Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-01-07
"Reviving the Dead Sea"
by BETTY ROSS

Vast factories on the shores for so
many centuries desolate and deserted
save for n few strolling Bedouin tribes,
Instead Of its isolation In the shadow
Of the ruins of ancient Jericho, civil
izntion brought to its shores by II rail
way extending to Haifa.
In that grim sea where there is no
hope for any living thing, life now,
,hrobbing, eager. Workmen. scores OF
them, dredging, draining. experiment.
ing. preparing for the day when the
wealth OF all Palestine will flow from
the Dead Sea, which, instead of being
the drenriest spot In the Holy Land
will be the most vital, the most pulsat-
ing.
All this if the experiments with the
waters of the Dead Sea comc up to
expectations of scientists, the most re-
nowned In the world.
For over fifty years scientists have
been talking Of experimenting with the
Nutt VI tht lytdh 'Nd. III iilt IstNl lDut
years scientists have been actively
starting this work. with the result that
much ground has been covered and
many practical experiments are now
being carried on In the laboratory Of
the Hebrew University on Mount SEQ
pus under the direction of DR.. Max
Bobtelsky DIR. Bobtelsky was sent
there from Germany, where he came
fresh from honOrs ut the University Of
Bcrne, Switzerland, where he was
lender OF experiments with inorganic
salts.
Three months ago the scientist came
to Palestine with an expedition for
practical experiments. to help make the
great dream of the stasnunt sea come
true, His staff of assistants, including
chemists from London and Paris labora-
tories, are stationed at the Dead Sea
and engaged in minute observation and
scru tiny of all its phases.
In order not to miss any phase Of
the waters possibilities, the staff actu-
the midst of the intense heat of the
valley, which is over 200 feet below
sea level. There are no habitations
there, owing TO the unbcarablc heat, so
the men occupy the low wooden shacks
used by the British during the war.
THE mean measure scientific weight
and the concentration of the water
which Is taken out of a tank. and then
they try TO separate the salts" ex-
planned DIR. Bobtclsly stopping "A min
utc from an experiment in the laborn-
tory at Mount Scopus to talk about his
great opus.
''Ihe Dead Sea is supposed to have
the following salts" he continued. ''po-
tassium chloride 1.-TWO grams to the
litre) sodium chloride (tablc salt
about 80 grams to the litrc) and much
magnesium chloride lover 100 grams to
the litrcl
"For fifty years now men have
thought the salts in this sea were valu-
able. The Germans wrote books about
the riches of the Dead Sea. We already
know there is asphalt there, because at
times when we watch it, when the
waves are large, we see big black stones
there. This is bituminous chalk
drenclicd with asphalt. We are al
ready making experiments on this.
"Wc are also seeking potassium
chloride aud potassium bromide II we
find 1t. we will use the carbon for feed
ing plants. Thus far the only coun-
try in the world which has potassium
chloride Is Germany, and ii has the
monopoly on 1t. II would break this
monopoly were we to discover it here.
If IL exists here. it is in larger guam
titles than Germany has, and 50 what
we didn't use we would export. Ac-
cording TO estimates. there are approx
imatcly two million metric tons of po-
tassium chloride in the Dead Sen,
which would be worth about two mil
lion pounds. We estimate about twenty
five million metric tons Of magnesium
chloride In the sen also.
"when we are certain Of these facts,
the next step will he to build "A railway
TO the Dead Sea-pcrhaps into the Jor-
dan. for II flows into ii al this point