Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1915-01-28
MYSTERY NOISES.
OF Unknown Origin. They Sound
Like MuffIed Thunder.
COMMON IN THE OLD WORLD.

These Curious eoominos, That Puzzle
Science. Heard at Times From Aus
traiia to ireland, Are Akin to the
"Moodus Noises" Of connscticut
II IL hot and tranquil summer aft
ernoon on the Belgian coast In time Of
peace Strolling along the shore you
are startled BY q muffied detonation
that seems to come from somewhere
far out at sea. Can II be thunder?
There Ii not u cloud In the sky. and
you remember that thunder IL rarely
audible az greater distance than
fifteen miles. A man-of-war at target
practice, perhaps-far in the offing. AT
this point your Belgian friend ex.
plains. II was the "mistpoeffer," ne
says, and sign that the weather viii
continue fair.
But what is the mistpoeffer1 II you
can answer that question you can also
explain the mysterious Barisal guns OF
India (Barisal Is the name Of a town
In the Gauges deItaD, which have puz-
zled scientific men for half q century
You can explain also the strange rum
blings that in certain parts Of Italy
seem to come from nowhere in par.
ticular and are known to the peasantry
under forty or more local names, the
desert sound of the Australian wilder
ness. the water guns of Tough Neagh
In Ireland and the aerial detonations
that occasionally startle Californians
during the warm season.
For example. in September, 1896, to
quote the Santa Rosa Republican. "a
tremendous explosion, presumably in
the air. occurred near Cazadero. II
was heard by the jewellers Of the
mountain region over an area Of 800
square miles"
All noises Of this kind resembling
thunder. but not traceable to that or
any other known agency. are now gen
orally called in scientific literature
brontidi. q name frst used by Profess
cor Tito Alippi. who has made a .spe
cial study Of these phenomena In
Italy.
The "MoOdus noises" familiar TO old
residents of Moodus and East Had
dam. Conn.,. are probably kindred pine
nomena. although they seem to be
somewhat more definitely associated
with subterranean earth shocks than
are typical brontidi. and the same may
be said of the goutfre Of Haiti, which
at least in some cases-ls easily recog
nized as Uf subterranean origin.
Although systematic investigations
of bronG6i are of recent date, occur
rences of the phenomena have been re-
corded from early times Lord Bacon
mentions IAN extraordinary noise in
the sky when there is no thunder"
and similar sounds were known to
Humboldt and Boussingault Captain
Sturt, pioneer explorer OF Australia.
wrote in 1929:
About p. IN. of Feb. during the
Australian summer, Mr.. Hume and !
were occupied tracing the chart upon
the ground The day had been re-
markably fine. There was not a cloud
In the heavens nor a breath OF air to
be felt On sudden we heard what
seemed to be the report of gun fired
at the distance of between Eve and six
miles 1t was not the hollow sound Of
an earthly explosion or the sharp crac-
king noise of falling timber. but In
every way resembled the discharge of
a heavy piece OF ordnance
mo one was certain whence the
sound proceeded. Both Mr. Hume and
myself thought ii CAME from the north
west sent one of the men up tree
bur he could observe nothing unusual
The country round him appeared equal
ly t1at on all sides and thickly wooded
whatever occasioned the report, II
made strong impression on all of us.
and to this day such sound in such a
situation is matter OF mystery to
me-"
Science has not fully solved the mys
terry OF brontidi but 1t can hardly be
doubted that the origin of these sounds
Is really subterranean. From a focus
far underground the Jar OF settling
rocks sends vibrations to the surface
not at one spot, but over wide area.
Then II the everything air is calm and
homogeneous it also Is set in vibratioa
and If the vibrations are of the right
period to be audible the result ia
booming sound of altogether Indefinite
location IL Ia simply lin the air."
Youths Companion