Residents of Bucks County in Pennsylvania and Hunterdon County in New Jersey who live along the Delaware River have begun reporting an odd background sound, a sort of hum that often sounds like a distant diesel engine idling. Numerous efforts to find the source have turned up nothing. Police and environmental experts in both counties cannot explain the noise.

Most people cannot hear it. But for those who can, the constancy of the sound, its unrelenting nature and the inability to find and silence it has led to tranquilizers, alcohol, or frantic walking or jogging marathons in the middle of the night, anything to escape the maddening noise. Some all night diners now feature "The Sound" tables where the sleepless afflicted gather in the wee hours to drink coffee and commiserate.

Early in December, Earl Witherspoon of Taos, New Mexico came to New Hope at the behest of a frantic friend and listened to the sound. Witherspoon is an expert on the famous Taos Hum, a sound that also resembles a diesel idling and has plagued residents of the northern New Mexico mountain community for years.

Though he couldn't hear the sound during the first several days of the visit, Witherspoon did ultimately experience it for several hours at stretch during the early morning hours of December 8-10, but only while standing on the New Hope-Lambertville bridge.

Witherspoon ultimately declared the sound to be "eerily similar" to the Taos hum, which over the years has led some Taos residents to move away in despair to escape it, while at the same time attracting others to the village so they could be near it. He speculated that in the case of the "Bucks-Hunt Hum," as he christened it, he could hear it because the metal superstructure of the bridge somehow served as an antenna.

Asked by his hosts what could be done about the hum, Witherspoon offered two pieces of advice: 1) "Just live with it; it means no harm; and, (2) start an Internet chat group of so those afflicted by the sound can exchange information. "Those who can hear the Taos hum have been helped greatly by their chat group," he declared.

The chat group is now established at www.buckshunthum.org. Herewith, excerpts from some of the posts:

"I moved to Solebury from Arizona to get away from the Sedona Hum. While I lived in Arizona I realized that I was sensitive to earthquake/volcano infrasounds and that it was the granite underground which intensifies the infrasounds into my body therefore causing intense symptoms. Now I'm getting the infrasounds in Solebury in my body and KNOW, JUST KNOW that an earthquake or maybe a volcano is coming. Hope this helps.
Helen"

"At the end of time, we'll see the dieing of the sun, and hear a roar in our head like a low pitch (hum), It's not heard by many, only the chosen one's...
Jasper M."

"Been hearing it since 1999 in Santa Fe. Heard it in Springfield, Mo early 2002 and hear it now, late at night when I'm in bed...sounds a lot like a distant, rumbling highway, or a boom-box. It's a low-frequency tone and my wife doesn't hear it. She doesn't believe me. Says I drink too much. The CIA should be asked.
Harlan K."

"The hum has been semi-quiet around here..last week i did have to pop in an earplug one night...just to get some sleep anyhow a thought---i'm wondering if russ in glendale arizona is at the epicenter of the hum because he has windows shaking...mine dont do that here in Lumberville...anyone else notice windows rattling???
Charles"

"After reading a little of what every one else is saying about the "HUM" and I now think I've been hearing something wholy different. The sound I've been hearing is no ring or buzz but a rumble. It's very similar to a plane flying overhead but getting louder and quieter for long periods. I've even checked for planes on a few occasions and seen none even remotaly close. My brother believes it is some goverment experiment on some type of new jet engine.
Jack"

"At first I was hearing it in my left ear but now its in right ear and... lastly LET'S GO EAGLES!!!!
Bill"

"My dogs heard it before I did. I couldn't figure whot was wrong. Tina would be sleeping and then let out YELP! Then I begun to hear it. Now each time she cry it's intensity is changing because I can hear it too. My uncle says submarines communicate with waves through the earth and that's what we're hearing, McNamera talking to his submarines.
Edith"

"Every house they build the Toll Brothers dig a tunnel from the basement to under the Delaware where they have a giant room and transmitters that make the HUM. When they drive prices down they will turn off the HUM and make even more money! Ralph Nader knows about this but won't do anything.
Candice"

"Began to hear the Hum in October, I began to wake up in the middle of the night with cramps in my right hand. It got worse until I had to be subjected to a hideous test of my nerves, to see if it was Carpal Tunnel. At the same time, my back would feel as though it were "alive" and crawling all by itself. These things happened at the same time that I was hearing the hum as well as feeling the pressure in my ears.
Lizzie"

"Some observations. 1. I had my last metal dental fillings removed. There has been no change in the hum. 2. Last night, I noticed that if I shook my head, the hum disappeared. While shaking my head, I could still hear normal background sounds such as the television. 3. Last night, I only "hear" the hum with my left ear, not my right. This reinforces my conclusion that the "hum" is not a sound. It is a powerful electromagnetic transmission that some unfortunate people perceive as sound.
Elbert"

"the choline in certified organic popcorn has helped me considerably, no , I'm not a farmer nor own stocks in corn. Note: the corn has to be organic.
Bernice"

"This is really freaking me out, because this is the first time I've noticed such a dramatic decrease in the Hum!!! It is barely there! but I can hardly believe it, as it had been so pervasive lately, that I was beginning to accept it as a perpetual nuisance. My, I didn't expect it to go almost completely away. I'm SO surprised!! I wonder how long the respite will be.....we shall see.............. Uh,oh. Someone's at the door.
Jeanette"

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