Eugene register-guard., July 11, 1937, Image 21

in
Duu
J id Lti
v. It
Prophet Of Northwest Believes
Masses Must I urn
From Materialism
Or Civilization
Will Be Lost In
T" 1 1TT77
f- k. A lUal VVdVC
Of Own
xry Making
I-
' i.
S3 I
Bill Greenwood Has
r Prepared for the
I Next Flood, Accord-
ing to His Critics,
J But He Says He Is
Only Trying to
Bring A Simple Phil
osophy to Humanity.
His "Ark" Has At
tracted Hordes of
Curiosity Seekers
Few of Whom Wait
While He Expounds
His Beliefs on Life!
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By Arthur M. Jones
iHEN old Bill Greenwood recently told a
fY London newspaper what he thought
tout the coming "end of the world," the Ohio
foi, and answered questions on Biblical proph-
a It was because he has become the mod-
Noah of Noah's Ark No. 2. The 6000-mile
tphone conversation lasted half an hour, and
next day English journals carried the storv.
His ark stands on the mud flats near Olympia,
uhington, and is one of the "wonders of the
yet probably not so remarkable as the
M himself. People in Norway, Germany,
pice and other European countries write
rtreds of letters asking questions about Bill
ptnwood s ark and about its eccentric owner.
won itself inquired if he thought thnt nnv
feat floods would soon "sweep the Pacific
ut,"and for this information which was In
negative: naid a telnnhnnn rharrm nf cioni
Xewareels have
K and clergymen from almost cverv state
f ft met Mr. Greenwood during the last 'decade.
S Innumerable questions. And all of these
answers promptly- althourrh sometime ho
People misquote him sadly.
any interviewers nut down anvthini th
he says, "an.1 ivi hu.. n.nni. r. .u.
n about my ark."
something of an cc-
mc many persons rofnr
Um as a crank. His onlv
;lon from accepted
Klariia. however, is on
Mernretation of Revel.
Mr. Greenwood was born in Coal
City, Rock Island County, Illinois,
in 1869. He spent his early life on
a farm near there and in 1001 his
family migrated to Olympia. Wash
ington. After arriving they moved
to a little stump ranch at Mud Bay.
five miles west of the town. Bill
went to work for a neighbor clear
ing land and, was thus occupied
when a strange phenomenon occurred
in the district. It happened on Fri
day, the 12th day of September. The
sky became so dark that the chick
ens went to roost, and men in the
fields stopped work. Bill says that
it was darker than night, and this
made a deep impression on his mind
This darkness reached 600 miles out
7;
rr
V,
The "Four Horses of
The Apocalypse,"
One of Greenwood's
Miiny Paintings.
T
At
fir-
"i He
is a strong, active
few
" "1 long, dark.rrav
r M a luxuriant crop of
E ?rav whiskers. He is
;'n M age. but
ever guess
' 10 w within
I of that.
; affable and
a good
x" and nirtur.
: In his dress
Unctlve person-
"Hie he is
f the short
,1!1fsof mankind
" " optimistic
final outromo
and bulging,
P'' are
tr, ""leves Mr,
7 Pnar . ,' un,l,'tandinR nf life la the
' t: troubles noth,n? clse H1 effectively
psychic
tW mil. k O rn.,n..!
lues
wa to I-
! to ar.v .
universal minded" to
"The Bible is not dlffl-
our mind to It,"
people to do our
': "irtctly th- favonte tudy and he savs
: ark T "' the cause of his build-
"ttl .HD insPired me to build
"Sealed m7. R,vclatina." he remarked,
u Wished v PUrpose ,rom
me until after
'5uUnUon?T know that 11 ' t" t-
"diking Porle t0
a more spiritual
The "Ark" Contains Many Musical In
struments and Greenwood Can Play
All of Them!
to sea and as far as the Cascade Mountains to
the east, according to Greenwood.
THE lower part of the ark Is an old schooner
50 feet in length, which sailed around the
Horn, and was used for many years on Puget
Sound as a freight carrier. But Its original
Identity has been entirely lost In the ark. The
overall length now Is 60 feet, the beam Is 20
fget and Ue oU from maJn deck to keel Is
Ir. Greenwood Is Preparing to
urn A Pictorial Conception of
the Devil" in A Ncarhy Bonfire.
seven feet. The shape of this craft Is
very similar to a Chinese Junk, but has
flat sides like a dory. The bottom nf
the hull is indented with a v-shaped
tunnel running full length of the
boat, thus making it somewhat of a
catamaran. In this tunnel is a shaft
and a propeller, hut an engine has
never been installed in the ark. Two
by fours, flooring. Jute sacking snaked
in coal tar, and long bridge spikes to
hold everything together make up the
hul. The main deck cabin runs the
full length of the craft and above this
Is a big pilot house with a six-foot
steering wheel which has never been
connected.
The main cabin contains the little
forecastle. In which Bill lives, the cen
tral social hall, and aft of this a room
which contains an assortment of equip
ment. It is a storeroom containing
among othr things some of the most unusual
costumes 'hat anyone has ever seen.
Mr Greenwood started his ark about ir years
ago and worked at It for four or five years be
fore It was completed doing most of the work
during the summer months. The house and
part of the hull are decorated with red. blue,
and green stars of all sizes on a field nf gray.
On the cabin walla are many red-painted plac
ards bearing Bible quotations and prophetic
warnings.
The forecastle In which Bill lives Is seldom
penetrated by anyone except his close friends.
It Is dark as a cellar because of coverings over
the windows. The ark, regardless of its Im
perfections, is a matter of considerable civic
pride. Every summer many curious people go
to Olympia to have a look at the ark and inter
view Mr. Greenwood.
The little social hall is Indeed a strange sight.
In the center Vs the base of the single mast f
the craft. It Is decorated
with a collection of old
weapons and curios which
should be in a museum.
In a rack arc many an
cient swords of all sizes
one of them, Bill says, be
longed to General Custer.
Old cap and hall pistols
and revolvers, knives and
tomahawks, arc hung
about the mast on nails
and acrews. Against tho
forwanl bulkhead on the
left side of this room Is a Sixteenth Century
pianoforte which came from London. On its
top are a number of smaller musical instru
ments, an accordion, a concertina, a violin and
a snare drum. Behind the pianoforte Is a bass
drum with only one side.
About the walls of the cabin arc hung sev
eral placards lettered In red paint hearing cer
tain historical quotations. Aft of this social hall
cabin is a room which is used to store many
strange objects. The costumes must be seen to
be appreciated. One of the favorites Is a suit
made out of bamboo slats, called a devil-fighting
suit of armor.
"Why don't you accept a few dollars once In
a while?" he was asked.
"I can't commercialize the ark," he Insisted.
The reason which he gives Is that the ark Is
to be used only for teaching people. He wishes
to direct the minds of people away from ma
terial thinking towards a spiritual line of think
ing. People who have interviewed him have al
ways insisted that Bill constructed the ark In
order that he might escape a great Hood which
Is supjMiscd to lake place along the Pacific
Coast in the near future ijrccnwood. however,
'Ionics there will be a flood and says that men
shall escape disaster only by obeying the teach
ings of the Bible. If they continue along the
pathway of materialism there will come a lime
when It Is too late to turn to the life of the
spirit, according to him.
"What Is your idea In regard to tho spirit
of man and his body?" he was asked.
"The answer Is In the Bible." replied Bill.
"The body Is only an earthly temple, while the
spirit is the real and everlasting part of man.
Therefore, it has much greater Importance."
"How do you account for the shortcomings of
people of the present day?"
"The reason Is because they will not try to
develop their latent spiritual nature. Their con
dition Is such that the animal tendency has full
ower over thorn and some become far worse
than the animals. If people would really try to
follow the teachings of the Bible, soon a new
condition would develop In them, they wouli'
gain real understanding. Tho apathy toward
religion is something which must bo ovcrcoin
before a better state will exist In the wort'
There can bo no assurance for the future will,
out some spiritunl understanding."
Remarking about tho many who have calli
on 111 ii during tho past few years thcro hav.
been approximately one thousand from nearl
every Slate In tho Union, Bill said: "Gcnerall'
they arc quite mntcrlal-mlndcd men and no
what I would call spiritual minded. They will
talk for a half day about the material part of
my Ark, hut Just as soon as I speak about re
ligion they look at their watch, excuse them
selves, and tnko their departure."
lilll greatly depreciates tho modern attitude
towurds marriage, saying that while It should
he a divine Institution people had lost sight of
its real purpose.
Speaking of errors in eating, he said: "The
Improper use of food kills more people than
whiskey and tobacco. People eat too much of
the wrong things. People should learn to make
use of the natural foods such as grains, fruits
and nuts."
"When I first built tho ark" continued Bill,
"I did not have any particular purpose In mind
other than to have a boat to live In and perhaps
make a trip down the Sound now and then.
After I found out that tho ark attracted so
much attention I decided to use It as a means
of religious teaching. People came here out of
curiosity and asked all sorts of questions re
garding the craft. Tho really Important thing
in life Is to study tho Bible and master its
teachings. For some reason many Ignored this
slant and tried to mako up their own story.
People refer to me sometimes as 'Noah,' but 1
accept that as a tltlo of honor, becauso Noah
was a great prophet In his time. Several years
ago, however, I sulked a great deal because ot
that appclallon and did not like it at all.
"The greatest thing to strlvo for today If
faith, because after we get that we shall bf
able to understand things better. My only hnpr
In this life Is to be a guldo to tho people whe
seek knowledge. Many of them will head In tha'
direction when they realize that there Is m
other pathway open to them. People say thai
they want plenty of money, but most of them
never get It. They bay at tho moon, so to speak.
We don't need much money to be content if we
are sensible; sufficient necessities for our well
being are enough. When we get a knowledge of
the real values of life a new condition will
appear to us. I don't claim to bo Infallible In
my understanding, but I do the best I css"
PAGE FIWK
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