The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-01-10
How Far Bells May Be Heard.


In hilly locality bell will not be
heard half as far as if the land were level,
or nearly SO. A bell will be heard a great
deal further lengthways of valley than
over the hills at the sides. 1t is fre
quently the case that bedrooms are lower
than the surrounding buildings and trees,
and these distractions break the sound
and prevent its free passage to distance.
1t is frequently the case, too, that towers
have small windows or openings, with the
lower boards so close together as to almost
box up the sound. In oitiss the noise
OF steam and horse cars, manufacturing
establishments, carriages and carts rattling
over the payements. ETC., Is so great that
bells are not expected to be heard at any
considerable distance, and that is the rea-
sou why, in all large cities several bells
are used for fre.alarm purposes, it being
impossible for one bell, no matter how
large it may be, to be heard above the thou.
sand and one noises incident to every large
place The largest bell ever made in this
country weighed $4,000 pounds, aud, be.
fore it was fractured, hung near the City
Hall, in New York. On one or two occa-
sions this bell was heard up the Hudson
river thirteen miles, in the night, when
the city was comparatively quiet Water
is good conductor of sound, and aided
materially in making the bell heard as
above mentioned. 1t is a great mistake
to suppose that bells can be heard in pro-
portion TO their weight: that is, that
bell Of 2000 pounds will be heard twice as
far as one of 1000 pounds. This is not
so, for the reason that the larger bell does
not possess anything like twice the reso-
nant surface Of the smaller one, and what
is gained and admired in the larger bell is
its deep, majestic, digniiied tone, which it
is impossible to secure in the smaller one,
the weight Of bell invariably governing
its tone. A bell Of 100 or 200 pounds, 10
an open bellry, on school house or fac.
tory in the country, is frequently heard at
a long distance, out Of proportion, appar.
emily to one of 1000 pounds 10 a church
tower near by; and instances Of this kind
frequently cause no little comment in the
way of comparison. The reason for this
is that the small bell has sharp, shrill,
penetrating sound, that must, of necessity,
be heard great deal further, in proper.
tion to its weight, than the low, mellow
"church.goiug" sound of the church bell.
The same principle applies to the whistle
of a locomotive, and it is heard long dis
tancc simply because its tone is shrill and
penetrating When hung stationary aud
struck, or tolled, bells will not be heard, as
a rule, half as FAR as when swung. The
swinging motion throws the mouth Of the
bell up, and not only carries the sound OIL,
but imparts to it richness that is always
absent when the bell is at rest aud struck.
A great deal is to be gained by ringing
bell properly, throwing the mouth well up
aud not laaily jingling il. 1t is not ply
sical strength that is required in ringing
bell so much as getting the knack' Of
catching the rope just right, particularly
on the second "down pull The windows
ia the tower should be as open as possible
and the tower should be ceiled just above
The windows Scientific Americaa.