Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-16
ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH.
The Strange History of Chime OF
Bells.
Washington Post.

a
II was built at the commencement of the
eighteenth century after the designs of
a London architect, pupil of Sir Chris
topher Wren of st. Paul's Cathedral
fame. Sir Christopher himself suggest
Ell many of the features, and the design
bears a general resemblance to that Of
ST. Martin-in-the-F Fields, facing Trafal-
gar Square, in London. The spire was
noted as being one of the finest specit
mems of architecture in America. The
bells of st. Michael's have curious his
tory. They were originally manufactu-
red in England, ana were gift to the
colony When the British, during the
Revolutionary war, captured the city,
they took the bells, and on their evacua
tion they packed them up and sent them
TO England. After the treaty of peace
hadbeeu consummated negotiations were
opened in London for the return of the
bells by the first American Minister
to Great Britain. He succeeded, and the
bells were sent to Charleston, and upon
their arrival were received with triumph
ant ovations, and escorted by a large
procession to the church, in the belfry
of which they were replaced.
During the late civil war the citizens
of Charleston were desirOus of protecting
the bells from danger, land as the steeple
of st. Michael's was made the target for
the cannon of the besiegers, the bells
were taken down and sent to Columbia
for safe keeping. When Sheridans army
took Columbia, the sheds in the yard of
the State House, in which the bells had
been paced, and which also contained
the marble freizes and other sculptures
intended for the decoration of the capi-
tol, we've broken in and the sculptures
and bells were smashed into fragments
and the sheds were set on fire.
"At the conclusion of the war the
pieces of the bells were carefully gath
cred together, boxed and shipped to the
commercial house of Frazier, Trenholm
& Co., of Liverpool, together with ex
tracts from the records of st. Michaels,
showing where the bells were cast and
the proportions of the metals forming
their component parts. Upon inquiry
it was found that there was still in eX>
istence in England the firm of bell
founders, unchanged in name, and con-
sisting of the descendants of the propri-
etors at the time the bells were made.
The records of this firm contained de+
scriptions of the bells, and the proper
tions there given were found to corres>
pond with those furnished from Charles
ton. The bells were made anew, therer
fore, of the same metal. and for the fifth
time they were carried across the At
Iantic and arrived safely at Charleston.
Their return was made the occasion of
great rejoicing in the city,
In view of the fact that St. Michaers
Church will have to be torn down on ac-
count of the injuries it received by the
recent shocks, the following poem, enti-
tied How St. Michael's was Saved" will
be read with interest:
Do you beg for a story, my darling, my
brown-eyed Leopold;
And you, Alice, with face like the morn
ing, and curling locks of gold?
Then come, if you will, ,and liSten-stand
close beside my knee
To tale of the Southern city, proud
Charleston by the sea.
1t was long ago, my children, ere ever
the signal gun
That baZed about Fort Sumter had wa
kened the North as one;
Long ere the wondrOuS pillar of battle
cloud and fire
Had marked where the unclaimed mil
lions marched on to their hearts de-
sire.
On the roofs of the glittering turrets,
that night, as the sun went down,
The mellow glow of the twilight shone
like Jeweled crown;
And, bathed in the living glory, as the
people lifted tteir eyes,
They saw the pride of the city, the spire
of St. Mlchaers, rise.
High over the lesser steeples, tipped
with the golden ball.
IN its earthWard fall
First glimpse of home to the sailor who
made the harbor-rOund,
And last slow-fading vision dear to the
outward bound.
The gently gathering shadows shut out
the wandering light;
The children prayed at their bedsides as
you will pray tonight;
The noise of buyer and seller from the
busy mart is gone,
And in dreams of peaceful morrow the
city slumbered on.
But another light than sunrise aroused
the sleeping street,
For cry was heard at midnight, and
the rush of traDping feet
Men stared in each others faces through
mingled fire and smoke,
While the frantic bells went crashing,
clamorous stroke on stroke.
By the glare of her blazing tree the
houseless mother fed,
With the babe she pressed TO her bosom
shrieking in namelese dread,
While the fire-kings wild battalions
scaled wall and capstone high,
And planted their haring banners against
an inky sky.
From the death that ragged behind them,
and the crash of ruin loud,
To the great square of the city, were
driven the surging crowd,
Where yet. firm in all the tumult Hn>
scathed by the fiery food,
With its heaven ward-poinIing finger the
Church of st. Michael stood.
But even as they gaZed upon it there
arose sudden wall
A cry of horror, blended with the roar,
ing of the gale,
On whose scorching wings, up driven,
single flaming brand