The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1874-07-23
THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.


have brought forth many theories to ac
count for the causes. Some have supposed
it the prsmonitory. sounds and quaki"g'
WHICH often prcccdc the cruptions Of fire
and melted .laya. Others have advanced
the idea that the: mountain is composed
more or less of limestone, and its bowels
contain large caves which from some cause
or other are falling in from above. The
jar and noise produced from the reverber-
ations along these subterranean caverns,
como think. is probably the true solution
of the mystery. Others believe that there
are yet remaining several members of the
celebrated Lowry gang Of desperadocs,
and since they have been declared out
laws, they have taken to the caverns in
the mountains, the passage to and from
which, they only are familiar with, and
that they are obliged frequently to visit
the open air, and to avoid observation and
detection they have exploded large guam
titles of gun powder in these caverns, suf-
ficient to shake the mountans to its very
base, and by this means frighten away the
timid settlers around it.
However plausible this theory may ap-
pear at first, still it is certain that is not
the truth, for it is we'll known how many
there were who composed this gang, and
also what has become Of them all. So that
this enHthc latter theory. But there is
another, based on scientific knowledge,
which is undoubtedly the true cxplnna-
ton of this perplexing phenomenon. 1t
is well known TO every one acquainted
with acoustics and sound, that the mo-
ment it is produced, it disscmnaies itself
in every direction, unless it meets with
obstruction to its passage, and also that
sound can be confined in a great measure
within certain limits and will travel in
the direction the least obstructcd We
all know the marvels of this nature often
witnessed in speaking gallery. II two
persons station themselves. one nt each
end of tube an eighth of "a mile long,
they cahconversc together through the
tube in a whisper, although they could
not hear gloud STOUT antsils- # IL: =
~ 1nI n ~ the other. Hero then, is oNo
Of the causes to explain this my-;ary.-
Another link is, this Bald Mountain is in
part limestone, and it is a well known fact
that stream of considerable MAGNITUDE
discharges in one OF the adjoining noun
tains and disappears. For such Il stream
there must be an underground course for
a long distance The underground courses
and passage ways are quite common in all
limestone re.lons, The great cayc in Ken
tucky is case in point everybody Is Ia
miliar with. There can, therefore, be
little or 10 doubt that the base Of Bald
Mountain is tunneled with these passages.
made by the action Of water on limestone,
and that these passages extend for n long
distance, ..dischargins the water into the
earth as it goes along. This must be so,
otherwise the water carried along these
subterranean passage ways would lave
come out III Il volume somewhere. y part
of it may, and probably does feed hun
dreds of springs in its passage from The
mountains to the lower lands. In travel
ing along the section Of country from Bald
Mountain to Boggan's Cut, on the Carolina
Central Railroad. it has been noticed that
there arc numerous springs OF pure cool
water Of the same taste
Those who have considered all these
things. together with one mere important
item in the calculation that will be con-
sidcrod presently, have come to the con
cusion that there is an underground
course from this mountain, extending To-.
and probably under Boggan's Cut. Boz
cans Cut. ~ it is termed, is 4 slight c.c-
walton Of granite and sandstone in Anson
county, through which deep cut is now
beng made for the track of the Carolina
Central Railroad
1t may not be generally known that
Col. Amcs. one Of the contractors on this
road is using a vast amount of nitro lyce.
rine in blasting out natures deposits It
granite, lime and sandstone, at Bog&an
Cut, keeping largo force at work day
and night This is done by charging I'M
mensc blasts Of nitro-clyccrine and dis
charging them all at time with pa'c:t
battery. arousing the country for mile
around with terrific thunder explosions
Any one who will take the trouble To note
the time If day or uicht when the runh
linz sounds nul reports arc heard al Ball