Seneca Guns in Illinois

Greetings ATS,

This will be a bit of a different thread for me, as I tend to usually keep to the faith-based discussion. However, this topic, which I've only studied in a cursory fashion here on ATS, has come to my home state.

This past Sunday (Nov 10), while at a friend's birthday party, I overheard one of the guests talking about a series of loud "booms" that she had experienced the night before (Nov 09). I thought of the Seneca Boom phenomenon, and after a bit of casual discussion she revealed to me that they had happened in Carpentersvill, IL.

I remember seeing a lot of threads here, on ATS, when this phenomenon was happening in North Carolina. A little bit of research lead me to an article on Wikipedia about Mistpouffers. According to the article, they typically occur near "waterfront communities". That raised a bit of a flag for me, as the only thing I would consider "waterfront" about Carpentersville is the Fox River, and I'm not sure if that qualifies as a large enough body of water for these sounds to be heard.

So, ATS, has anybody else heard of this phenomenon occurring in non-coastal areas? Anyone from Carpentersville, IL., who can back up what this girl said? Any new theories on what might cause them? A friend of mine and I are planning to travel to Carpentersville if she hears them again, so, anything we should be looking for when/if we go?

~ Wandering Scribe

reply to post by Wandering Scribe
I live just north of Harkers Island, and occasionally hear the distant rumbling. I usually credit it to Naval Gunfire, as the Navy has a range at Camp Jejune. Still it is noticeable and distinct, not thunder. Definitely not aircraft, those we see daily approaching MCAS, Cherry Point, and leaving. A c-130 on the glide slope is not that loud, and AV-8's are ear busters at the main gate.

I wonder if it has to do with the recent start of fracking in Illinois.

reply to post by Hillbilly123069

I wonder if it has to do with the recent start of fracking in Illinois.

I honestly had not considered that, but it is a very real possibility.

I'll have to check and see if there's any fracking going on in Carpentersville, but, most of the information I can find on the new policies (like the Huffington Post here) seem to suggest Southern Illinois as the most obvious candidate.

Carpentersville is North of Chicago, so, unless I have my bearings way off, I don't think they count as Southern Illinois.

Still, a good lead, and one which I plan to look into more.

~ Wandering Scribe

reply to post by Brandyjack

I live just north of Harkers Island, and occasionally hear the distant rumbling. I usually credit it to Naval Gunfire, as the Navy has a range at Camp Jejune. Still it is noticeable and distinct, not thunder. Definitely not aircraft, those we see daily approaching MCAS, Cherry Point, and leaving. A c-130 on the glide slope is not that loud, and AV-8's are ear busters at the main gate.

Thanks for the reply, Brandyjack.

I've read numerous times about the military as a possible culprit.

I don't know of any military bases in Carpentersville though. At least not that are publicly known. I also don't think the Fox River has a very strong naval presence.

Had I heard them at my old house, which sat about a mile from the C-84 Nike missile testing site in Palatine, IL. I'd have considered military weapons a possibility.

I'll do some more digging around though, and see if I can find any kind of military presence in Carpentersville. Thanks for the idea!

~ Wandering Scribe

Wandering Scribe
reply to post by Hillbilly123069

 

I wonder if it has to do with the recent start of fracking in Illinois.

I honestly had not considered that, but it is a very real possibility.

I'll have to check and see if there's any fracking going on in Carpentersville, but, most of the information I can find on the new policies (like the Huffington Post here) seem to suggest Southern Illinois as the most obvious candidate.

Carpentersville is North of Chicago, so, unless I have my bearings way off, I don't think they count as Southern Illinois.

Still, a good lead, and one which I plan to look into more.

~ Wandering Scribe

I live right outside Chicago, close enough to Carpentersville and close to where the EQ explosion was at the quarry recently, I will definitely take a look and talk to people within the area to see what I can find.

reply to post by jhn7537


Thanks jhn7537.

I'm also in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, which is why this caught me eye when I heard about it. I've got a couple friends here, and we try to keep up on "weird Illinois" whenever we can. I didn't think we'd ever have an opportunity to explore something like the Seneca guns though.

Do keep us informed on what you learn.

~ Wandering Scribe