Evening star., 1915-05-23

~ NE of the most remarkable OF
| II II singing stones is to be found on
W the southwest coast of the
Island of Hawaii, in the group of
islands bearing that name. This is
sand bank. 1t appears that tone like
that Of melodeon is produced by NOV
ing ones hand in a circle through the
loose sand. If the observer kneel. with
both hands in the sand. and slide down
\ the bank, the sound becomes louder
| and louder until it resembles distant
! thunder The greatest sound is pro-
| duced from this sand bank when one
lies prone on it and another person
drags him by the heels down the bank,
carving a large quantity of sand down
| with him.
Blake discovered. by microscopic ex-
| animation, thin sections of the grain
| which are of volcanic origin. and that
each grain was perforated by mar
row canal which, as a rule. was closed
at one end. These peculiarly formed
grains of sand seem to act as resonat-
| ors the air inclosed in them being
! brought into vibration by the mutual
| friction of the grains When the sand
| is damp the sound is not produced, be-
| cause the friction is diminished and
! many of the tubular cavities are filled
with water.
The singing sands of Mount Sanai
probably admit of a similar explana-
ton. Wellsted has described the sand
as yielding beneath the feet of
Bedouin climbing down the slope, not
flowing down in continuous stream.
but brea king away in large masses. Al
first the sound resembles the faint
tones of an aeolian harp stirred by
Ia hvnn hVVf tfDn mt - hp
comes more rapid the sound is like that
produced by a wet finger rubbed on
the rim of wine glass; and when the
sand arrives at the foot of the noun
tain it makes a noise like thunder,
which sha kes the rock on which the
traveller sits.
This description is so similar to that
of the singing sands of Hawaii that
would account for the phenomena of
Sanai as well as for the other On the
other hand. Schubert has said that the
Diebel kanus, or Bell mountain, 400
feet high, is composed Of sandstone
powders loosely thrown together and
covered with loose sand. When dis
turbed by the foot this sand falls into
the interstices between the rocks. pro-
ducing sound that resembles dis
tant chime of bells and terminates in
roar From this it appears that the
falling of the sand between the bowld
ers is at least contributory cause of
the sound and it may account for the
whole phenomenon, even if the grains
of sand are solid According to Schu-
bert the Bedouins believe that the
sounds come from the bells of a ruined
Christian monastery.
Sounds of a very different character
and origin are emitted by certain
rocky cliffs in the Hartz mountains
and in the Pyrenees. Two precipitous
cliffs in the Hartz. near Schierke, are
called the snorers." from the peculiar
sounds which the southwest wind
draws from them. The faces of these
cliffs are marked by deep gullies. which
roughly resemble organ pipes open in !
front, and occasionally the front is
pra ctically closed by a stratum of air
held motionless between the cliff and
the trees which Craze it. while the
or organ pipes. behind. Similar phe-
nomena, due probably to similar
cause, are observed Mount Mala-
detta, in the Pyrenees. where at sun
rise certain cliffs emit plaintive sounds.
which resemble those of a harp and
are known locally as "the mathis of
the damned.
Singing >stones of third category
are found in various parts of the world.
Fraas, journeying from the Red sea to
the Nile. saw a round, thin fragment
an inch in diameter resembling a shell,
split off, with a peculiar sound, from
flint which lay baking in the hot sun
at his feet. This observation is very
remarkable, and perhaps unique, for
fiints split gradually as a rule, but
the violent and noisy rupture of the
last bond under the influence of the
SUMS rays and in the presence of an
observer does not seem impossible.