The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-03
4 REMARKABLE ECHO
WONDERFUL SOUND EFFECTS IN A
NEW YORK MONUMENT.

NEW YUM WOtNOMcSt.
The Famous Baptistery at Pisa Out-
done by the Soldiers Shaft On Riv-
erside Drive, Where Sound Rolls
About Like Ball.
4 big French motor car occupied by
two men and two very pretty women
whirred up Riverside drive late Sun
day evening and at Ninetieth street
drew up and stopped at the approach
to the Soldiers and Sailors monument.
It was long past the hour when the
crowd of fashionable promenaders
leaves the drive as the party Of four
stepped out Of the big, vibrating ma
chine and climbed the steps to the
monument.
One Of the men was a mialionaire
well known in the financial district.
The other was great tenor. With
them were the millionaire's wife and
woman known i'll half a dozen Euro
pean capitals as one Of the greatest
operate coaches iying-a woman who
is a constant attendant upon operate
stars and a sharer in no small degree
in their musical triumphs.
If it had been made during a Sunday
or weekday afternoon, a crowd of
fashionable folk would undoubtedly
have had their curiosity piqued by the
peculiar visit of four such we'll known
people. The whc!e affair was SO BIZ
zarre and the sounds which soon issued
from the narrow entrance to the glis-
tening white monument were so
strange that at any but a late night
hour crowd must have quickly filed
the plaza around the marble shaft. a
desire to escape amy such annoying in
cidents probably led the visitors to
choose the nighttime for their visit.
.sThe average American is consum-
mate ass" said the New Yorker as he
guided the small party up the moon
lit steps to the monument ''He travels
to the utmost parts of the world,
spends barrels of money and generally
writes a book on two describing the
marvellous things he sees, when by re-
naming right ait home he could have
seen sights OF a similar kind which
would have knocked the spots off the
things on which he has wasted his
patrimony and paragraphs Of superla-
tiFes.''
I. "But echoes, signor," replied the ten
or as he grasped the Wall street mans
arm. Echoes such as we have in the
baptistery. Never-except in the old
cathedrals o. Italy!H'
That's just what Americans say"
.retorted the New York man. 'AThey go
into ecstatie raptures over European
mediocrity without knowing that they
live among the greatest collection Of
maryels in the world. Listen to this
The party had reached the door lead
ing to the interior Of the monument.
A solid cylindrical wall Of marble and
granite surrounded a slender room
empty save for half dozen dried
wreaths lying on one corner of the
stone floor. When the whole party had
wormed its way into the monument,
the Wall street man bade them be
very still and with upturned face in
toned a low note An echo was heard
which rivaled those marvellous re-
yerberations which have drawn travel
erS to distant parts Of the world and
have been the subjects Of brilliant de-
scriptions in the daily press and be-
tween covers. The note seemed instant
" transformed into 4 moving ball Of
sound, It's journey to the distant stone
ceiling could be distinctly traced. It
seemed to be waited upward ike a
ring of smoke or q cottony dandelion
seed. The sound decreased until the
note seemed 10 strike the small, high
ceiling. where 1t fingered moment be-
fore commencing its downward trip.
Gradually increasing III loudnesS, it
came back TO the floor of the monu-
ment. apparently as loud and as intact
as when it was uttered. The whole
wonderful incident occupied only a
few seconds, but every stage Of the
SOOILO tA4p SC @Ac tSp VI tdC AuOAO-
ment and back was as pronounced and
as easily traced as though it had been
butterfly or 4 toy balloon.
Magnificent exclaimed the tenor in
tones Of rapture and surprise. Il never
dreamed such 4 marvellous echo existed
outside the baptiStery at Pisa.
His voice made a perfect riot Of
sound within the narrow shaft. Count
less tones going and ,coming in rapid
succession produced an effect almost
painful upon the ears of the listeners
At the request Of one Of the women
the tenor sang very slowly and softly
a few phrases Of La Donna G Mobile"
The effect was peculiarly beautiful.
Two men seemed to be singing, one Il
half beat behind the other. AS in the
Wall street mans experiment, each
note could be heard distinctly soaring
aloft TO the ceiling and back At the
return of each note in its original vigor
and fullness the effect OF :, second
singer was produced. The union of
the bell-like tones Of the beautiful