THE DEAD SEA

Evening Star, Issue 21715, 9 May 1934, Page 12

THE DEAD SEA

MODERN LIDO ON SHORES The only writer in_ the Bible that has any cheering word to say regarding that extraordinary sheet of water—the Dead Sea in Palestine, is the prophet Ezekiel. Every other reference suggests desolation, the outstanding incident being the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plains, the ruins of which have been found at the northern end of the lake. But Ezekiel, referring to the Dead Sea, declares how its waters" shall he “ healed,” and how “ there shall he a great multitude of fish ” in them. “ The fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi. They shall spread forth nets; their fish shall Ire according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” The present salty nature of the water keeps fish and much other life away. Remove the excess salts and life would become possible in the Dead Sea. Salts are being removed in large quantities, and eventually 100,000 tons a year may be taken from the lake. The works of the Palestine Potash Company cover over 500 acres of ground. So, in course of time, the present 25 per cent, salinity of the Dead Sea may do reduced to something nearer the 3i or 4 per cent, of the oceans,. aqd Ezekiel’s prophecy will come true. Writing in the ‘ Empire Review ’ on ‘ Life Comes to the Dead Sen,’ Harold J. Shepstone describes the birth of a new resort called Kallia, as the result of the commercial activity in connection with the recovery of sails from the Dead Sea. A special section of the shore has been set apart, at the northwest corner of the lake, for the exclusive use of tourists, and as a rendezvous for the people of Palestine. It has resulted, he' says, in the creation of a modern Lido with virtually all the amenities found at such watering places. There arc two pavilions equipped with indoor and outdoor dining rooms, lounges, and retiring rooms, and a bar. Here refreshments may he had at popular prices, from the humble sandwich to a seven-course dinner. Dining here in the open under the arc. lights, watching the bathing, and the shadows of towering Mount Neho opposite, from the summit of which Moses viewed the Promised Land, is certainly a novel experience. Each pavilion has also an open-air dancing floor, the niusic being supplied by a radio-gramo-phone. Concerts and entertainments are given, and before now the resort has been called npon tn cater for two to three thousand visitors at one time. Close to the water’s edge arc the bathing pavilions, every cubicle boasting of its fresh-water douche.

, A motor boat, capable of carrying seventy-six passengers, has been placed upon the lake, which has proved very popular. You can take a short cruise for as low as a shilling, or longer Journeys round the lake. In a trip around tho lake one passes awe-inspiring gorges, mountains of rock salt, and many historic sites. Xot least the rocky cliffs are of gorgeous colours, pink and red predominating. The citizens of Jerusalem are forming a yachting club, and nest season many boats should be plying upon these waters. Another new attraction will he a golf course, which is being laid out.

NOVEL BATHING. A favourite time for bathing in the Dead Sea is during the period of full moon, when there is quite an exodus from the Holy City to the new Lido. It is a common thing then to find five or six hundred people bathing in the lake at one time. The ' novice quickly discovers that bathing in the Dead Sea is unlike swimming in the ordinary ocean. There are notices warning you not to dive or allow the water to get into your eyes. The water is so salt and bitter that no fish can live in it. Whereas in the ocean, such as the Atlantic, the percentage of mineral salts is hut 3$ per cent., in the Dead Sea it reaches no less than 25 per cent. It is these salts that render the water so buoyant that it is impossible for a human being to sink in it. That does not mean to say it is impossible for anyone to drown, for, although the body may not sink, ihlie head, being the heaviest part, can remain under the water. The water is quite warm, and one can walk out in it without the slightest discomfort. At first swimming seems strange, as the feet are liable to come to the surface and the head to go under. Floating is delightful, and one can tread water in one’s own depth. The water is exceedingly clear, and it is possible to see distinctly every pebble at a depth of twenty feet. The region used to be regarded as unhealthy, and as far too hot for Europeans. But experience has shown that this is by no means the case. The atmospheric pressure there is greater than at sea level, and there is a correspondingly greater amount of oxygen present. The atmosphere is dry and the sunshine continuous, and no mosquitoes or sandflies are there to trouble tourists. It is true that in the height of summer the temperature may rise to 120 or 130 deg in the shade at midday, but there is usually a breeze to temper the heat. No diseases usually associated with hot climates, like malaria, are prevalent, and it is believed that the highly radio-active salts that abound in the region are a factor in the maintenance of health.

The Dead Sea is no mean sheet ot water, seeing it is forty-seven miles long and ten miles broad at. its widest part. It is estimated that the River .lordan and other streams pour into the Dead Sea an average of not less than six and a-half million tons of water a day. But the lake has no outlet, and all the water it receives is removed by solar evaporation. The surface of the sea lies 1,300 ft below- the level of the Mediterranean, and it is tho lowestlying sheet of water on the face of the globe. What is the source of the salinity of the waters of the Dead Sea ? All rivers contain a small proportion of dissolved -salts, and lakes or seas which have no outlet to the ocean tend to become salt. With regard to potash and bromine, which occur in such large quantities in the Dead Sea, it is now presumed that these chemicals are carried down in solution by the Jordan from the hot springs ot Galilee. Though the amount brought down by the river at one time may be negligible, it must he remembered that the Jordan has been bringing down its quota of salts and other substances in solution for many thousands of years. As the only outlet for the water "is by evaporation, the salts have remained, whilst tho water has been dispersed into the atmosphere. With such a process going on century after century it is easy to understand why there -should be 2o per cent, of salinity in the Dead Sea water, compared with the 3J per cent, of the Atlantic Ocean,