Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1870-01-05
A Question for Scientific Men.

The explosion which took place at Titus
vile, Crawford county, on December 10th,
1869, was witheut doubt distinctly heard,
and its effects felt, in nearly every part of
eur county. A day or two ago farmer re-
siding within three miles of this place, asked
me what "blow-up" had taken place about
town On that day; and said he had examin-
ed the papers of the next week but found
no mention made of anything of the kind.
He said the noise and conclusion were
heard and felt distinctly at his place-his
first impression was that it must be thun-
der, but not being repeated he thought it
must be an explosion somewhere in the
neighborhood The day was moderate
one and the drops of water were hanging on
the trees in his orchard. The concuSsion
or vibration in the air was so great that they
fell off, as my informant stated, as. if the
trees had been smartly shaken. Conversing
with one of cur Oldest citizens in town about
the explosion, he informed me that on that
same Thursday he heard it, and itappeared
to come from the North West. Since then
have seen parties residing in the townships
of Burnside, Beccaria and Girard, who all,
on that day, heard report distinctly, and a
very intelligent citizen of Beccaria informed
me that it was loud enough there to be heard
on the Eeastern side of the Allegheny. Now,
Titusville is in Crawford county, on the
waters of the Allegheny river, and western
side. By map of the State it is distant
from Clearfield Borough over 20 miles, from
Beccaria township near 100 miles, and lies
in a north westerly direction from the county
generally. The time at which the noise was
heard all agree was about P. NJ Nearly
all | have conversed with supposed it to be
thunder, but there is no doubt the impress
sion it made on their minds was such that
the recollection of day and hour in each case
was perfect. From the information which
has been furnished by the persons and news
papers of the day, there can be no doubt
that the noise heard was caused by the ex-
plosion at Titusville Here is a subject for
elucidation by some of our scientific men.
The distance is very great for so plain re-
port of single explosion to be heard. The
question then arises, was there any peculiar
state of the atmosphere on the 10th Dec
last which would facilitate the conveyance
of sound? At the rate sound is said to
travel, 1142 feet to second, it would take
fraction over five minutes for the report to
reach Clearield. Titusville lies little west
Of us, but the difference in mean time be-
tween the two points would be slight.
recofiect that after the first battle of Bull
Run a report was current that the noise of
the firing was heard in Somerset county, in
this State; those points are much farther
distant than between this and Titusville, but
the cause was continued for several success
sive hours, and the atmospheric waves might
by constant agitation, be broken, and the
continued conclusion render the transmits
sion of sound easier than in an undisturb bed
atmosphere. If the report at Titusville was
heard in all direction, as far as it was here,
it must have extended over circle at least
two hundred miles in diameter. and the
question arises at once, Is the new agent
Nitro -glycerine much more powerful
than any former explosive matter that its
effec.. extends .S:.rther than the artillery of
HeavenY' y.