The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-10
LEGENDS OF OLD BELLS.
Those of Forrabury Give Warning of
Coming Storms.
From the Ladies' Treasury.


From the Ladies' Treasury
One Of the most interesting legends is that
relating to the Silent Tower of Bottreaux.
La days long ago the inhabitants Of the
parish of Forrabury determined to have a
peal of bells which should rival those of the
| neighboring church of Tintagel, which are
said to have rung merrily at the marriage,
and toiled solemnly at the death of Arthur
The bells were cast; they were blest and
shipped for Forrabury. All went well.
The voyage was favorable, the ship glided
with fair wind along the northern
| shores of Cornwall, and waited for
the tide to carry her safely into
the barber of Bottreaux. The vesper bells
| rang out at Tintagel. and when the pilot
heard them he bent his knee, and thanked
God for the safe and quick voyage that they
had made The captain laughed him TO
scorn, saying that they had only them
| selves to thank for their speedy voyage, and
with his arm at the helm and his Judgment
to guide them they would soon have happy
landing. The pilot checked his profane
speech; but the impious captain swore more
profanely still that all was due to himself.
May God forgive you," was the pilots
reply.
While yet the captains oaths we're heard.
while yet the inhabitants on the shore were
looking out from the cliffs expecting to see
the vessel charged with their bells safe in
their harbor, onward came, in all the terror
of its power and mightiness, one of those
huge waves which are not unknown on the
northern shores of Cornwall. The ship rose
not upon the waters as it came onward. She
was overwhelmed, and sank in an instant
| close to the land. LAS the vessel sank the
| bells we're heard tolling with q muffied
sound, as If ringing the death-knell of the
ship and sailors. of whom the good pilot
alone escaped with life." When storms are
comiDg-and only then-the bells of For
rahury, with the dull, muffled sound, are
heard from beneath the heaving sea,
warning to the wicked but the tower has
remained to this day SILENT
Many superstitions were attached to q
| bell belonging TO the Chapel of st. Fillau
they " ere made known by the minister of
KILN parish, Perthshire, in ITS at which
time it appears that the ideas mentioned
had not wholly died away. The bell was
usually laid on a gravestone in the church
yard. Insane people were brought to it to
be cured. They were first dipped, with
certain ceremonies, into the saints Pool"
The bell was placed in the chapel, where it
renamed, bound with ropes, all night
Next day it was placed upon the heads Of
the lunatics with great solemnity, but with
what results is not made known. 1t was
the popular opinion that, if stolen, this bell
the thief and return home, ringing all the
way.
Most learned writers in bell lore tell the
story OF the Raleigh bells, or rather OF those
in village near Raleigh, which many
years ago was sN allowed up by an earth
quake. AS lately as the year 1927 it was
the custom of the people to assemble on
Christmas day in the valley caused by the
earthquake, where they declared that by
placing the ear to the ground and listening
attentively, they could hear the ringing of
the buried bells. The villagers really heard
the ringing of the bells of neighboring
church.
With the sound Of bells and peals of bells
q likeness 10 certain words and phrases has
fallen on the ear The following are exam
pies of this fancy: There is a saying that
the Burton bells used to call across The
Trent to Luddingtoo, in Lincolnshire.
who rings Lests Who rings bestr' to
which Ludcington replied, I'VE two, we
two" The bells of North Thoresby and of
another adjacent village with three bells
each are supposed to ask each other, "Who
rings best! Who rings best? to which the
bells of another place reply, I'VE do. we
dow Aud we are all more or less familiar
with the old rhymes beginning
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of ST. Peters
III ODdulDeTS DOCK OF lays" we ma the
well-known story of the sentinel whose life
was saved by the incorrect striking of st.
Paups clock. J. H., who died June IS.
ITO, at the age of l02, was, when a soldier,
IN the time of William and Mary, tried by
a court-:r artial for having fallen asleep
when on duty upon the terrace at Windsor
He denied the charge, saying as a
proof that be heard St. Pauls clock
strike 13 Fortunately, several per-
had haarn oil nd on1g
life was saved. The bell that struck on this
important occ sion was Tom of Westmiu-
ster; and it is suggested that such a thing
might have happened through stiffness or
some mechanical obstacles The truth of
the story has been doubted, many persons
believing that 81. Paul's clock could not be
heard at Windsor, but Sir Edward Becke5
thinks that it might have been heard, aid
gives instances in confirmation of his opln-
Ion, adding that nobody has yet solved
the problem why the wind-which you can
hardly feel-Tiil make the difference of
your bearing bells half mile or ten miles,
according as the wild is WITH you or
against"
With respect to the distance at which
bells may be heard, it is recorded by DR..
Arnott, and quoted by "Timbs," that it
once happened that on board ship, sailing
along the coast of Brazil, 100 miles from
land, the sound of bells as distinctly heard
by the persons walking on deck. Some
months afterward it was sscertained that
at the time these persons had heard the
bells ringing the bells Of st. Salvador, on
the Brazilian coast had been ringing on the
occasion Of festival 1t is believed hat
the sound, favored by gentle wind, bad
Travelled over 100 miles of water.
In connection with the London story
already given Chambers recalls freak"
of the great bell et Westminster. He says:
TT is well remembered that on the morn
ing OF March II. 1881, the new great bell Of
Westminster struck several times, and most |
irregularly." Il proved t. be a derange- |
ment Of the clock, for at or 5 zen or
twelve strokes were suu K instead CT the !