The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-05-16
SPOOkS OF LIBERTY STATUE.
Strange Sounds Come from the Big Figure
In New York Harbor.

In New York Harbor.
The statue of liberty is tenanted by
ghosts. At least, that is what the river
men claim, ard say the statement is
susceptible of proof. They say, and
know whereof they speak, that
as the witchilg hour of night APP
proaehes most unearthly noises are
heard, as if the statue was possessed.
There is scientific explanation, how
ever, of these ghostly disturbances, but
it does not interest the harbor men and
sailors on board ships lying at anchor
within a stones throw of Liberty is
land, their hulls brought into strong
relief by the electric torch. Many
"fo'c's'le" yarn has been spun about the
midnight carnival of spirits within the
goddess. The sailors in the creaking
of joints hear the ghoulish shouts OF the
jewellers. When the night is calm and
bitterly cold the mysterious din is
plainly heard.
The most terrifying of these mysteri-
GUS sounds for those who are not in the
secret are the spirit rappipgs. The
goddess rivals the most expert spir-
itual mediums. These rappings may
be heard almost every night in the year.
During the daytime the solemn figure
is as quiet as a graveyard, but when
darkness settles down it is easy to
imagine that several spiritualistic
seances are being carried on successful
ly in this gloomy interior. The expla-
nation is, however, exceedingly simple.
The statue, as everybody knows, is
formed of enormous plates of copper
bronze, firmly riveted together. The
action of all sorts of weather, to which
this very exposed position renders the
statue subject, tends TO gradually
loosen these little bits of steel. The
dampness which is drawn in from the
water from all sides forms thick coat
ing of copper verdigris on the rivets.
eating away the copper. This does not
weaken the statue materially, but it
affords a certain amount of play be-
tween the overlapping sections. The
goddess under the gentle influence of
old Sol expands throughout every part
of her enormous figure. At night she
in a measure draws her robes more
closely about her as if 10 protect her.
self from the cold. The contraction of
the copper sheets, it may readily be
seen, causes a gentle motion which
produces u very faint rap. But this
reverberates through the vast interior,
which magnilies it over and over again
and lends to it a gloomy, hollow sound.
phe members of the guard of honor
who attend the goddess throughout the
night tell many strange stories of tho
haunted statue. Several of these watch
men have preferred to give up their po-
sitions rather than listen to these re-
markable object lessons in acoustics.
They could not be persuaded that the
mysterious figure was not haunted, and
all said they had never in their lives
heard of any haunted house which
could boast half as many hair-raising
noises as the dignified goddess. 1t
sometimes happens, when the contrast
of temperature is greatest, that the
groans and rappings are loud enough to
be heard on the boats passing close to
the island. The sound of hollow groans,
accompanied by weird ratings and
other uncanny noises, has frightened
more than one superstitious sailor as
he floated across the dark waters.-N.
Y. Journal.