The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-02-09
A REMARKABLE ECHO
WONDERFUL SOUND EFFECTS IN A
NEW YORK MONUMENT.

~
done by the soldiers shaft on Rtv-
erside Drive, where sound Rolls
About Like n hall.
A big French motor car occupied by
two men and two very pretty women
whirred mp Riverside drive late Sun
day evening and at Ninetieth street
drew up and stopped at the approach
To the Soldiers and Sailors monument
1t 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 10 the
monument.
One of the men was a millionaire
well known in the financial district.
The other was a great tenor. With
them were the millionaire's wife and
woman known in half a dozen Euro
pean capitals as one of the greatest
operate coaches living-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 Sunday
or a weekday afternoon. crowd OF
fashionable folk would undoubtedly
have had their curiosity piqued by the
peculiar visit OF four such well known
people. The whole affair was so bi-
Zarre and the sounds which soon issued
from the narrow entrance TO the glis-
tening white monument were so
strange that at any but late night
hour a crowd must have quickly filled
the plaza around the marble shaft. A
desire 10 escape any such annoying in
cidents probably led the visitors to
choose the nighttime for their visit.
The average American is a consum-
mate ass" said the New Yorker as lie
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 o book or two describing the
marvellous things he sees. when by re-
manning right at home he could have
seen sights OF similar kind which
things ON which he has wasted his
patrimony and paragraphs OF superla-
| tives."
| But echoes. signor," replied the ten
or as he grasped the Wall street mans
arm. Echoes such as we have in the
baptistery. Never-exeept i'm the old
cathedrals OF Italy,
That's just what Americans say"
retorted the New York man. They go
into ecstatic raptures over European
mediocrity without knowing that they
al. Hz... -
marvels 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
verberations 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
lly transformed into a moving ball o.
sound. It's journey TO the distant ston'
ceiling could be distinctly traced. 1
seemed to be waited upward like {
ring of smoke or a cottony dandelioI
seed. The sound decreased until th'
note seemed TO strike the small, higl
ceiling. where II fingered a moment be
fore commencing its downward trip
Gradually increasing in loudness, !
came back TO the fioor of the monu
ment, apparently as loud and as intac
as when II was uttered. The who'll
wonderful incident occupied only :
few seconds. but every stage OF tn
sounds trip to the top of the monu
ment and back was as pronounced ant
as easily traced as though it had beel
a butterfly or a toy balloon.
"Magnificent- exclaimed the tenor il
tones of rapture and surprise. Il neve
dreamed such a marvellous echo existe'
outside the baptistery at Pisa"
His voice made a perfect riot o
sound within the narrow shaft. Count
less tones going and coming in rapi
succession produced an effect almos
painful upon the ears OF the listeners.
At the request OF one Of the wome
the tenor sang very slowly and softl
a few phrases of la Donna Mobile.
The effect was peculiarly beautiful
Two men seemed to be singing, one
half beat behind the other. As in th
Wall street mans experiment, eac
note could be heard distinctly soarin
aloft TO the ceiling and back. At th
return OF each note in its original viSo
and fullness the effect OF a secon
singer was produced. The union c
the bell-like tones of the beautifl
voice, the wonderful echo and the p'
euliar strangeness of the whole stu;
ton brought cries of delight from Ii
two women.
Il believe e " as fine as the one
Pisa" said the woman who coach'
prima donnas, land to think that "
never even heard of II before"
Peculiar fact" said the New Yorke
striking u match and illuminating Il
dark. cold interior. New Iorke
never know anything about New ior
You can't sit down in a hotel lobby I
in club and speak OF echoes but
dozen men will commence 10 dilate {
some reverberations they have heal
in some backwoods GerIsan or italia
town. But none OF them knows OF an