Imperial Valley Press

New Noah's Ark Rides the Flats

By Arthur M. Jones

When old Bill Greenwood recently told a London newspaper what he thought about the coming "end of the world," the Ohio flood, and answered questions on Biblical prophecies, it was because he has become the modern Noah of Noah's Ark No. 2. The 6000-mile telephone conversation lasted half an hour, and the next day English journals carried the story.

His ark stands on the mud flats near Olympia, Washington, and is one of the "wonders of the age," yet probably not so remarkable as the man himself.

People in Norway, Germany, France and other European countries write hundreds of letters asking questions about Bill Greenwood's ark—and about its eccentric owner. London itself inquired if he thought that any great floods would soon sweep the Pacific Coast," and for this the negative!—paid. Newsreels have pictured the ark, and clergymen have met Mr. Greenwood asking innumerable questions. He answers promptly.

He says, "People misquote many interviewers like," he says, "and distort the truth about my ark."

He is something eccentric—many persons call him a crank. Deviation from a standard, however, in the interpretation of the scriptures. He is a strong man with long beard hair and a luxuriant long, gray whiskers. 68 years of age, would ever guess him to be within ten years of that.

He is affable and observant, a good mixer and picturesque in his dress, a distinctive personality. While he is critical of the shortcomings of mankind, he is also optimistic of the final outcome.

His forehead is round and his eyes have the pupils which often denote mentality.

"People are too much wrapped up in themselves," Greenwood. "A real religion is the only panacea, and no other cure for all troubles."

He claims to be too "universal-minded" to belong to any one sect. "The Bible is not difficult to understand if you put your mind to it," says he. "We don't need other people to do our thinking for us."

Revelations is his favorite study and he says that indirectly, they were the cause of his building the ark. "The Lord inspired me to build this ark, after I read Revelations," he remarked, "but concealed His purpose from me until after it was finished. Now I know that it is to attract the attention of people to a more spiritual way of thinking."

Born in Coal City, Rock Island County, Illinois, in 1869. He spent his early life on a farm near there and in 1901 his family migrated to Olympia, Washington. 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 clearing land and was thus occupied when a strange phenomenon occurred in the district. It happened on Friday, the 12th day of September. The sky became so dark that the chickens 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 to sea and as far as the Cascade Mountains to the east, according to Greenwood.

The "Ark" Contains Many Musical Instruments—and Greenwood Can Play All of Them!

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 feet and the depth from main deck to keel is seven feet. The shape of this craft is very similar to a Chinese junk, but has flat sides like a dory. The bottom of 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, but an engine has never been installed in the ark. Two by fours, flooring, jute sacking soaked in coal tar, and long bridge spikes to hold everything together make up the hull. 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 central social hall, and aft of this a room which contains an assortment of equipment. It is a storeroom containing other things, some of the most unusual devices that anyone has ever seen.

Greenwood started his ark about 15 years. He worked at it for four or five years before it was completed—doing most of the work in the summer months. The house and part of the hull are decorated with red, blue, and green stars of all sizes on a field of gray. On the cabin walls are many red-painted placards 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 imperfections, is a matter of considerable civic pride. Every summer many curious people go to Olympia to have a look at the ark and interview Mr. Greenwood.

The little social hall is indeed a strange sight. In the center is the base of the single mast of the craft. It is decorated with a collection of old weapons and curios which would be in a museum. In a rack are many ancient swords of all sizes—one of them, Bill says, belonged to General Custer. Old cap and ball pistols and revolvers, knives and tomahawks; are hung about the mast on nails and screws. Against the forward 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 instruments, 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 are hung several placards lettered in red paint bearing certain 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.

Mr. Greenwood Is Preparing to Burn a Pictorial Conception of 'The Devil' in a Nearby Bonfire.

"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 material thinking towards a spiritual line of thinking. People who have interviewed him have always insisted that Bill constructed the ark in order that he might escape a great flood which is supposed to take place along the Pacific Coast in the near future. Greenwood, however, denies there will be a flood and says that men shall escape disaster only by obeying the teachings of the Bible. If they continue along the pathway of materialism there will come a time when it is too late to turn to the life of the spirit, according to him.

"What is your idea in regard to the 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 condition is such that the animal tendency has full power over them 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 would gain real understanding. The apathy towards religion is something which must be overcome before a better state will exist in the world. There can be no assurance for the future without some spiritual understanding."

Remarking about the many who have called on him during the past few years—there have been approximately one thousand—from nearly every State in the Union, Bill said: "Generally they are quite material-minded men and not what I would call spiritual minded. They will talk for a half day about the material part of my Ark, but just as soon as I speak about religion they look at their watch, excuse themselves, and take their departure."

Bill greatly depreciates the modern attitude towards marriage, saying that while it should be 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 the 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 the 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 regarding the craft. The really important thing in life is to study the Bible and master its teachings. For some reason many ignored this slant and tried to make up their own story. People refer to me sometimes as 'Noah,' but I accept that as a title of honor, because Noah was a great prophet in his time. Several years ago, however, I sulked a great deal because of that appellation and did not like it at all.

"The greatest thing to strive for today is faith, because after we get that we shall be able to understand things better. My only hope in this life is to be a guide to the people who seek knowledge. Many of them will head in that direction when they realize that there is no other pathway open to them. People say that they want plenty of money, but most of them never get it. They bay at the 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 be infallible in my understanding, but I do the best I can."