The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-07
LAWS OF SOUND LITTLE KNOWN
Mysteries in Acoustics which Scien-
fists Have Not Solved.
CFrom the New Orleans Times-Denoeratl

ttrOu the New Orleans Times Dss,oerat(
The literature OF acoustics is deficient
( IN exact data. remarked local archi-
tecl Speaking Of the problems involved
IN the designing OF theatres and public
. nails OF course, we have made a ire
fnendolS advance in the last fifteen or
Twenty years, and good acoustic proper
ueS are no longer q mere question of good
luck but the law governing sound waves
IS sun so Tull Of mysteries and contra
HIttioilS tndJ We can hardly lay claim 10
nave mastered more than its Tudiments
mere IS nothing stranger for example.
IMAM the apparently arbitrary way tina +
S SHe voice WIZ carry IN the open air Listen
Tor a moment to this
As the architect spoke he threTr oDer,
one OF the end windows of his Office and
toohed down INTO a court at least nifty
Isel deep HI Charley he said in ar
Ordinary conversational tone. ami in n
moment big man in his shirt sleeves
peered up from one of the lower offices
on the opposite side. What dye want %
he called, forming a speaking tube OF his
hands He was evidently making some
effort but his voice WAS barely audible
Nothing particular" replied the archi-
tect, still speaking IL his ordinary voice;
Just wanted to Know whether you were
there Thanks. Goodbye New. there's
a trick discovered by mere accident"
he continued, after he had closed the
window. i happened to find out that
my voice would carry down the righr-
hand edge Of that easement and thence
on down the side of the wall 10 some
point where il is mysteriousIv ,I-factad
across the court and pitched II 20 nv
friends Office. Why it should GO So /
don't know
The phenomenon is attributable. of
course, TO some chance advancement of
distractions like mirrors Referring a r;9,
OF light from one to another bur hs 20
never taken the time and trouble to II yJIr,
II out Strange To say, the ordinary voice
can be heard from the lower window u
the upper. and when / move half foot
away from one certain spot l get out OF
the carrying channel myself [ seem TO
nave struck some narrow track through
the air over which the vibrations move
with particular facility In almost amy
POSSIBLE TO locate what might be called an
acoustic centre where all sounds are
heard with extraordinary distinCtn5ss
Some time ago, when ] was spending 2
week IN Alabama looking after some con-
SJruction work. the bed in nv room at the
hotel was 50 situated rs to bring my Elead
almost exactly into this acoustic focus |
Clun suspect what was wrong TO begin
with. but on the first night of my stay [
was greatly annoyed by the loud ticking
OF my watch, which was lying on the
mantelpiece. and changed its position sew
erstl times without relief Finally il got
on my nerves and / deliberately Wra uued
II UD n q lot of clothing and put II into
my FaltSe. That deaGeued the ticking,
but meanwhile lot of other nuiseS-l1CaI
noises. belonging strictly to the premises
had Joined the chorus, such things as the
gn3Wing of mice. the creakiug of castings
the sitting Of rubbish between partitions
and similar small sounds TO be heard in
any old house It was trying. and 1 was
on the point of leaving the hotel when
discovered THAI shift OF less than a yaru
took me entirely out of the zone Of hub
hub- gave the old fOUr-pOSter bed q
slight push and for the balance OF my
stay enjoyed a season of peace and quiet