Those Mystery Booms In Clintonville

By James Donahue

It was sometime in mid-March that the people of Clintonville, Wisconsin began experiencing loud booms and shaking of their homes. The phenomenon occurred every night, usually at about two-hour intervals. The events were violent enough to shake the buildings and rattle dishes. People were losing sleep.

The noises were occurring in just one area of the town of 4,600 residents. They went on every night, sometimes starting at around midnight, and continued until dawn. People said it sounded like thunder, or firecrackers, or rattling pipes.

The story soon made national news. Reporters gathered in Clintonville to witness the booms. Some managed to get recordings. The police said their telephone was ringing off the hook. It was said some people were holding “quake” parties at night, waiting for the rumbling.

City officials examined the noise and could find so possible cause. The people were perplexed.

Then the U. S. Geological Survey set up earthquake monitoring stations and captured a quake measuring 1.5 on the rector scale. City Administrator Lisa Kuss said the theory has been put out there that the booms, which apparently are still occurring, are the result of a “swarm” of little earthquakes.

They said quakes that small are usually never noticed but something in the rocks, or the location of the source of these quakes, may be transmitting the seismic energy into parts of Clintonville.

That sounded plausible. In fact small earthquakes seem to be the only answer to the Clintonville puzzle. But there is one disturbing part of this puzzle left unanswered. Why are the booming noises only occurring after the sun goes down?

And oh yes, the last we heard, at the time this was written they were still going on.