Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 1898)
THE TORCH OF REAbON, H L \ FR ION, OREGON, THÜRSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1898. 2 The Flood. -explained it very readily. Of The water rose to a height of 27 This will show that about two- course, the rivers th a t flowed south feet, 4 inches above tbe top of the thirds of the earth’s surface is sea BY W. H. BACH. flowed down hill. W ater flows highest mountains and fell there in and the rest of it, with a few ex down bill very rapidly, but it flows 40 days and 49 nights, or in 960 ceptions, such as the Dead Sea and ROBABLY the most rem ark up hill very slowly. Hence the hours. the Desert of Sahara, is more or able story between the two Nile, flowing up bill, had to flow It is a very severe rain that less above sea level. covers of the bible is the very slowly. Then the earth slop causes over one inch of water Taking this for our guide and story of the flood. God created the ed towards the south. to fall in a single day. A allowing that j of the space above earth and its inhabitants about It was two hundred days* jour rain fall of 9 inches in one week sea level is occupied by the moun 4004 B. 0., anti they became fruit ney from north to south and three caused a most disastrous flood in tains, etc., we will be obliged to de ful and multiplied greatly on the hundred days’ journey from east to the Mississippi valley, overflowing duct 1-6 from the total amount of face of the earth. Yet, while they west. It was founded on all sides the lowlands and causing 'damage water that fell, which will leave were multiplying, they had so far- by a chain of m ountains, which to the extent of millions of dollars. us the enormous amount of 1,006,- forgotten their wonderful origin supported a crystal dome, which The average annual rainfall of 820.722 cubic miles. that they grew as wicked as they covered the whole world and above the entire w-orld, as repirted by This amount of water would did strong. which was the abode of tbo gods. the weather bureaus of tbe United have to fall, to do as tbe Bible ‘‘And it repented the Lord that T hus it became a very easy m at States and foreign countries, is 36 says was done. Then remember he had made man on the face of the earth, and it grieved him at his ter to “ separate the waters th a t inches. That is, if all the rain that that it does not allow for one sin were below the firm am ent jrom falls on earth during a single year gle drop being lost by any process heart.” (Gen. vi. 6.) In the next verse he decided to those which were above the firm a was to remain on the surface and whatever. It supposes that every destroy all life on earth, but in the m ent” (Gen. i. 7). It was also easy there was no loss from evapora drop stayed on the surface of the verses following we are told that for the flood to come, as all th at tion, or other causes, it would cover earth. Everyone knows this would Noah, a just and good man, found was necessary was to “open the the ground to a depth of but 36 be impossible and that millions of cubic miles would soak into the grace in his heart and he agreed to windows o.‘ heaven” and the waters inches. above the firmament would fall to If Mount Hercules is what Cap earth. It would be impossible to let Noah and his family live. The tain Lawson reported it to l>e, 32,- even approximate the amount of ark was the means provided for the earth. P This was an easy matter to han <63 feet high, and it was covered water that would be absorbed by their safety, and into it they took dle until the form of the earth was to a depth of 27 feet, 4 inches, it tbe 4,180,000 square miles of des the animals. To understand the matter fully learned. This and the invention would have been necessary for it to ert we have on the earth’s surface. it would he necessary to read the of the telescope and researches in rain enough to cover the earth to a If you wish to try it, take a pail of entire 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th chap astronomy have swept away the depth of 819 feet, 9 inches, each 24 sand. Pound it down as hard as ters of Genesis, but we will make a abode of the gods, and man began hours, in order that the depth of you can get it, then see if it does 32,790 feet of water might fall in not take up nearly its owu hulk of few verses answer our purpose. Let to question the story of the flood. Let us examine it. We will not 40 days and nights. The entire water. us take Genesis vii. 10, 11, 12, 19, enter the ark in this story, but will flow of Niagara would be but a 20. W here did this water come from? devote an entire story to that. Ev drop compared with this amount. “ And it came to pass after seven The atmosphere at the level of the en then it is a great question if we But, as we have said, there seems sea will hold but one per cent, of days, that the waters of the flood can devote sufficient space to justi to be a question regarding Mt. moisture without precipitation. were upon the earth. Hercules, and we will also use Mt. The highest clouds, the cirrus, or ‘‘In the six hundredth year of fy it. But there are some facts cancern- Everest in our calculations. It is “mackerel sky,” are about 6 miles Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month ing the world th at we know. In 29,002 feet high, to which add the high and the rain clouds are but [November 17th], the same day the first place we know its size and 27 feet, 4 inches of water which about one mile high. The water were all the fountains of the great shape; we know the height of its covered it, and we have a total reached as high as these clouds and deep broken up, and the windows principal elevations; we know the depth of water of 29,029 feet, 4 higher than the rain clouds. depth of its principal seas, and we inches. This would have to fall at of heaven were opened. At the sea level one cubic inch “ And the rain was upon the know the amount of moisture the the rate of 726 feet, 9 inches per of water produces 1,700 cubic inches air can hold without precipitation. day; a little less than 30 feet, 3 of vapor. If this water existed in earth forty days and forty nights. inches per hour; a little over 6 “ And the waters prevailed ex We are now in a position to begin inches per minute or the amount the form of vapor, it would have ceedingly upon the earth, and all our investigations. of an ordinary rainfall each second filled a space of 1,701,595,227,400 The rain was upon the earth for of time. the high hills that were under the cubic miles, provided the atmos ty days and forty nights, or 900 hor all practical purposes the whole heaven were covered. phere continued the same density “ Fifteen cubits upward did the hours of steady rain, and during earth is 8,000 miles in diameter; and capacity for holding moisture. the highest mountains are 6 miles wateis prevail and the mountains this time enough water fell to fill high. The cubical contents of the But we know that as we go up, the the whole earth so that tbe highest earth, using these figures, amount were covered.” atmosphere becomes less dense and Here, in a nutshell, is the plot for mountains were covered to a depth to 268,083,200,000 cubic miles. If its capacity to hold moisture is de our story of the flood. There is no of fifteen cubits, or a trifle over 27 we covered it with water to a depth creased in proportion. of 6 miles, its cubical contents use going over the old quibble of feet 4 inches. At an altitude of 10,000 feet, the We talk about rains and cloud would be 269,291,384,866 1-3 cubic what the writer meant or what he miles. By subtracting the first atmosphere is so rare that many did not mean. The facts are de bursts in this age, but they are amount from the second we find people suffer greatly. At points finitely stated and we must be con mere sprinkles, tbe worst of them, that it would require 1,208,184,866 one mile above sea level it is diffi sistent and follow them. Accord compared with this rain of biblical 1-3 cubic miles of water to cover cult to walk up bill, and at points the earth to the necessary depth. ing to my orthodox brother, I must times. from 10,000 to 12,000 feet high it is There is some question concern But the earth is not exactly round, accept it as gospel truth or lie con although the highest mountains are difficult, if not impossible, to boil demned. ing which is the highest mountain no more in comparison to its sur potatoes, beans or even eggs. The Captain Lawson face than a grain of sand is to an But nature either blessed or curs in the world. water boils, or changes into a va 16 inches in diam- ed me. The great productive force claims that he found a mountain, ordinary « globe, • . - por, at so low a temperature that through which I was brought into that he called Mount Hercules, eter, used in school rooms. Three-fourths of the earth’s sur sufficient heat is not generated to being, endowed me with thought that had an altitude of 32,763 feet face is covered with water, of which cook them. and for years, in fact, as far back above sea level. The existence of less than one-third is above sea It is therefore impossible to esti as I can remember, I wanted to this mountain is denied by some, level. The following will show the mate the amount of space this know where that water came from. among them being members o*f the best estimates on the subject: water would occupy when changed Square Miles. The ancients believed the world Royal Geographical Society of into a vapor, but it would make a Total area of the to be flat, or practically so; it slop England. As we are giving every earth’s surface.........196,971,984 solid cloud reaching above the ed from the north to the south. possible benefit of the doubt to The great oceans are limits of the atmosphere a distance Their evidence was, the rivers flow these stories, we will take the highest estimated as follows: of many thousands of miles. No ing south had a rather swift cur peak we know of, the existence of A tlantic---- 24,536,000 light could possibly penetrate it. rent. I he Nile, the single great which is unquestioned, and use th.it Pacific........ 50,309,000 I he windows of Heaven were In d ia n ........ 17,084,000 exception in their country’ flowed in our calculations. opeued” and the “ fountains of the Arctic.......... 4,781,000 north. Its fall is very slight, the Mount Everest raises its peak S o u th ern .. .30,592,000 great deep were broken up,” the current sluggish and their analogy 29,002 feet above the sea level. | or a total area of........ 127,302,000 j Bible says. But we know the win-