Creation Evidence Museum: Noah’s Ark, Part II By: Creed A. Cahill, Dr. Carl Baugh, and Dutch Cahill

The Creation Evidence Museum is home to hundreds of artifacts and documents that provide scientific evidence for creation to thousands of visitors every year. In past issues of Texas Life Magazine, we have highlighted several of these artifacts and their important discoveries. Museum Director Dr. Carl Baugh has spent much of his professional career dedicated to his work. He is the scientific research director of the world's first hyperbaric biosphere, simulating Earth's atmospheric conditions before the world-wide flood of Noah's day. He is the discoverer and excavation director of sixteen dinosaurs, including Acrocanthosaurus in Texas and Diplodocus in Colorado.

In our previous issue we began our two-part, in-depth look at what has become the biggest and most popular attraction to the Creation Evidence Museum, the 25-foot (1/20 scale) replica of Noah’s Ark. Dr. Baugh has dedicated over 40 years researching the Ark. In 1990 he was co-director of an expedition searching for the Ark on Mt. Ararat. From this research Dr. Baugh has been able to put together one of the most detailed and biblically accurate accounts of not only the design and building of the Ark, but also the elements in which the Ark and its inhabitants would have faced. Dr. Baugh has been kind enough to detail this research with us for the completion of our two-part article. We hope that after reading this you will make the journey to the Creation Evidence Museum located in Glen Rose, TX and take the time to appreciate the dedication that Director Dr. Baugh has devoted to not only the 1/20 scale replica of the Ark, but to each historic artifact on display. Dr. Baugh began by saying that every primary culture has heard about and is interested in a boat that brought people long ago across a flood to a new life and a new world. There are various records from over 500 cultures and subcultures in the world that have a hero, a small group of people, a boat and rescue from devastation. The biblical record is the only record that is unembellished. There are common elements in each cultures records that speak about a hero called Nuh, Nu’u, and others that are believed to be derived from “Noah” from biblical scripture. The boat ranges in size and description in all accounts but only one scientific aeronautical and marine stability method is feasible, the biblical record. Years back the Korean Maritime Institute conducted various experiments on what vessel would be most stable under tsunamic conditions. Their findings indicated that to be the most stable, a vessel would need to approach a minimum of 500 feet in length, a 6:1 ratio, which is specifically what we have in biblical record. If you calculate the cubits, you get a vessel that is 510 feet in length, 86 feet in width and 52 feet in height. That was found to be the perfect ratio for a stable vessel under tsunamic conditions.

The biblical record gives indications of the global, terrible nature of the flood. With eruptions from the fountains of the deep and movements of tectonic plates, major tsunamic conditions would result. A vessel that would be needed to withstand those horrific conditions would be exactly that which is described. It would need to be blunt on each end, simply a barge. The biblical record also states that God told Noah to make it of gopher wood. Scholars have searched for records of such a type of wood but have never been able to confirm the existence of “gopher” wood. Dr. Baugh researched the Hebrew description and found that it means the engineering technique to “house-in” or “pitch”, which solves most of the problem. To house-in appropriately the wood must be a ring-porous hardwood in order to be impregnated and stabilized by the sealant. Ring-porous hardwoods are oaks, mahogany, maples, etc. The replica Ark at the Creation Evidence Museum is made of mahogany. The building begins at the bottom by constructing a keel then simply grow upward. Each component is equally important in the structure.

Pitch it within and without, which the average individual considers the pitch to be tar or asphalt, but those are post-flood phenomenon. The pitch itself must be pre-flood and familiar with or suitable to the ring-porous hardwood that was used. It must be a tree derivative, tree sap or bark sap. If you Google, Neanderthals and Super Glue, you will find that they used birch bark resin to make a sealant that was incredibly effective. Birch bark resin, if heated anaerobically to the correct temperature (no additional air coming in), gives it a special stability which forms new bonding capabilities. The Neanderthals are given credit for coming up with and inventing this recipe. The birch bark must be heated between 450- and 725-degrees Fahrenheit. If it is below 450 degrees, it will not catalyze or break apart. If it is above 725 it will not polymerize or form new bonds. New bonds were needed to penetrate all the cavities and provide a sealant once cured. With this type of adhesive, the Ark could be built and incredibly stable. Stable from the standpoint of holding the craft together while supporting all three levels.

Combined with over 40 years of research and multiple excursions and helicopter sortie missions to Mt. Ararat, which ground penetrating radar indicated that an anomaly of a broken vessel meeting similar biblical measurements exists, Dr. Baugh was now ready to begin the construction of the 1/20 scale Ark replica. Under his supervision and using his designs, 3 master craftsmen, working six days per week, began construction. They began by building a keel and simply grew the Ark from the bottom up. Each element of the vessel was built in place as they went and were not added later in construction. This process is called “structural interlamination”. This means that all components were joined and laminated together. This would ensure each component of the Ark was joined together to form the strongest possible structure. 26 months later construction was completed and the 1/20 scale replica of the Ark was ready for display to the public.

Dr. Baugh expressed that building the Ark replica has been one of the most gratifying episodes of his life. His dedication and decades of research on the global flood and Ark are second to none. We are extremely thankful for opportunity to showcase his discoveries and the Creation Evidence Museums artifacts. In coming issues of Texas Life Magazine, we will dive deeper into the inner workings of the Ark during the flood and how the inhabitants dealt with issues such as illumination, ventilation, refuse, water supply, toxic and explosive gases, and more. We hope that you will make the trip to Somervell County and take the time to appreciate the dedication that Director Dr. Baugh has devoted to his work. God Bless.