found in the fact that the harbor is almost 

 eUiptical in shape, one side of it being 

 overhung by the precipitous walls of 

 Gowlland Island which rise sheer two 

 hundred feet from the water, while the 

 opposite side of the harbor lies under the 

 comet-like tail of Valdez Island which 

 turns at a sharp angle toward the former 

 island, the two islands coming so closely 

 together at their extreme ends as to 

 almost touch each other, thus forming 

 the ellipse. 



When atmospheric conditions are right, 

 a steam whistle blown in Gowlland har- 

 bor will be echoed and re-echoed more 

 than forty times. The peculiarities of 

 these sound reflections, from a scientific 

 standpoint, are found in the fact that the 

 first echoes, some twenty in number, 

 come from the direction of Valdez Island, 

 knd that fully two minutes elapse after 

 the last of these echoes have died away, 

 before they are again taken up and 

 repeated on Gowlland Island. The rever- 

 berations, or sound reflections, coming 

 from Valdez Island are harsh and unmu- 

 sical, while those coming from Gowlland 

 Island are wild, low and sweet as the 

 music borne on the winds from the caves 

 of Fingal and attuned to Ossian's ear. 



The question of scientific interest is, 

 where are these sound reflections during 



the two minutes that elapse between the 

 last echo from Valdez Island and their 

 repetition on Gowlland Island? It must 

 be remembered that sound travels at the 

 rate of 1125 feet per second, so that in 

 this interval of two minutes these sound 

 waves must travel not less than 135,000 

 feet or over twenty-five miles, and they 

 must also travel to some unknown place 

 which reflects these sounds back to the 

 island and harbor. 



There is no doubt that these sound 

 reflections, apart from the scientific inter- 

 est which they create, are more wonder- 

 ful than those of Killarney, or Wood- 

 stock Park, England, or those of the 

 Simonetta Palace near Milan, which have 

 heretofore held the place as the world's 

 most wonderful reproductions of sound 

 waves. 



It is a pity that some scientific investi- 

 gation and record of this wonderful echo 

 could not be made before the commercial 

 operations of the great mining company, 

 which, octopus like, has spread its ten- 

 tacles out over the tiny island, has for- 

 ever destroyed and obliterated this 

 strange and interesting freak of nature 

 by destroying the peculiar formation and 

 walls which give such sweet voice to this 

 most wonderful modern reproduction of 

 the Nymph of Greek Mythology." 



Frank P. McMullen. 



THE SONG OF NATURE. 



Oh, Easter Day, fair Easter Day, 

 Hark, hear earth's voices sing thy praise ! 

 Each bird, each bud, each fragile flow'r. 

 Hark, hear the song they raise ! 

 Hail— all hail! 



Fair Queen of Spring! 

 Loud and clear. 



Thy praise we sing. 

 'Tis the day of resurrection, 

 Christ dv/ells in peace above — 

 The holiday of Nature, 

 The festival of Love ! 



— ^Jac Lowell. 



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