The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-11
BELLS OF THE WORLD.
A Talk with the Maker of the Peals of Gotham's
New Cathedral.

A Talk with the Maker of the Peals of Gotham's
New Cathedral.
The new bells which have just been hung
in St. Patricls cathedral are among the
finest of their kind in this country, but
they can hardly be classed with the
great bells of the world. Clinton H.
Meneely, who put up the cathedral peals,
gave to reporter an interesting story
about bells and their metallic composition.
Russia leads the world in the making of
chimes, peals and church bells,' he said.
''In the city of Moscow alone, before the
French revolution, there were several hun
dred large bells, and many splendid ones
have been added since The simple fact
that Russians regard the sound of bells not
| only as holy summons to church. but also
as part of the very act of worship, &C
counts for their love of bells and their ex-
travagance in procuring them. The Rus
SLAMS never tire of ringing their bells, and
in Moscow the sounds which are produced
on the Sabbath, without regard to har-
mony, are absolutely painful.
1.-THE Great Bell of Moscow or Car
KolokoP emperor of bells), is by far the
largest in the world. Its weight is about
four hundred and forty thousand pounds.
and its cost in simple structural material
was about three hundred thousand dollars
To this were added precious Jewels and
plate amounting in value toSl 600, 900 by the
Russian mobiles at the time of the casting
The dimensions of this bell are 81 feet in
height and % feet in diameter. 1t was cast by
order of the Empress Anne in 1874 from the
metal of a gigantic predecessor, which had
been greatly damaged, and is ornamented
on the side by several figures one of which
represents the Empress in flowing robes
The bell was originally suspended from
beams, which, being destroyed by fire in
1874, permitted the heated bell to fall to
the ground and break, since which time it
has been dumb. The Emperor Nicholas
had it raised in 1887 and placed upon a low
circular wall in the Kremlin, It is now
consecrated as a chapel, the opening in its
side being large enough to admit two men
standing abreast The bell is carefully
guarded, and the Russians will not allow
a particle of it to be carried away.
''The cathedral of Moscow has another
monster bell, weighing 10000 pounds. 1t
is suspended in the tower of Ivan Veliki,
and when it is rung, three times year, all
the other bells are silent. The ringing is
said to produce trembling effect through
out the city. In the same tower are forty
other bells, each of which weighs many
tons. The bells of Russia are fixed, i'm
to their beams. Their tongues
are slung by means of leather bands, and
are moved by ropes drawn in such man
ner as to cause the blows to fall on the
surface at three points directly opposite to
each other.
1.-THE bells of China rank next in size to
those of Russia. In many parts of China
can be seen enormous bells lying on the |
ground, their weight having broken down |
the towers in which they were suspended. |
The bells are of excellent workmanship and |
are adorned with inscriptions inside and |
outside. They are of inferior tone, how |
ever, and not of good shape. The dull |
ness of their sound is increased by the fact |
that they are struck with wooden mallets |
instead of iron clapperS. The great bell of |
China, in Pekin, weighs 1000 pounds. 1t !
IS IA feet high and II feet in diameter In
Nankin there is a bell, now lying on the
ground, which weighs $4,000 pounds.
SIN Japan there are many large bells.
They are of the same shape and compost
ion as those in China, and are by no means
musical. They are suspended in low
lowers near the temples, and are sounded
by means of wooden beams swinging from
he roofs, to which straw ropes are at
,ached. The bells of Holland and the
counties come next in point Of
;ize. They are hung about every church
md public building in endless variety, and
Is the people are exceedingly fond of the
iOuCS VI DClAo GLACy dIC 1SlO DIT ICSL
n some cases single tower contains not
ess than fifty bells.
''Here is a partial list of the biggest bells
n other countries: In Vienna and Olmutz
here are two bells weighing each 10000
pounds A bell in Rouen, France, weighs
c, 900 pounds. The largest bell in West
ninster, England, weighs 10000 pounds;
me in Erfurt, Germany, the same weight,
me in Notre Dame cathedral, Paris, 10000: ]
me in st. Peters, Rome, 1900; the Great
Tom at Oxford, 1900; one at Rennes,
france, 10000; the Jacqueline, Paris, cast
n A, D., 400. $1,000: the Great Tom of
lincoln, England, 12,0G0; and the bell of ]
it. Pauls, London, Il, 800 The weight of :
he bells in the United States fall consid ;
rably below these figures, although in
one they are perhaps better. .
''The composition of bells has been about
he same in all ages-namely, copper and
in, the proportions alone being different. {
md the experience of ages has shown that {
hose are the only capable metals of pro !
ucing proper ringing alloy. Iron and !
teel, and sometimes gold and silver, have
zen put into the composition of bells as an .
Experiment., but solely to the injury of the /
one. Iron and steel have been found the {
east suitable, owing to the harsh, disagree /
BILE sounds which they alone are capable /
f producing while silver and gold, being !
n the nature of lead, are more incapable of \
Producing the full, clear tones requisite in j
bell. People speak of the silver tinkling +
1 the bell Now, the fact is that if a bell I
7ere made Of silver there would be very {
title tinkling. J
The tone Of bill is the result of its r
lbrauons:. When struck, tel changes J
nape, ana these changes constitute the n
ibrations. At one moment a bell is an I
val, with its longest diameter at exactly 4
ight angles to the position of its longest z
lameter at the preceding instant. The
lumber of vibrations in bell in a given z
me varies directly as the square of thick s
ess. and inversely as the BELLS diameter, a
as the cube root OF its weight. The 4
umber of changes which can be plaved I
pom chime of bells is wonderful Twelve I
ellis will allow no less than 479. O91 600 | =
ranges. New York Commercial Adeer-
ser. j.
ShouldeI. h~acac n 4 Cricno,, SscarfF C,o,,s -