Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-05
ELECTRIC CHIMES.
GRACE cHURcH'S INNOVATION MAY
MAKE SOME CHANGES

board. Which Makes the Work So Easy
Is Learned-Past and Present Methods.
The electric attachment by which the
Grace church chime is rung is the latest
development in chime ringing-the most
scientific and yet the simplest way of pro-
ducing music from church bells now
known to the world. Musical work that
once required the arms of number of
strong men is now done with the touch of
finger, and instead of ten men collected
in the belfry pulling at ropes one young
woman sits before keyboard and plays
upon the 10000 pounds of metal cast into
ten bells rs she would play upon piano.
When the chime of the original Trinity
church first made itself heard in New York
there were five bells in the chime, and from
each bell rorc ran down to platform in
the lower part of the tower When the
chime was to be rung each rope was in the
hands of a man. In front of the men stood
the director, or principal chimer, each man
pulled his rope when the signal was given
him, and the proper sound was produced.
The director alone knew anything about
the music, and even he was usually not an
accomplished musician, but he came in
time to be so familiar with the tones of his
bells that he could play them better than
any other person.
The first great improvement in the mode
of ringing made it posi- BILE for the chimer
to do his own work, and the services of the
five or more ringers were dispensed with.
Instead of a rope coming down through
the ceiling from each bell, the ends twist
ing themselves upon the floor like so many
snakes, the ropes descended through neat
openings made for the purpose and the
ends were attached TO the rear ends of
handles fitted into a rough framework in
such a way that when the handles Were
depressed the bells were struck. Sometimes
there were also pedals for the feet, and
with these the heavier bells We're rung.
At a later period. by a complicated ar
rangement of cords and springs, a small
bell was made to ring in the chime loft,
and with this bell church officer down in
the auditorium gave the chimer his sig
| mails, telling him when to begin and when
! to stop.
Eventually the ropes themselves were
| discarded and galvanized telegraph wires
were used in their stead. The surround
| inGs still were and are to this day extreme
| ly rough, for bare stone walls and rough
| and generally dirty floors and a plain
wooden bench are not thought to interfere
with the chimer's work. The duties of the
chimer become harder, for he must do
| them all himself; but he now began to take
| great interest in his work and came to be
| "A great man in the church, inferior in use
| fulneSs only to the clergyman and organ
! ist- Mr.. James AyiifTe, the great Trinity
| chimer who died in 1878, held the place
| for twenty years. John n. Sonia, who
was retired from his place in Grace church
! when steps were first taken for the intro
| duction of an electrical keyboard, had been
! the chimer of that church for nineteen
| years.
The principle of chime ringing is the
same as it was ten centuries ago, and prob
| ably must ever remain unchanged-the
| striking OF a hammer against a bell to
| produce the sound. But with the electrical
| eyboard the mechanical part of this is
| made work for child. No more force is
| required than in pressing the key of an
organ, and in fast tunes he notes may be
| struck much more rapidly than they could
| possibly be produced by hand. The prin-
ciple is much the same as in playing the
| organ by electricity; pressing a key COM
| pletes or sometimes opens electric cir
| cult, weights and springs set in mo-
ton, the hammer strikes the bell and in
stantly flies back to its place, and in a
second everything is replaced and the ap-
| paratus is ready for another stroke.
| The old chimers of the city naturally do
not favor the introduction of electric key
boards, They have for years had the work
very much in their own hands. and have
| commanded good salaries But with the
electric keyho.s rd Ginning is so much sim
| plified that any person of average ability
and experience can do il. and no unusual
! strength is required.
The use of electricity i'll ringing Grace
, church chimes opens new field for WON
en-, although not Il large one, as there are
| only five real chimes in this city. There
are monastery bells peals and half chimes,
| but only five real sets of chimes. To learn
| the business will be a much easier matter
| than it ever was before The beginner
=,
| built in his own house if he choose, or he
| may go to the church, if the chimer will
| let him, have the wires disconnected, and
practice Indefinitely without making any
! disturbance. For this work the learner
must of course first become so familiar
| with the tone of each bell that his imagina-
| tion will tell him the sound to be expected
| though the bells are silent.
In another way the electric keyboard
| will make a change in the profession of
| Ginning. Rough stone walls and rough
| boards have always been thought good
| enough for the chimer, while the organist
| sat upon cushioned seat in "A comfortable
place. with handsome surroundings; but
| with women in the chime lofts there is
| little doubt that within a short time the
| chimer will sit i'll IA handsome, well fur
| nished room. This room, indeed. may be
back of the pulpit, or in the basement, or
| in the next block-for location is of little
| account to the electric chimer For the
| Grace church chimer to sit in the Wind
| sor hotel or in his or her own house in
| Chicago and ring the Sunday morning
| peals not only would not be impossible.
! but would not be at all difficult.
/ why not put III 4 chime attachment to
| the organ" one of the New York chimers
| asks, disdainfully. land let the organist
| play it?''
This question is intended to be reflec-
| ton on the new method of Ginning but il