Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-04-17
cG5THIrNICATED,
FEE. .svE:Ef E1rsasSED.

; 81 LtlCii tNElJelQenG anu Cfeau 1T DalC
Mountain, have brought forth many
theories 10 account for the causes
Some have supposed it the premo.ito
ry sounds and quakings which otter
procedo al eruption OF fire aud meltcl
lava. Others have advanced the idea
that the mountain is composed Of moro
OF less oE limestone, and in its bowels
contains large caves which fiom some
cause or other are falling i'll from
above. The jar and noise produced
from tie reverb. rations along these
subterrancan caverIs, some think, is
probably the true solution Of the 1nys-
terry. Others believe that there are
| yet remaining several members OF the
celebrated Lowry gang Of desperadoes
and since they have been declared out
laws, they have taken to these caverns
in the mountains, the passages to and
from which they only are familiar with,
and that as they are obliged frequently
10 visit the open air, 70 avoid ohserva-
ton and detection they have
exploded, large quantities pf gun pow
der il these cayerns, sufficient TO shake
TIE mountain to lis very base and by
this means frigh.cn away the timid
settlers on and around it.
However plausible this theory may
appear at first. still = is certain that it
is rot the truth, for II is well known
how mary there were and who COM
! posed this gang and also what has be-
come OF them all. SO hat ends this
latter theory. But there is another,
| based on scientific knowledge, which
IS undoubtedly the true explanation Of
this perplexing phenomenon. It is
we'll known TO every one at ali ac-
quainted with acoustics that sound,
the moment It IS produced, dissent
mates itself n every direction, unless
it meets with obstruction TO its pass
age. and a!so that sound can be con
fined II q great measure within Ger
tain limits and viii travel IN the di-
:ecsion least obetrUctea. We al
know the maryeIs of this nature
often witnessed in a speaking
gallery. II two persons station them
selves, one nj each end of tube an
eight OF p mile long, they can converse
together through the tube IN whis-
per, although they could not hear
loud shout outside ti.e tube frone ono
to tie other. Here then is one Of the
causes to explain tnis Iny&ter7.-
11nother link is, this Bald Mountain Is
in part limestone and it is q vetI-knoyTn
fact, tiat Il stream 81 considerable
,l.:g.3tlit.e discharges i5seif il one Of
iia aG;oiring mountains auG disop
pear. For snch stream there must
be an underground course Ter long
distance. These underground courses
and passaee-v ways are quite common in
ai; limestone regions. the great cave
Of Kentucky i q case II point every
bod - familiar Y,i,h. There can,
therefore, be It,ie or no doubt, but
tha base Of Bald Mountain IS tunnel
les, with these pas$a -es, cn2Ie by
tIso action Of wafer o.s the hnc-
stou2, land tLat these passages ex- /
tend toc a long distance, d.arliarGinS
tl,- water into the earth as 1t goes /
along. Tbs 1GUst bc 50, otherwise /.
the Water carried ;.lonG these sgbtor- .
rancan passG ce-ways would have to I
come out ii & volume somewhere. \ /
part OF it may and probably does feed !,
huntlre;ls OF springs on its passage .
FROM the mountain 10 the lower lands. .
In travelling along tho section Of
country from Bad Mountain 10 Beg F.
gans Cat, III tic Carolina Central
R.i.ro.:,,, It has been noticed that !
there are numerous spring. of pure !
cool wafer Of the same taste.
Those WHO have considered =! iLose /
things, together with ore more impor-
tant item III the celebration tha5 viii
be cons;dered presently, have come to
the conclusion that thero is an under
ground course from this noun
tain extending to, and probably
under, Boggan's Cnt. Boggan's
Cut, as It Is termed, is 6 slight
elevation OF granite ana sandstone in
Anson county, through which deep
cut IS now being made for the track of
the Carolinl Central Railroad.
Il may not be generally known that
Col. A,nes, one Of the contractors on
this road, is using vast amount OF
nitro gly eerine in blasting out natures
deposits OF granite, lime, and sand
stone, in Boggan's cut, keeping large
force at work night and day. This is
done by charging inlmease blasts with
nitro-glycerine and discharging them
all at Il time with a patent battery,
arousinr the country for miles around !
with the terrific thunder of the explos-
ions. Any one Who VII take the
trouble to note tle tilae of the day or
night Wien the ruInbling sounds and
reports, are neara at Bald Mountain,
and compare it with the time
when these fearful discharges are
made at Doggan's cut, cannot
fail to come to tie conclusion,
that they are both produced from the
same cause due allowance should be
made, however, for the time necessary
for the aound to travel from the cnt
through the underground passage TO
the mountain. Here then - natural,
simple. and nb the same time scien-
tific explanation OF the great marvel,
which has brought from the North,
East and the West. t. tbis wonderful
mountain. many wise man with goose
ouiiis behind their ears, representing
metripolitan newspapers, TO investi-
gate the phenomenon. The New York
Hcra}d has. as usual, been foremost
in this matter This paper became
excited about It, and III one Of its
issues in large type asks this question::
"Harc wo burning mountain in our
midst:' So much stupidity we have
never before seen evinced ny newspaper
men-Yeri]y. greet ado about
nothing. Col. Anes IS the innocent