Understanding Words in the Book of Mormon about the Land of Promise—Part V

George D. Potter, of the Nephi Project, in his “An Alternative Model for the Jaredite Trail,” makes several comments by mis-intepreting the scriptural account regarding the barges the Jaredites built to cross the great water, as outlined in Ether, Chapter 2. His major point is that these barges were surface vessels, much like early Sumerian River Boats. However, the scriptures clearly tell us the barges were a very different type of vessel, and definitely ones that were submersible.

• Potter’s Comment: “With a sealed deck that was coated with pitch, the Jaredites needed some way to have air and light. The Lord provided the technical help for both these obstacles. Oxygen was provided by an ingenious system of air holes on the top and bottom of the ship (Ether 2:20)”

Response—What Ether wrote was: “And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.”
Now the key words here are: “stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.” If this is a surface ship, there could be no flood—water would come in the hole from rain, storm, or surf, but not sufficient to flood the vessel—the pressure from surface water is simply not sufficient to cause the vessel to flood unless it is open to the sea for quite a long time. However, if this is a submersible ship, then a flood is very real. Even small holes can flood a submersible in record time because of the force of water pressure below the water line.

• Potter’s Comment: Oxygen was provided by an ingenious system of air holes on the top and bottom of the ship (Ether 2:20)…Air holes at the top were open except during storms (Ether 2:20) so the party could breath and see the position of their fellow ships.”

Response—What about the hole at the bottom? How likely is it that a hole in the bottom of the vessel would be of any value at any time unless the vessel rolled over? And, in that case, people and animals would be in constant danger of serious injury. Obviously, the words top and bottom had another meaning (See “Who Really Settled Mesoameria,” for a full explanation of these top and bottom holes and how they worked to provide air for the vessel’s inhabitants).

As numerous naval engineers have repeatedly pointed out, no surface vessel could have a hole in the bottom usable for air. Consequently, Potter’s idea of a Jaredite ship similar to a Sumerian river barge would not be possible. In addition, any hole large enough for the Jaredites to see out and observe their fellows in the other barges so they could stay close together is without scriptural merit.

• Potter’s Comment: “These ships were directed by oars in the bow of the ship...there must have been a real need for light in the front where the handles of the steering oars were mounted inside the dark hulls. To steer the oarsmen needed light in order to align the two oars to the same position and angle.”

Response—How would oars be possible on the Jaredite barges described? Consider: “For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea” and “I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea” (Ether 2:24), and “when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea” (Ether 2:25).

Potter describes oars on the inside of the vessel that were movable through some type of holes in the hull. If the vessel was submerged at times, as the above scriptures claim, then no such holes could be made water tight that allowed movement through it. And bow oars would be meaningless because such a device creates and aggressive turn for a moving boat, and would be used only in making sharp, right-angle turns, as in small craft, such as leaving eddies on moving water. All ship steering of any kind is done from the stern.

• Potter’s Comment: “The peaked ends of Jaredite barges (Ether 2:17) suggested that they retained the shape of a Sumerian river barge.”

Response—a peaked end is defined as an end of any thing that terminates in a point. This does not mean the ends rose into a vertical peak as Potter suggests. A straight point is also a peaked end. In the case of the former, any submersion in the depths of the sea would break apart of the vertical peaks; however, straight points would aid in the movement of a submerged vessel.

Peaked ends of a boat. Left: Sumerian River Barge peaked at both ends;
Right: Submersible (submarine) with peaked ends.

(See next post, “Understanding Words in the Book of Mormon about the Land of Promise—Part III,” for more understanding of Ether Chapter 2 and the mis-interpretations of George D. Potter)