Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-05-24
ACOUSTICS ARE BAD
IN BIG COURT ROOM
Remedial Measures Necessary for
Benefit of Bench, Bar, Wit
nesses and Spectators.

well, well. this is n fine court room,
said recent visitor 10 Wilminet on
making tour of the Public Building
under the ciceronage OF q LAWYER. who
had just led him into Court Room No |.
The visitor placed sorong accent on lis
aud then went on: Looks dgnifnd ard
handsome fittings End furniture quite
IN keeping with IFS size and loftiness
suspect you fellows must really enjoy
trying n case in such nice quarters
The lawyer smiled wry smile
The fact is that we don Z. he replied.
with certain grim memories coming beck
to him. The visitor wanted to know
why on earth why and was told in two
words. Rotten acoustics
And that's the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth about Court
Room No. |. II is fine, handsome.
big chamber, but its aco,istc short
comings are such as To make the work
of trying eases in IL litde short Of actual
hardship
Something in lis makeup callsc. ex-
cessive sound vibrations which are bat
tledorcd back and forth and against.
each other when the court or counsel
or witness speaks, and So iuubled that
what the auditor gets Is simply n CON
fusion Of sound which strains the ear to
catch or else is completely unintelligii ie
The trouble was noticed ~ the very
first session Of court aftcr leaving the
old court house, hut everybody inter
estedor rather almost everybody had
an idea that their eers had been moro or
less spoiled because Of the fine acoustic
conditions IN the quarters they had Just
left. and that given n little time IN the
new ones the situation would adjust
itself by adjusting the ears
But il didn't and il hasn't Nobody
seems 10 have been able t. get usetl -
halkiness Of the sound waves and their
tendency 20 herd IN confusing hatehes
Nerves have been tried time end again
and stocks Of patience, hlg and little.
well nigh exhausted until now there =
general thought among I'll ehoeo
carving on Of their lawful Occasions
takes them into tho court room that ~afue
remedial action should be taken q matter
which IS up to the Public building ON
mission What IS more i j. highly prob
able that tho matter will he brought 10
the commission attention IL the near
future and that body asked n attend
To II
Those who have gwen thought to the
causes Of tho trouble have ne hlame -
hand the original commission under
which the building was erected and the
court room fitted and furnished. for
they know that IN room The si2c and
nature OF this one acoustics hre pretty
much Of a gamble They may turn out
well and they may not, this specimen
beng ono OF the latter variety IN
expert has looked the place over and
laid the trouble to the excessive vIbra-
tlons Of the sound waves Ills remedy
is the use OF sound "a absorbing fabrics on
the walls The cost would reach s., 300.
II is said And the cost to those who
use the room day in and day out, If the
remedy is not applied, will be defective
hearing due 10 excessive ear-straln.
Proof that the expert was correct in
his diagnosis lies in the fact that the
fewer the persons IN the chamber the
greater the confusion Of sound and the
lesser ability TO hear we'll When ne
court room is crowded bodies and clothing
take up a lot OF the excessive waves and
hearing IL much better Likewise when
the doors into the side corridors are open
and the waves are given an exit, hearing
Is also better
But ordnarll y, with the doors closed
and the room spar~ ely occupied the judges.
lawyers ard others have great difficulty
IL hearing clearly The court often hats
"a witness to inquire of the JarSmcn.
especially those at he Tar end oi the
box. if they csn hear hat Witness Is
saying