Exploring the Dead Sea Country
It is reported that a syndicate of American capitalists has determined upon the plan of exploring the Dead Sea country for mineral wealth. For this purpose they have received valuable concessions from the Turkish government. It is claimed that the bed of the sea and its margins are enormously rich in mineral wealth. "The finest and purest bitumen, marble, porphyry, and many beautiful and precious stones, as well as phosphates, invaluable agriculturally, are to be found in great quantities, while evidence of coal and oil are not lacking in this region." Several half-hearted attempts have previously been made to explore this section for the purpose of gathering its mineral and other wealth, but for various reasons the work has not gone forward. It is believed that the present syndicate is working on plans that will not only yield rich stores of wealth, but that much valuable historical data will also be gathered. Among the things in which considerable interest is centering is the thought of discovering the exact location of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, that were destroyed in the days of Abraham and Lot.