, 1870-06-12
StvAnEe N0aKeH ut SeM.-

An officer Of the ROYAL mail steamer Shannoat
wates to Nature an account OF phenomenon.
which he s.ys has been repeatedly noticed in,
the hazbo1 Of Greytovn, Nicaragua He says1
. Owing to shallow bar, YES sells cannot en-
tar the hArbor or river, md are theraforeA
obliged to anchor in frcm. seven to eight
iathoEa Of water, about two miles from the
beach, :he bottom consisting Of a heavy d.rk
sand and mud containing muca vegetable nzt-
ter trauglt down by the liver. Now, whle a.
anchor in this situatiou,. We hear, commencing.
with 3 marvellous pune tua1ity at about mid
sufficient loudness to awaken great majority
Of the ships crew, hosever tired ttoy may hfs>
after hard days Ncrk- This sound contin1eA
for about two hours, with one or. two very
few yeara ago in tAa iron-bni,a vessela Wye,
Tyne, Elder: and Danube. 1t has never been
heard on board tho coppered-xooden vessala
Trent, Thames, Tsmar, or So.ent. These vare
steamers formerly employed On the branch OF
| the Company's ntercolonih service, AID uhan
any Of their officers or crew told Of the WONDER
| ful music heard On board At GreytoMn, it was
generally treated "a "a yam" or hoax Well,
Tor tho Last tno years the company's largo
trans-Atlantis ehips hAvo called zk Qreytown.
| and remained there on ssch occasions for from
Eve to ai1 days. We have thus al had ampla
| opportunity for hearing for ouraefves. Wien
hIst heard BY the negro sailors tkey were mora
frightened than Aston;shed, and they at once
gave way 70 s1perstitious fea,n Of ghosts md
obeis1o- By Engliah sailors i was considered
to be caused by the trumpet fsh, or what
| they called such Certainly rot the Centrise,ls
seotopa|, which does not even exist here}.
Ihey invented 6sh to account for it. But il
caused by any kind Of 9sh, why only at ono
p!ace, and why only at ca1tain hours Of thu
n8hte Everything On board Is as still from Z
to :, as from u to o'ckek. yet the sound 10
heard between 12 and {, hut not between and
H.. The ship is undoubtedly one Of the princs.
pal Instruments in ita production. She b IN
tact foE tha time being converted into great
musical sounding boaFd.
"E Is BY no losans easy to describe this
sound, and each listener gives somewhat lif-
ferent account Of b.
SIT Is musical, metallic, With certain c.
dence, and one-tHo-th1ee time tendency OF
beat. It ia heard most distinctly over open
hatchwayss, over the engino-roeu, through
outside Of the ship. It cannot Ia fixed at any
one Place, Always appearing To- rccedo from
the observer. On applying tho, ear to tho -1da
OF III open bunker, o1e fanciee that it Is pro-
ceeding from the very bottne Of tho bold
avery different were tho comparisons made
by the different listeners. The blowing 9I =
corch sheu by ishexmen at 4 distance, = sne4
buzzing eound Of vneel machinery IN rapid
motion, the vibration of . large oen when the
| firHi aid louder part Of The sound has ceased,
| the echo Of cLimes IN the betty, the aco-
cheting Of stone On ice, tha wind blowing
over telegraph wires, have Al been aasi8ned
az Eeaying1 more or less close resemblance
Il Is louder % tie second than he arst, and
rraches it, acne On the third night ealue
/ weather and Haoosh watsr tavar its develop
] ment, 1hs ripping Of tAe water slongsaaas
md TIE hreakin6 oS taeNnx On the shoso' Ae
heer1 qWts d1atines fVn r.: