The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-10-04
sympathetic Vibration.
,m Tho Philadelphia Ledger.)

from tho Philadelphia Ledger)
Our attention has been drawn to the
ColebrookdaIe bridge by aJpaper read be-.
fore the American Association for the Ad.
yancemcnt OF Science at its recent meet
ing. The author, Professor ]. Lowering,
among other curious statements In rela-
ton to sympathetic vibrations" gives o
legend relative to the first iron bridge. It
is said that while tho bridge was building
a fiddler came along, and told the work
men he could fiddle their bridge down"
The builders secuted this boast, and in
vited the wandering musician to fiddle
away. One,n0te after another was struck
upon the strings, until the note was found
with which the bridge was In sympathy,
when the bridge began to shake violently
In unison with the music, and the fright.
ened workmen ordered the fiddler to stop.
1t was time. .s'H
\ This story might be dismissed as local
legend, II there were not many other well
ascertained facts which support the the
ory Of sympathetic vibration" Prof.
Tyndall tells It's that the Swiss muleteers
Tie up tho bells on their mules for fear
that tho tinkle might bring an avalanche
down upon them. Chladni, Q German
scientific writer, who published several
works on the theory Of sound, at the be-
ginning oil this century, mentions an inn
keeper who could break drinking glass
by sounding It's fundamental note with his
voice. He frequently repeated the exper.
imcnt 10 attract customers. II some woi
men whose husbands need no. attraction
TO the drinking glass could only find the
fundamental note and pitch 1t at the prop.
er time they would be apt TO exercise the
gift with q purpose opposite to that Of the
man celebrated by Chladni. The bark Of
q dog Is said to call forth a response from
certain strings Of the piano. The strings
Of piano certainly call forth asympa-
,hetic vibrations from the tongue Of q
dog. And the clapper of bell produces
the same effect. s''.' .'''' a.
AS regards scalding or singing glass In
10 fragments, II, Is pleasant to think that
nobody really Is 10 blame fer cracked
lamp chimneys, and the domestic cat will
be relieved from much undue 'obloquy.
Housekeepers who find Il necessary 10 I'D.
minister reprimands will find, 1t advisable
to ascertain the safe key fer the voice
though It might be diiiicnltto learn pre-
clsely the dangerous note Of every vase
and goblet Seriously, If only sufficient
facts and data could be obtained, the
theory otsympathetic vibrations could b
made useful. Everybody understands
that the measured march Of soldiers ovel
q bridge shakes the structure; and instan-
ces arc recorded where O bridge has fallen
under marching regiment. But In such
q case the swing and momentum given by
the regular measured step are enough Y
cause more than q merely sympatheticvi
bration. Probably the band might stand
still and play all the marches In, their, 70
lpertoire and the bridge be- none the worse
the wandering fiddler Of Colebrookdale
10 the contrary Notwithstanding Y /
| A fact Is mentioned by Prot. Lowering,
which Is recent and substantial. In one
Of the cotton mills Ii Lowell, Mass, the
walls Of the building and the ,tloors were
on certain days, violently shaken by the
machinery, while on other days mo such
effect was noticed. "Upon investigation
II appeared that the building shook In 70
Spouse TO the motion oil the machinery
only when the engine moved at particu
liar rate, coinciding with one Of the har-