It has been impossible for scientists to reconstruct a working model of the Jaredite barges. Many theories have been proposed, but what we do know is that they were copied after the famous Ark of Noah. At times they could be submerged and they are described as being tight like a dish but peaked at the end. An artist’s conception of the barges can be found in volume four of Treasures from the Book of Mormonon page 195. The barges were built according to God’s commandments. They were airtight and without any windows or sources of light. So the brother of Jared made a special plea to the Lord. The record says:
“And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. 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. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.”