The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1915-07-17
MYSTERY NOISES.
OF Unknown Origin, They Sound
Like MuffIed Thunder.
COMMON IN THE OLD WORLD.

The.s Curious Boon,lnas, That Putf'e
Science, Heard at Times From Aus
traIla TO ireland, Are Akin to tho
.Moodus Noises" OF Connecticut
IL IL n hot and tranquil summer art
ernoon on the Belgian coast In u'ho OF
peace strolling along the shore you
are startled by a muthed detonauon
that seems TO come from somewhere
far out at sea. Can II be thunderl
There is not a cloud In the sky, ana
you remember that thunder u rarely
audible at u greater distance ihan
fifteen miles. A man-of-war at target
practice, perhaps-far In the oiiing' Al
this point your Belgian friend eS'
plains. IL was the "mistpoeuer' ne
says. and a sign that the weather VIII
continue fair.
But what Is the mlstpoefferf IL yon
can answer that question you can also
explain the mysterious Barisal guns or
India (Barisal Ia the name OF town
On tho Ganges deltal, which have pnz'
zled scientific men for half century.
Il 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 peasnntry
nnder forty or more local names, the
desert sound OF the Australian wilder
ness, the -water guns OF Lough Nehgh
iu Ireland and the aerial detonations
that occasionally startle Callfornians
during the warm season.
For example, In September, lS00. TO
quote the Santa Rosa Republican,. "A
tremendous explosion, presumably In
the air, occurred near Cazadero. Ii
was heard by the dwellers or the
mountain region over an area OF 800
square miles"
All noises OF this kind resembling
thunder. but not traceabe to that or
any other known agency. are now gen
orally called in scientific literature
brontidi. a name first used by Profes-
sor Tito Alippi, who has made spe-
cial study of these phenomena In
Italy.
The "Moodus noises" familiar 10 old
residents OF Moodus and East Had
dam, Conn. are probably kindred phe
uomena, 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-is easily recog
niZed as Of subterranean origin.
Although systematic investigations
OF brontldl 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 IL no thunder"
and similar sounds were known to
Humboldt aud Boussingault Captain
Sturt, a pioneer explorer OF Australia,
wrote in 1929:
About 8 p. m. or Feb. 7 during the
Australian summer MIR. Hume and !
were occupied tracing the chart upon
the ground. The day had been re
markably fine. There was not Il cloud
IN the heavens nor a breath or air To
be- felt On a sudden We heard what
seemed to be the report OF gun hred
at the distance of between five and six
miles II was not the hollow sound or
an earthly explosion or the sharp crac.
Killing noise OF falling timber, but In
every way resembled the discharge OF
a heavy piece OF ordnance.
"No one was certain whence the
sound proceeded. Both Mr. Hume and
myself thought II came from the north
west I sent one OF the men up tree,
but he could observe nothing unusual
The country round him appeared equal.
ly fat on all sides and thickly wooded
whatever occasioned the report, II
made a strong impression on all OF US,
and to this day such a sound in such u
situation is a matter OF mystery to
me-"
Science has not fully solved the mys
terry of brontldi. 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 II also IL set In vibration,
and II the vibrations are of the right
period to be audible the result Ia
booming sound of altogether indefinite
location. II Ia simply 'in the air.
Youths Companion.