apart from the Jordan, which
flow into the sea from both the eastern
and western mountain ranges that hem
it's shores, examining and classifying
the varieties Of fish that exist in large
numbers only in the extreme southeast
ern section of the lake, which consist
mainly Of shadows and marshes. 1t
must be remembered In this connection
that it has always been firmly main
tanned by those who visited the Dead
sea n wrote treatises about 1t long
ago that no fish of any kind can make
their habitat in any part of it and this
long-established belief was given the
death blow only recently by a pleasure
party OF Americans long resident In the
country who visited the southern end
of the lake and discovered fish.
Chemical Composition Of Water.
So 1t remains for the members OF
the German expedition to arrive at the
causes which undoubtedly must be due
to varying conditions of chemical COM
position of the water that make 1T
possible for fish to live in certain sec
lions of the lake and not in others;
and, in short, to find out everything
about this strange body of water from
scientific s%tandpoints that is worth
knowing.
In order the better to facilitate it's
operations. the expedition has char
tered a little steam vessel for the
a OF three months with the provisO
that at the option OF DR.. Bruhl the
lease may be extended for an indefinite
period.
What ultimate political or
cial motives, if my underlie the sur
face of the enterprise time only can
show.
This is by no means the first attempt
made to explore the Dead sea region.
direction belongs to the doughty Lieu
tenant w. F.. Lynch. Of the American
navy, who. as early Is the year 1848.
spent considerable time in research and
exploration of h a region at h eX-
pense of the American government and
Gays facilities for travel were Of the
crudest and people did not know 10Y
to guard against the ravages of ma
laria, to say nothing OF the predatory,
marauding Bedouin, now under effec-
tual control by the Turks. but who
were then q lot of lawless, aggressive
bands.
Despite ell these hardships and diff
ficulties, Lieutenant Lynch was fairly
successful in taking measurements as
well as sOundings Of different parts Of
the lake. To him, moreover belongs
travel in q little boat from the Sea Of
Galilee down the River Jordan to the
Dead sea.
Measurements Of Lake.
According to the lieutenant's MARIA
tive, the lake measures some 46 miles
from north to south and from six to ~
miles east and west. It's total surface