RE: [CIEnviron] Le Canon des Iles

[Paul Chambers]

Dear Mike,

 

Many years ago I heard the Canon des Iles while on a boat off Les Écréhous – it was like a low rumble of distant thunder which sounded like it was coming from the French coast SE of our position. It was a hot, still day (which is traditionally when le canon is heard). It could have been distant thunder although no storms were obviously in sight. My father, who has heard the canon several times, says that it always happens on hot, calm days off Jersey’s east coast. He thinks it is the sound of very distant thunder that gets carried across the sea by the meteorological conditions.

 

Regarding references, the only one I’ve ever come across is in Mémoires de la Société nationale des sciences naturelles et mathématiques de Cherbourg (vol. 42) where there are a couple of reports of the phenomenon during the year 1935. They also linked the phenomenon with earthquakes (see transcript below). There must be other refs elsewhere.

 

Perhaps related is the legend of the bull of St Clement as recounted in L’Amy’s Jersey Folklore (pp. 113-115); it was a loud roaring noise that would be heard on very low tides that was attributed locally to a phantom bull. Allegedly Joseph Sinel solved the mystery when he found a natural sink hole on the rocks known as Les Grands Houmets – water gurgling down the hole was apparently the source of the noise and, after it was blocked up, the bull roared no more.

 

Paul

 

Séance du 8 Novembre 1935

Présidence de M. FAVIER, vice-président,

M. LE CONTE fait part des observations qui lui ont été communiquées concernant le ‘Canon dès îles ‘.

 

Au cours de cet été ces détonations n'ont été entendues que durant trois périodes: du 24 juin au 2 juillet ; du 29 juillet au 19 août; du 21 au 25 septembre. Trois microséismes ont été constatés précisément pendant les périodes ou le « Canon des îles » a été entendu.

 

Le phénomène est très localisé dans l'espace; la zone d'audition est d'autant plus étendue que ces bruits sont intenses. Dans le Cotentin, ces détonations paraissent venir de l'ouest ; mais dans

les îles anglo-normandes, elles semblent venir de l'est; ce fait suffit à éliminer l'hypothèse du tir d'une escadre. On est donc conduit à admettre qu'il s'agit de bruits souterrains. Il serait particulièrement intéressant d'installer un sismographe dans la région. Toutefois le fait d'une liaison du phénomène avec les conditions météorologiques (temps chaud, brumeux et calme, à part une exception) paraît difficile à expliquer dans le cas d'une origine interne.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: cien...@googlegroups.com [mailto:cien...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of C David
Sent: 25 February 2012 13:48
To: cien...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [CIEnviron] Les Cannons des Iles

 

Dear Mike

 

A recent New Scientist article attributed similar sounds in the United States to very minor earthquakes, but mentioned many other causes such as waves in caves, distant quarry blasting, naval gunnery practice etc. There seems to be quite a bit on the web, some bits obviously rubbish, about similar sounds in other places.

 

Best wishes

 

Charles

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: cien...@googlegroups.com [mailto:cien...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mike Roger
Sent: 25 February 2012 13:19
To: cien...@googlegroups.com; guerns...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [CIEnviron] Les Cannons des Iles

 

Hi y’all,

 

Can anyone direct me to a reference: historical, cultural, scientific, for the distant thunder commonly heard in the summer from south of Guernsey on still, sunny days?

We G’philes know it as ‘les cannons des iles’

Best wishes,

 

Mike Roger

 

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[Jamie Hooper]

I remember hearing this many times on the long hot summers of my youth. I think I have only heard it once in the last 20 years – and even then I wasn’t convinced it was the same.

 

Perhaps a nice, settled summer, instead of the rubbish we’ve had for the last few years, might see its return...

[C David]

Dear Jamie

 

I also haven’t heard it for many years -10 at least, but I have heard it since I returned to Guernsey in 1987.  I frequently remember it from when I was child - 25 years before you – and my father saying “that’s Les Cannons”  when we were at Jerbourg, and always on warm still summer days. 

[Richard Digard]

Likewise.

Haven't heard it since I was a child. If memory serves, it was fairly common, several times during the summer.

According to my father, the popular view was that it was the sound of the tide rushing into a cavern somewhere under the island and the entrance was near Le Creux Mahie.

He didn't believe it, but that was the myth, seemingly.

Richard

[Andrew Barham]

pity they blocked it up

---

From: Jamie Hooper <jamie....@cwgsy.net>
To: cien...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, 26 February 2012, 8:23
Subject: Re: [CIEnviron] Le Canon des Iles

[Andrew Syvret]

Have no doubt I heard it in my youth, but in today's noisy Channel Islands, when most hot, calm days mean bulk activity on dry land & afloat, I'm not sure we humans would be able to detect it anymore anyway? When snorkeling off L'Etacq, some tides I can hear a high speed cat leaving St Peter Port. Sark are party to the campaign for dark skies ~ I'd willingly sign up to a campaign for quiet times.

 

The occupying German forces were very interested in the phenomena & devoted resources to its study. Peter Manton mentions it in his (1995) book "Jersey Weather and Tides", stating the first written evidence comes from a Norman diarist in 1652, but offers no solution to the mystery. Apparently the French are as intrigued as we islanders...

 

Cheers,

 

Andrew

 

Andrew Syvret
Pinnacle Marine Limited
Haut de la Rue
Léoville
St Ouen
Jersey, G.B.
JE3 2DB
T: +44 (0) 1534 485201
M: +44 (0) 7797 718472
www.seajersey.com

 

 

 

---- Original Message -----

From: Paul Chambers

To: cien...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2012 3:50 PM

Subject: RE: [CIEnviron] Le Canon des Iles

[Ritchie, Alan]

Marie de Garis mentions "le Canon des Isles" in her eclectic Folklore of Guernsey (page 109), referring to various hypotheses for the rumblings, from geological and seismic causes to quarry-blasting and gunnery practice by the French Navy off Brest. She concluded that, in spite of all these suppositions, the noise seems to guard its secret.

 

I used to notice it from the L'Ancresse area of Guernsey in the 1950s and early 1960s in hot, still weather conditions, especially if it was close/humid. My mother said her parents/grandparents had previously understood it to be French artillary practice, but she felt that couldn't be right.  

 

It would be nice to hear it again!

 

Alan

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