Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-14

water-clock). Nowadays the town clock
usually has its bell, and. as does the
house clock, to strike the hours. In few
cities that have an electric fire alarm is
not the noon signal struck, or o signal
given at some other time to enable the
people to set their watches and clocks,
as in Waltham, where the blow is struck
on the bells at 6:50. Many large bells
are now use1 exclusively for fire alarms.
The heaviest bell in the United States is
the alarm bell on the City Hall in New
York; it was cast in Boston and weighs
about 1000 pounds. The heaviest fire.
alarm bell owned by the city of Boston
is on Faneuil Hall and weighs 5,Sl6
pounds; the next heaviest is ON the
Georgestreet schoolhouse in Roxbury,
and weighs 4, 100 pounds; the Old South
bell weighs only 100 pounds. The Bos-
ton telegraphic fire alarm has 4S striking
machines, each of which works on bell.
100 gongs, SO box gongs, 32 tappers, 4
vibrators and 354 signal boxes, in each
of which is a tiny bell. You can judge
from this how large a part bells play in
protecting the froperty of this city.
Nowadays the chief uses of big bells,
besides for churches and fire departments
are in schools, academies. cole ges, fact
ories and mills. Every college has its
bell, and so has almost every academy.
The use of the big school bells diminishes
the larger the city. In the mill towns
and cities, the stranger is apt to think at
noon or night, that some big fire has
broken out, and it takes days to get ac-
customed to the clamor.
A few large bells are used on light
houses, such as the beautiful voiced bell
on Minot's Ledge light. When the fog
comes in, by pneumatic arrangement
the bells are set ringing regularly,
and many is the craft it has warned of
danger. Smaller bells, but none the less
useful, are those on the ll-buoys, which
are kept ringing by the motion of the
waves. This suggests the use of bells to
record time on shipboard, after system
that always puzzles the landlubber.
The use of band bells in the streets to
attract attention has the sanction of
venerable custom, but not of city govern
ments unless formally given. The city
ordinances OF Boston, for instance pro-
hibit the ringing Of bells in the streets
unless the ringer gets a license. With
us such ringing is confined to scissors
grinders and ice cream men. Towncri-
ers, where they still perform their al
most obsolete duties, as in Nantucket,
for instance, use bells to get attention of
the people to what they have to cry.
Sleigh-bells. however, are obligatory,
the State statutes providing that every
sleigh or sled must have at least three
bells, and the city ordinances extending
this rule to carriages and vehicles OF
every description when there is snow on
the ground. Other bells heard in the
street are those on the horse-cars, both
thoge on the harness and those on the
cars. Of less noise, but of more financial
interest, are the bells in the punches and
in the fare records with the clock faces.
The bell has come to be on important
factor in business life. Just stop to think
how many times you hear it in day!
There is the elevator bell, the telephone
bell, the bell that is rung by the opening
of the door, the call bell that goes with
the spt aking tube, the electric bell that
communicates with different rooms and
different floors. This last class of bells
has come to its perfection in the he el,
and rare is the big hotel now that has
not discarded tho old-fashioned ball pull.
In the home the bell finds its greatest
use to call mistress or servant to the
door. The chief peculiarities of bells
thus used are that they are always get
ting out Of order if wires are used, and
are not easily heard if wires are not
used. The electric bells are coming into
greater use, and where two or three are
put in different parts of the house they
give great satisfaction. Electric bells are
also used to connect chambers and kitch-
en-, house and stable. Then there are
the table bells and the diruer bells.
Travellers meet bells at every tprn.
Each locomotive has one for warning,
and one in the cab. Steamboats, have
them in the engine.room connected with
bridge or pilot.house. They give electric
signals at railway stations. They an.
nounce the departure Of steamboats,.
They tell when the railway gates are go-
ing up or down. They tell when trains
are to start.
On the farm you hear cowbells. and to
the farm bred city man. what is more
melodious? In the town you hear the
bells of the bakers cart. On the road
yoa hear the bicycle bell.
In the school-yard are the recess bells.
In the school rooms are the teachers
bells.
The use of bells for adornment is now
in civilized countries thing of the past,
yet once such must have been known of,
or we never should have had the couplet:
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She's sure to have music wherever she goes.
Boston Globe.