Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-06
NO. 1917.
M1scELLANEous READING.

The DISTANCE To WHICH SoUNp NAY BE
| PRurAGArED.-The distance at which sounds
are audible does not admit Of precise mea-
surement In general, it may be stated, a
sound will be heard farther, the greater It's
original intensity and the denser the me-
dum in which il is propagateI Ii also de-
pends greatly upon the delicacy OF hearing
Of different individuals. The intensity of
sound, like that of all forces acting in lines,
dminishes in the inverse ratio of the squares
of distance of the sounding body. Thus. it
the linear dimensions of theatre be- don
bled, the volume of the performers voices at
any part OF the circumference will he dlmln-
ished in a fourfold proportion.
| A powerful human voice in the open air.
at the ordinary temperature, is audible ut
the distance ot seven hundred feet. In II
frosty air, undisturbed by winds or currents,
sound is heard at much greater distance
with surprising distinctness. Lieutenant
Foster, in the third Polar expedition OF Cap
tain Parry held conversation with man
across the harbor of Port Bowen, distance
of one mile and Il quarter.
Dr. Young states, Oh the authority ot Der
ham. that the watchword "alis welP' had
been distinctly heard from old to new Glib
raltar, distance of ten miles. The march
ing of a company of soldiers may be heard
on Il still night at from five hundred and
eighty to eight hundred and thirty PAGES; a
squadron of cavalry ut foot pace, at seven
hundred and fifty PAGES; trotting or gallop-
ing, one thousand and eighty PAGES distant:
When the air is calm and dry, the report OF
IL musket is audible at one thousand PAGES.
The sound of the cannOnading ut Waterloo
was heard ut Dover.
Sounds travel further and more loudly Oh
the earth's surface than through the atmos-
phere. Thus it is said that at the siege OF
Antwerp in 1882, the cannonading was
heard in the mines Of Saxony, which are
about three hundred and twenty miles dis
tant: the cannonading at the battle Of Jena
was heard feebly in the open fields OF Jena,
but in the casemates OF the tortlhcatlons IL
was heard with great distinctness. The
noise of the sea fight between the English
and Dutch in 1872 was heard Shrewsbury,
distance of two hundred miles. The great
est known distance to which sound has been
carried by the atmosphere is three hundred
and forty-fve miles, Us 1t Is asserted, that
the very violent explosions Of the volcano at
St. Vincents had been heard at Demarara.
Physics and Natural Phttosophy, Gy iio-
tessor .SHiiman, Jr.
Ina TIGHT PLAcE.-At N, one Satur-
day evening, fatigued by his long journey, a
WAGNER, with his son John, drove his team
into good range and determined to pass the
Sabbath. enjoying season of worship with
the good folks of the village.
When the time for worship arrived, John
was set to watch the team, while the wagner
went in with the crowd. The preacher had
hardly announced his subject before the old
man fell sound asleep. lie sat against the
partition in the centre of tho body slip; just
over against him, separated only by the very
low PARTITION sat Aeshy lady who seemed
all absorbed in the sermon. She struggled
hard with her feelings, until unable to con
troll them any longer, she burst out with
loud scream, and shouted at the top Of her
voice, rousing the old man. who but half
awake thrust her arms around her waist
and cried, very soothingy:
we, Nance Wo Nance! Wo, here. John,
calling his son--'cut the belly-band, and
loose the breeching quick, or shell tear eve
rything all to pieces"