West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-07-09
CURIOUS NATURE.
An Explanation Of tho "Voices of
the Mountains"

The mountains have voices In the
literal as well as the fgurativc sense.
They not only speak to the eve. but
also at times to the ear. In the soli-
uldc and silence of wind and uninhab-
tied mountain regions the proSpcctor
or hunter is sometimes startled bv cx-
plosionS that resemble cannon shots.
In the settled regions near mining
camps these sounds would be attributed
to the firing of blasts, and would at
tract little attention, but when heard
IN places remote from settlements, in
the stiffness of the mountains. they are
phenomena calculated To excite the
wonder and awe OF the superstitious
Indian and to greatly puzzle the wan
dcring, solitary white man. From
time 20 time mention is made OF these
mysterious explosions by prospcctors
returning to the Comstock from the
WlldS OF the mountains. I'm some in
stances prospcCtorS have spent hour, i'm
trying TO find some supposed secret
camp or mine, being at the time quite
confident that the noise heard was the
explosion Of blast. Others hcaIinor
these booming sounds i'm mountain sol
ltudes have attributed them to the fall
and explosion of metCOric stones Two
proSpcctors who recently returned from
"TRIP to the Pahr9nagat mountain, i'm
southern Nevada, asserted that on two
occasions they hcard the report of burst
Ing mcteors that fell i'm the dav-timc.
They saw no falling mctcors, but were
unable to think OF any thing else that
could produce the sounds they heard.
Now, the fact is that these mysteri-
Gus explosions are heard i'm the mount
ANS oi many countries, but most fre-
qucntly. IT would seem, i'm mineral re-
glOns They are a phenomenon ia re-
gard to which the scientists are almost
wholly silent The first mention made
of the hearing of these singular explo-
sions IN this partof the continent Is
found in the journal OF Lewis and
Clark, who in SDS pushed their way
through the Wilderness to the Pacific
Ocean. They say that the strange re-
ports were attributed by the Indians TO
the bursting of the rich deposits of
silver resting in 'he bosom of the
mountains. The explorers were i'm the
Rocky mountains when they heard the
sounds
In 1910, when Wilson Price Hunt
and Donald NJ Kcnzic, with number
of Canadian vOyagcurs, made their
way across the continent to the mouth
Of the Columbia river. they reported
hearing strange explosions i'm the
Black hills. The reports seem TO have
been more common there than i'm anv
other place Of which ! am able 80 find
any account They SAY that "in the
most calm and serene Weather, and at
oil times Of the day or night. successive
reports are now and then heard among
these mountains, resembling the dis
charge OF several pieces OF artillery"
I'm lSjJ, member, O: the Daricn cx-
p.oring expedition commanded by
Lieutenant Strain. T. S. n. while lost
and wandering in the mountains. heard
reports like the firing Of cannon. but
which they finally concluded to be the
sound of falling trees The journal of
the expedition says i'm one place.
During the night all were aroused by
q sound like the report Of heavy gun
from the northward and eastward. and
anxious looks and inquiries were cx-
changed, for they supposed il TO be the
nine o'clock gun Of the 'Cyanc. '"
"Ihis may be, says the journal. "but
we now distrust our ears. having been
so often deceived ay the falling tim
ber' Similar rcpIrt had very often
been heard as the paety wanderod about
On the mountains. agd had been attrib-
utcd TO the falling sf trees.
These singular explosions are said to
occur very frequently i'm Central and
South America, I'm Che mountain re-
Cious; also, in Brazil Vasc0nccllas.
Jesuit father, describes one which hc
heard in tho Sierra, or mountain re-
glon OF Piratiniga, and which hc com
parc- to "a park Of artillery. The In
dian' told him that II was On explosion
OF stones. The worthy father soon had
a satisfactory proof Of the truth Of their
information, for ''the very place wa.
found whore q rock had burst open aud
exploded from It's catrails "a stony mas.
Ike bomb-shell, ane Of the size Of
bull heart. This mass WAS broken
IN ITS election, "and. says the chroni-
Gle. wonderful was the internal or
ganiZatlOu revealed. n bad 70 shell
harder even than iron, within which
were arranged. like the seeds Of "a
pomoLranate jewels Of various colors.
some Transparent as crystal. others of
% FINE red and others OF mixed hucs.
Tho -fmo phenomenon Is reported 10
occur occasionally in Che province Of
Lo 'ruara. Venezuela, where "slOucs
Che size Of mans fist are exploded.
With loud noise. from the bosom of
tnt earth, and scatter about glitterino
and tcautiiul fragments that look like
Vr. .'u, gems bu arc of no value.
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