In One Ear: Heartrending sounds

Published 12:15 am Thursday, February 11, 2021

From The Daily Astorian, Feb. 11, 1885:

• A New York man named J.M. Courtenay has invented a whistling buoy that is a necessity on foggy and rock-bound coasts. The upper end is closed with a plate, through which there are holes. In one is secured a big locomotive whistle. In the other two are valves …

As the buoy rises on a wave, the water sinks down in the tube and the air rushes in through the valves … Then the buoy sinks into the trough of the sea, and the water presses up through the tube, forcing the air out. With the varying pressures, the whistle makes the most heartrending sounds known to humanity.

Note: Although this was an essential navigational aid, coastal residents often complained and petitioned lighthouse boards to not place one of these nearby. Scientific American noted that “they can at times be heard 15 miles, and emit an inexpressibly mournful and saddening sound.” (bit.ly/JMCbuoy)