The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-29
WONDERFUL LIBERTY BELL
1t is to Contain Historical Relics Of
Great Value.
From the New York Time

Have Had an Important Share.
From the New York Times
Troy, n. Y, April 23.-The Columbian
bell, which viii be cast at the Clinton H.
Meneely bell foundry in this city some
time next month, will be one of the most
wonderful bells of modern times. BY the
terms of the contract it must be delivered
before July 4. Hundreds of valuable
relics, recalling some of the most inn
portant events of our national history will
be cast in the bell
Mrs. Cleveland will press an electric
button, so that when the bell is cast she
will control the operation from the white
house and release the molten metal.
The bell will weigh 1900 pounds, and
the cost is estimated at So, 500 This
amount will be raised among school chill
dren by the committee, of which William
o. Mcdowell of Newark n j.. is chair
man. He has had charge of many projects
of a similar character The committee,
which he organized, consists of repre-
sentatives appointed by the governors of
all the states and territories, besides rep
reSentatives of various organizations.
Quantities of relics are being received
daily by Mr. Meneely from all parts of
the United States. These relics consist
mainly of rare coins, but include native
copper, gold, silver and other metals, old
swords, silver goblets copper boilers,
gold pens which have been used in signing
famous documents, match boxes, and
metals in every conceivable form. Some
OF the relics are of such value that they
have been placed in safe deposit vaults
until the casting is made
The Pennsylvania coal companies desire
to furnish the coal for the furnace where
the metal is to be melted Some of this
coal will be used and the remainder sold
and the money applied to the cost of the
bell. Idaho, Arkansas, Montana, New
Mexico, Arizona the Dakotas and Michi-
gan have sent specimens of ore.
Copper kettles seem to be favorite
form of contribution. Among these an
interesting specimen is sent by an Indian,
which was beaten out of native copper
Another was given by the ladies of De
troit, which, it is claimed, descended from
Nicholas johnson, who was the first to
raise the Stars and Stripes on the River
Thames. There are a number of gold
chains and silver napkin rings
A link of the watch chain worn by Pres
tdent Lincoln at the time of his assassin
alton, spoon belonging to John c. Cal
houn, tiints taken from the room in which
Thomas jefferson wrote the declaration
of independence, and souvenirs of Wash
other great men are included among the
most valuable relics.
So far about 200 packages, each repre-
senting from one to fifty contributors,
have been received, and some of these me
mentoS are priceless in value. The chill
dren of the public schools have been zeal
Gus in sending pieces of silver, bronze keys
and numerous trinkets, which have posi-
bly, cost their patriotic young hearts
a to
represented. In the molten mass will
commingle heirlooms which have been
boarded for genera tiOns, but gladly re-
linqUished on the altar of Liberty.
Some of the contributions received thus
far are as follows: An old sword used by
an American officer during the Mexican
war, native copper kettle. hammered out
by an Indian artisan, who fourished on
this continent before Columbus discovered
America two valuable relics sent by Gov
Prince of New Mexico; a copper kettle
used in the family of Thomas jefferson,
sent by Mary H. Kelley of Velarde. n
M; a clock bell, used in the Van Buskirk
family of Rensselaer, county 125 years
ago, sent by Mrs. Maria Miter of lansing
burg, n. Y. n
Copper kettle and silver candlestick.
the property of William Grove of Bunker
Hill fame, sent by Flora X. johnson; $40
gold piece and silver and copper coins, in
all valued at 800, sent by Mrs Joshua
Wilbour of Bristol, L. l.. gilt button
worn by the grandfather of the donor,
who commanded a company of Col.
Whitney's regiment during the revolu-
ton, sent by Henry Guild of Boston; rare
coins of silver, copper, bronze and nickel,
representing most of the civilized nations
of the earth; piece of native gold from
the White Oaks mine of New Mexico,
and piece of pure silver from the IA
nous Mobile Gibson mine, sent by Charles
A. Strings of Denver, Col.
A sword found on the battlefield of
Nashville, Tenn, sent by j. NJ. Jones of
Palmyra, N. Y. a covered kettle, which
at one time belonged to Nicholas John
son, contributed by Mrs Mary e. Gibbs
and Mrs Jane p. Williams of Detroit
valuable French, Swiss and English coins
sent by Frank w. Thomas of Troy; wed
ding ring, from a lady in Minneapolis; a
lump of crude silver bullion worth $50
from mine in Idaho, sent by Miss Hattie
Felix Harris of Boise City, Idaho sur
veyors chain link and bronze tag, for
merly owned by George Washington, from
Julia G.. Parker of Brunswick n. j.
A silver spoon, 200 years old. sent by
Mary Wood of Easton, n. Y; silver and
copper coins, and a button found on the
battle field of Plattsburg, from Misses
E. NJ. and Julia E. Ward of Boston: two
old silver spoons and a wedding ring, from
Mrs. G. r. Cutting of Troy; collection of
silver coins from South America, by J. A.
Robinson of Troy; six swords and two
silver pistols-relics of the revolution
from Mrs. Frank H. Greer of Guthrie,
Okla.
The electrotype from which was printed
the national ode, columbus Banner
written by Edna Dean Proctor, presented
by James B. Upham of the Youths Com
panion; Miss Proctor gives the pen with
which she wrote the poem; piece of
metal from the historic Monitor. and sill
yer tokens presented by David H Cooper
and his mother of Rochester, NJ Y;
copper buttons found at Fort
Atkinson, now Fort Calhoun, Neb.,
in 1904, presented by Miss Ethel
Kennedy of Nebraska; a piece of
crude silver bullion, containing gold, from
the Drummumion mine at st. Marysville,
sent by j. r. Robinson of Marysville,
Mont, at the request of the ladies' liberty
bell committee; forty-four 'Lincoln and
Union" medals from Luther G.. Darte of
Pa. ; a Vermont cent of 1888
by II. K. Eskins of Chicago.
When the bell is cast no spectators will
be allowed in the foundry AS soon as
finished it will be sent to the worlds fair.
it will be exhibited in some of
the larger cities of the country. The in
tention is to place the bell somewhere in
Washington where it will ring out great
events in the nations MISCONCEPTIONS