Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-12-01
CAST STEEL BELLS, FOR CHURCHES,
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them to various purposes. BY the Romans as
call at bathing time, &C., &C., and by the
Greeks, by means of their "Codonophorus,
who walked and rang it at their funeral process
sions. In Britain before the conclusion of the
seventh century, it was in general use, and as
carly as the ninth century many were cast of a
large size and deep note. Turketulus, Abbot
of Croylond, who died about A. ID. so, gave
great bell to the church OF that abbey, and
Athelstone made it a Saxon law to provide every
church with bells. The ancient custom of bap-
tsing the bells and ringing the passing bell from
a superstious idea that by such means evil
spirits were frightened away, shows the impor-
tance attached to them, and their properties are
summed up by an old author in the following
lines -
.Laudo Dcum yerum. pleJcm yoco confugo cleium
Dcluncios lloro pcstcn iugo, fiesta dccoro."
The old system of bell making and bell hang
ing was tedious and costly. Each one as it be-
cane in its turn, larger than its predecessor,
became also the wonder of the day, and like
the Great Britain and the Great Eastern steam
ships of our time, created similar sensations
The alloy at present in use for large bell
casting Of the ordinary composition is on an
average from three TO four parts Of copper TO
enc oftin. The great object of all bell-casting is
as far as practicable TO secure musical and
oOuu WIN dN llltlt lultlldl as lDS-
siblc a due regard must be had to height of
elevation, position, and that the vibration may
be perfectly free from all check which may be
the consequence of rigid fixing. This vibration
we may safely presume, transmits the shock
from the strike of the clapper with the sound
TO the air around it, thus any check to it con-
fines the effect to the bell ITSELF and SO shiyers
the section. The larger the bell the greater
proportion of tin is employed in the casting.
This will certainly tend TO make it more brittle,
and therefore greater the danger of fracture.
Some few years back the idea OF cast steel
bells would have been, like other great discov-
cries in their turn, quite chimerical, but recent
experience is proving that their general use is
inevitable, and calculated TO dissipatc the idea
that one alloy alone can be used for such pur-
pose. They may, some few years back have
been consigned to that mysterious place where
Sinbad's old moons and those unmusical, ideal
creations of the novelist siircr bells, have been
summarily sent by practical generation, as
practical men in those days often believed in
great falacies, and ridicuIed that which has
since made many man millionaire against
his own preludices and convictions. But under
the skill of manufacturers these steel bells have
been produced with a perfection hitherto un-
equaed and the earlier experiments must have
been of the most expensive nature. Where
capital, enterprise. and energy are brought to
bear upon that which must be theoretically cor
rect, great success is generally the result, and
must not shut our eyes or our cars, to the
TACT that in this instance great success has
been achieved.
The application of cast steel TO such variety
of purposes, to which it has been found so well
adapted, might almost induce that courageous
individual who will undertake the compilation
Of our new dictionary to style this the "stee,
as that Immediately preceding it, has been call
ed "lron Age" As the chemical knowledge of
alloys may be said to be in mere infancy, we
may hope that the previous ESSAYS of Muntz.
Kelly, Mushet, and others, are but the forerun-
ners Of many important changes in a tFanch of
science which should open out such wide field
for speculative theory followed closely by prac-
tical application. We may complain-were we
in the humor for complaint--that as the medi-
cal man often prefers the established precedent,
rather than a feasible theory based upon the
fiat of reasons so would the engineer generally
accept the dictum of his pocket book, than en-
ter upon a chemical course Of theory, which
scientifically right, yet by an uncertain or i'm
proper mode Of carrying out may produce an
unsatisfactory result. 1t is then quite refresh
ing to hear of those who will strike out of the
beaten track, and combining invention with the
spirit of enterprise and capital, render all etiec-
tive. Such has been done in a remarkable de-
gree by those eminent English steel mauuiac-
turers Nlessrs, Naylor, Nickers, and Co., of
Sheffield, where they have extensive premises
devoted TO that and other purposes, amongst
which we may enumerate casting steel bells.
This is done at Il saving in cost of from 80 10
GO per cent under that of the ordinary bell
metal-as, independently of their being sold at
a less price per pound, there is great saving
n tho Vtiuht pnu1nositip,, hall ,rai,rb;n,r
an average, about one.thrd more than a steel
bell of the same diameter and potcey. The steel
bell has been found, moreover, to produce q
greater intensity of lone, being heard at an in
incredibly long distance. a less quantity of
this metal being required to produce the same
quality Of not, and volume of sound, and
owing to the greater elasticity of steel which is
in the proportion of three to one TO brass bell
metal, the greater the number and rapidty of
Vibrations. Again, the streng of cast-steel
bell-metal is three times greater than that of
brass, and is, therefore, most difficult to frac-
ture Each bell is provided with steel-spring
so preventing the clapper resting upon it (aiter
striking), which would produce a disagreeabe
tone. A moveabe axle is used for elevaing or
depressing the point Of oscillation of a bell
to suit the power of the ringer, but this applies
only to bells "a inches diametar and upwards
Cast-iron yokes are also provided, which are
lighter and cheaper than wooden ones. These
bells are suitable for churches, chapels, colleges,
public institutions, factories railway stations,
iarmhouses, for fre-alarms, fog signals, &c. The
patentees have produced since the year 1866
upwards of 1000 bells, several having been cast
Of - tons weight, the latter being used for
fire-aarms in American towns; (he great San
Francisco Bell, recently exhibited in our City
Hall Square, will he remembered as an exam
ple); others have been placed in churches, chap
els, &C., in the north of England and America
The principal demand at present is for the Uni
ted States, but we should anticipate, by the
facts that have come within our cognizance, that
the cast-stee bells will speedily be very exten-
sively used in place of bronze ones in England
We should also here mention an important
advantage of the cast-Steel over other bells;
which is that after accidental conhagrations in
which the steel bells have been involved, they
have invariably come out uninured, and in
some instances it is claimed with even an i'm
proved tonc while in all such cases, compost
ton bells are necessarily melted down, and the
material generally lost.
The process adopted in the manufacture of a
large cast steel bell is as follows (here we quote
from the Illustrated London NetcS of some time
back, for we cannot improve upon the descrip-
iion) =