The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-28
LIBERTY'S GHOSTS.
Strange Noises That Are Heard In the
statue in New York Hzrbor.

Statue in New York Hzrbor.
From the New York Journal.
The Statue of Liberty is tenanted by
ghosts At least, that is what the river
men claim, and say the statement is
susceptible of proof. They say, and
they know whereof they speak, that as
the witching hour of night approaches
most unearthly noises are heard, as II
the statue was possessed.
There is a scientific explanation, how
ever, of these ghostly disturbances, but
II does not interest the harbor men and
sailors on board ships lying at anchor
within a stones throw of Liberty ISL
and, their hulls brought into strong
relief by the electric torch. Many
"fo'c'sre" yarn has been spun about
the midnight carnival of spirits within
the Goddess. The sailors in the creak-
ing of her joints hear the ghoulish
shouts of the jewellers. When the night
is calm and bitterly cold the mysterf-
Gus din is plainly heard.
The most terrifying of these mysteri-
Gus sounds for those who are not in the
secret are the spirit rappings. The
Goddess rivals the most expert spirit
ual mediums. These rappings may be
heard almost every night in the year.
During the day time the solemn figure
is as quiet as a grave yard, but when
darkness settles down II is easy to inn
agine that several spiritualistic. seances
are being carried on successfully In
this gloomy interior. The explanation
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 four sides forms a thick coating of
copper verdigris on the rivets, eating
away the copper. This does not weak
en- the statue materially, but IL affords
a certain amount of play between the
overlapping sections. The Goddess un-
der the gentle influence of Old Sol ex-
pands throughout every part of her
enormous figure. At night she in a
measure draws her robes more closely
about her as II to protect herself from
the cold. The contraction of the cop
per sheets, IT may readily be seen,
causes a gentle motion which produces
a very faint rap. But this reverberates
through the vast interior which mag
nifies IL over and over again and lends
to 1t a gloomy, hollow sound.
The members of the guard of honor
who attend the Goddess throughout
the night tell many strange stories of
the haunted statue. Several OF these
watchmen have preferred to give up
their positions rather than listen to
these remarkable object lessons in
acoustics They could not be persuade
ed 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 pass
ing 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 foated across the dark
waters.