Escaping the Cataclysm

by Keith Robinson

“What do they do with the animal waste and dirty water?” Jeffrey asked, his tone flat and cold.

  Once Mack had translated the question, Noah motioned for them to step back over to the end of the row of animal enclosures. Lifting his foot, he stepped down upon a small lever built into the bottom of the wooden structure. Immediately, a two-foot, square trap door opened in the floor next to him, revealing a dark shaft below.

  “Each of the rows of animal enclosures has one of these,” Noah explained. “Most of the waste from the small animals and birds will simply be left to accumulate. The smell is minimal once it dries.8 I will show you how we dispose of the waste from the larger animals when we get to the other decks. As for the dirty water, the chutes lead to holding tanks beneath the floor of the lowest deck, or are drained overboard through the grated outfalls.9”

  Without further discussion, Noah led the group back to the central aisle where Goliath had been waiting. They walked past several more rows of animals as they drew nearer to the middle of the vessel. Ahead, they could see that the two thin, center walkways converged and the deck became solid across the entire width of the ship – with one exception. In what the visitors guessed to be the very center of the ship was a large hole twenty feet in diameter that was surrounded by a rail on all sides. Running the full, forty-foot length of this open area sat a pair of ten-foot wide groups of animal enclosures, one on each side of the hole. They were each placed five feet from the outer hull, leaving a spacious amount of room between the enclosures and the hole in the middle of the ship. On the edge of the circular opening, near to where Rebecca and the others currently stood, was another hole.

  This one, however, was square, and was a mere eight feet wide. Next to the square opening, a series of thick ropes came up from under the deck and were wound around several pulleys attached to a pair of massive crossbeams. One of the beams was positioned directly over the deck near the edge of the hole, while the other was mounted over the square opening.

  Noah pulled on one of the ropes, sending the pulley system into action. A moment later, an eight-foot square platform, complete with wooden railings, rose through the hole as it was drawn by the ropes.

  “They’ve got an elevator too?” Mack commented, shaking his head in amazement.

  Once the platform drew level with the floor of the upper deck, Noah swung open a section of the railing, stepped onto the platform, and invited Rebecca and the others to join him. Stepping onto the platform, Rebecca’s gaze drifted toward the back of the ship as she waited for the others to climb aboard.

  “Patriarch, what is that near the back of the ship where the animal enclosures end?” she asked.

  “That is our garden and library,” he replied. “In addition to the animals, we had to bring seed from many of the plants. Some seed will survive the floodwaters outside the Ark,10 but we also brought a large variety of seed with us to plant after the flood. We designed a large indoor garden and placed it as close to the midday as possible to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. In addition to providing us with some fresh food, it also serves as a place of calm and tranquility. It is the perfect location for reading, praying, and meditating.”

  “What kind of writings are in the library?” Rebecca asked, although she already guessed at the answer.

  “Since we will be the only ones left alive after the Deluge, we wanted to preserve as much of the knowledge as we could about the world around us,” he explained. “There are scrolls about how to farm, how to mine for ore, how to build with wood or stone, and many other topics, as well as the writings of many of my forefathers.”

  Rebecca’s thoughts flashed back to the library they had seen in the Tower of Babel. Briefly, she wondered if these scrolls were some of the same ones that they had seen there. With everyone safely on board the platform, Noah closed the gate in the railing and pulled another one of the ropes. With a slight jolt, the lift began its descent, taking its passengers down to the level below.

  Lovett, Tim. Noah’s Ark: Thinking Outside the Box. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2008, p. 25.

  Woodmorappe, John. Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study. Santee, California: Institute for Creation Research, 2003, p. 75.

  Ibid p. 25.

  Ibid p. 21.

  Ibid p. 76.

  Ham, Ken, ed. The New Answers Book 3. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2009, p. 52.

  Woodmorappe, John. Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study. Santee, California: Institute for Creation Research, 2003, p. 20.

  Ibid p. 25.

  Ibid p. 27.

  Ibid p. 153-154.

  8

  The Ark: Middle Deck

  As the group descended on the lift, Rebecca gazed once again in wonder at the size and scope of the Ark. “Great Patriarch, how long did it take you to build all of this?”

  “It has been over one hundred years since the Creator of all life first spoke to me about the coming destruction,” Noah replied. “But it took much less time than that to actually build the Ark. Once we started construction, the project was completed in just over sixty-five years.”

  Rebecca stared at her host in surprise. “How could you and your family complete such a massive undertaking in such a short amount of time?”

  Noah smiled. “We did not do it all by ourselves. The Mighty God, powerful is He, had blessed me abundantly. I had become quite wealthy, and for many years I hired workers from the city. I also had the help and wisdom of my fathers, Lamech and Methusalah, as well as the aid of a very intelligent and good friend who helped me with the design and oversight. In fact, it was his idea to add the high stem on the bow and the protruding fin on the stern. However, over the years, the problems with theft and poor workmanship became so bad that my family and I were forced to complete the project on our own. Even my friend eventually turned away,” he added sadly.

  The lift came to a halt as it became level with the middle deck. It quickly became apparent that although the deck itself was identical to the upper one, the ceiling was nearly double the height, the enclosures were much larger and they were laid out in a completely different arrangement. While the rows of animal pens on the top deck were perpendicular to the length of the ship, the ones on this level ran parallel to it. Each combined row of enclosures was nearly twenty feet wide and thirty feet long. In some places, two or three of the smaller animal stalls were stacked upon each other separated by their food storage containers, while other stalls reached up to within two feet of the ceiling. Instead of the sloped board and waste collection trough they had seen on the top level, many of these enclosures had large, sliding drawers beneath them that collected the waste. Where the cages were stacked, movable ladders were stored nearby. Lining the bottom of the upper deck was a network of the bamboo-like pipes that transported water and waste to various parts of the ship.

  As the group stepped off the platform and onto the deck, they saw Japheth and Jerome walking toward them on one of the two central walkways that led to the aft section of the ship, two large wolves trailing behind them.

  “Hey, guys,” Jerome said as he and his escort entered the area near the lift.

  Mack drew back at the sight of the wolves. “Uh…are those things tame?”

  “Yeah. They’re actually quite friendly, believe it or not,” he said as he reached over and scratched one of the animals behind the ear. The other wolf examined the group, sniffing each of the strangers. It spent several moments taking in Goliath’s scent, as if confused by what it was sensing. “So, what’d I miss?” Jerome asked as the animal eventually lost interest in the giant and returned to stand by his master.

  “We’ll fill you in later,” Jeffrey replied. His countenance and manner were clear indications that he was not in the mood to discuss what he had seen. “How’s your shoulder?”

  “Much better, thanks to Japheth’s wife. I don’t know what was in that stuff she rubbed on the wound, but between that and the medicine she gave me, I feel great,” Jerome announced. “Now, show me around. I want to see mo
re of this place. Did you know that they have all sorts of dinos back there in cages?!” he said, pointing back the way he came.

  After a brief word with his father, Japheth excused himself from the group, the two wolves following obediently. Looking at his guests, Noah asked, “Shall we continue?”

  Choosing the walkway on the right, Noah led the group back toward the front of the ship. As their guide had indicated earlier, the animals that were housed on this deck were of average size. To her surprise, she noticed that Noah had put each individual animal in its own enclosure, separating the males and females from each other. Of the animals housed along the center aisles, Rebecca identified sheep, monkeys, rodents, weasels, and pigs. However, she also saw several other kinds that, while they looked similar to animals that she recognized, she couldn’t exactly say what they were.

  Seeing that Rebecca had taken a particular interest in one, Noah stopped the group. “What kind of animal is this?” she asked, pointing to a long-tailed, furry creature with pointed ears.

  Mack translated Rebecca’s question, received a reply from Noah, then turned back to her and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know how to translate it.”

  Opening the enclosure, Noah began to pet the animal, which lay completely still and unmoving. Gently grabbing the animal’s legs, Noah stretched them out so his guests could seem them better.

  “It almost looks like some kind of small, weird kangaroo!” Jerome exclaimed.

  Leaning closer, Mack studied the animal, a confused look on his face. “I think you’re right. It looks like it has a pouch on its stomach. But…but, how could a kangaroo get all the way here from Australia?”

  Rebecca smiled as she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Think about what you just said, Mack. The continents before the flood were totally different. There is no Australia here.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot,” he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “But that brings up another point: how did the kangaroos get to Australia after the flood?”

  Rebecca was silent for a moment as she considered the question. “They probably crossed over on dry ground! Since we now know that the Ice Age was a result of the Flood, it makes sense that the sea level would have been lower after the Flood because of all the ice on the land. That would’ve created all sorts of land bridges connecting the continents.1”

  “Then why don’t we find any fossils of kangaroos between the Middle East and Australia?” Jeffrey asked in challenge.

  Rebecca was not daunted. “Because, as you well know, animals have to be buried rapidly to become fossils. If a kangaroo died as it was migrating, it would’ve been eaten or it would’ve decomposed. It wouldn’t have turned into a fossil. Isn’t it true that hardly any fossils of bison have been found in North America? Yet, we know that there were millions of them roaming the prairies!”2

  Although neither Jeffrey nor Jerome responded, Rebecca knew that she had hit a nerve. Judging by the frowns on their faces, she feared that she may have pushed them too far. Letting the topic drop, she focused her attention back on their host, who had just let go of the animal and closed the door of its cage. As he did so, Rebecca commented on the drawer below the cage. “What do you do with the waste once it gets full?”

  Noah reached down and pulled open the drawer, which was filled with wood shavings and a few of the animal’s droppings. “We discovered early on that if we used several wooden bars laid together for the floor, but left space between them, the animal droppings fall through3. This keeps the animal enclosures from being fouled by the waste. We then placed drawers filled with wood shavings underneath to collect it. Depending on the size of the animal, these drawers can go months at a time without needing to be emptied. When they do need to be changed, we scoop out the waste and send it down the chutes to the holding tank below and replace the shavings.”

  “You mentioned holding tanks before,” Rebecca said. “Won’t those fill up quickly with all of the animal waste?”

  Noah shook his head. “While taking care of the animals in the menagerie, we discovered that certain earthworms can decompose animal waste.4 So, we placed large numbers of them in the holding tanks.”

  As Mack finished translating, his face screwed into a grimace. “Ah, man, that’s just foul! Earthworms that eat manure? Now I’ve got even more reason to hate those nasty things.”

  “Aren’t these cages a little small?” the giant asked, surprising the others with his sudden question. “How do you expect these poor animals to survive in such cramped conditions?”

  Once Mack had finished translating the question, Noah replied. “Actually, the smaller enclosures provide an advantage. First, the animals find the enclosed space comforting. I believe it reminds them of their natural dens. Second, it will keep them from getting injured when we encounter rough weather. Third, the confined space forces the animals to step on their waste, pushing it through the slats into the waste bin. Finally, this arrangement is only for short term survival, not for long term captivity.5 For the larger ones, we do let them out and exercise them on the central openings and walkways. We have even trained the wolves to help us herd the animals, allowing us to continue with other tasks.”

  “But wouldn’t it have been better to at least put the males and females together?” Rebecca asked. “Why put them in separate cages?”

  Noah smiled. “The main reason is that we don’t want them to procreate; at least not yet. We have enough food and water for the animals currently aboard. We don’t want extra mouths to feed and waste to clean up.”

  Jerome suddenly called out in excitement, drawing everyone’s attention. “Jeffrey, check it out!”

  Staring in the direction Jerome indicated, Jeffrey’s jaw dropped in shock. Housed in the next row of enclosures were several dinosaurs.

  “Look at the crest on its head! It’s gotta be an Oviraptor!” Jerome exclaimed. “And this one looks like some kind of cross between a Stegosaurus and a Kentrosaurus! Next to that is some kind of…”

  Jerome’s voice trailed off and his face became pale. Staring at him from the other side of the bars was a Deinonychus dinosaur. Although this specimen was smaller and younger than the ones encountered in the Tower of Babel, the reptiles still appeared powerful. Stepping slowly back from the stall, Jerome leaned against the railing near the central opening of the ship.

  Noah approached the enclosure with a profound look of confusion on his face. He spoke, but Mack was unable to translate his words due to the intense horror that overtook him; for as Noah spoke, he opened the door of the cage.

  Goliath immediately pulled his sword from its sheath and prepared to strike as Mack let out a strangled cry and dove away from the opening. Rebecca reached for her pistol but froze with her hand on the grip. Noah, staring at them as if they were all mad, reached into the enclosure containing the dinosaur and began stroking its head gently. The creature cast the visitors a disinterested glance, then lay down on the floor of its stall.

  “What the…” Jerome said in shock.

  “For a second there, I thought we were all going to be dino chow,” Mack said, finally recovering his voice. “I had some major déjà vu.”

  “How…how did you calm it like that?” Rebecca asked Noah in awe.

  “Calm it?” he replied, his brows furrowing. “It was already calm.”

  “But weren’t you afraid it was going to attack us?” Goliath asked.

  “No, of course not,” Noah said. “Animals do not attack humans unless provoked.”

  A sudden thought struck Rebecca. “Wait a second. The Bible mentions something about God putting the fear of mankind into the animals after the Flood6. Which means that beforehand…”

  “…they all got along,” Mack finished her sentence. “And that explains why the wolves we saw were friendly also.”

  “But what about that marsupial lion?” Jeffrey asked. “If animals don’t attack humans, then why did that one attack us?”

  “Perhaps we frightened it or were close to
its den,” Rebecca suggested. “Or perhaps something else spooked it.” Still hesitant, but trusting Noah, she moved closer to the enclosure. “May I?” she asked. Receiving a nod from Noah, she reached cautiously into the stall and gently stroked the head of the Deinonychus. The creature opened its eyes momentarily before drifting back off to sleep.

  The aftermath of the adrenaline rush stole much of the initial excitement the group felt upon first setting eyes on the dinosaurs. Deciding it was time to move on, Noah closed the door of the creature’s enclosure and began heading down the walkway once more. Goliath, still unnerved by the reptile’s appearance, waited until they were well past its cage before finally sheathing his sword.

  Noah led the group back to the main ramps that they had seen upon first entering the Ark, explaining as they went how he solved some of the dietary needs of the animals by compressing hay into pellets.7

  “So what do you do for meat-eaters,” Jeffrey asked, his mind still dwelling on their recent scare.

  Noah frowned at the question. “Our blessed God, Ruler of all, originally gave man and beasts all of the seed-bearing plants to eat for food. Alas, after the curse, some of the animals have started feeding on one another. However, none of the animals that the Lord sent to me have begun that detestable practice.”

  “So, none of them eat meat? Even the T-rexes?” Jerome asked. “Have you been to the museums and seen their teeth? We know they were meat-eaters.”

  “You have to remember that fossils don’t speak for themselves,” Rebecca said. “They must be interpreted. Just because an animal has sharp teeth doesn’t mean it is necessarily a meat-eater. And even though some of them probably were meat-eaters, it doesn’t mean that that’s the way God originally designed them. Sin has affected many aspects of creation.”

  Casting her a mixed look of thoughtfulness and incredulity, Jerome didn’t respond, choosing instead to let the topic drop.

  As they began descending the ramp toward the lower deck, Rebecca changed the subject. “Patriarch, you mentioned earlier that a friend of yours helped design the ship and that it was his idea to add the high prow and fin on the stern. What purpose do they serve?”