The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1895-11-23
READY.
FOR TESTING AS TO
TONE
Is the Great Bell Recently
Cast iii This City.
The Test Whereon Depends
Its Acceptance Will
Probably Be Made
To-Day.


Francis de Sales Church, and
which, owing to the great under
taking, has attracted attention all
over the country, is now in its im-
mense yoke at the Buckeye foun-
dry ready for the tone test. Ever
since the casting cooled, more than
two weeks ago, Il force of men has
been constantly employed in the
finishing process, which has prov
ed more Of a task than was antici-
pated. The core adhered most
tanaciously To the inside of the
casting, much careful work being
required to remove 1t. The terri
hle pressure of the mold WAS evid-
enced by the permeati0n of the
metal into the clay for the depth
Of an inch in places. Every cre-
Vice in the well baked clay was
ferieted out and filed by the met
al.
All signs point toward accep-
t,nce, but the official test will be
needed to settle the matter de-
fnitely. The contract calls for the
tone Of the bell to be E-fat or D.
natural. 1t will be considered, un-
der the terms of the agreement, AZ
t'nn the line" If the Va iatiun Is not
more than an eighth Of II tone
slap or .flat-that is. an eighth
above or below E-hat, or an eighth
above or below D-natural, concert
pitch. Considered that the casting
weighs about 10 tons, the question
of AN eighth of "A tone would APP
pear to he a narrow margin To- fig
urp upon, above or below dpsig-
mated pitch. When the difference
is of this slight variance II bell may
be brought to the desired pitch by
filling without making nm appre-
ciahle difference in tone quality.
TIE NJ AFTER OF TONE.
In the mind of the connoissenr
the matter of tone is of the very
highest Importance, and u great
bell soon earns fnr itself II favor
able or AN unfavorable not0rieiy y
in this regard. Some of the largest
bells In the World have the worst
tones, and there are mighty few f
the b,lfry peers which have met
the approval. In this respect, of the
authorities in Europe. Sir Ed
mund Beckett, the English writer
for instance, does not hesitate to
condemn seve. al of the big runic
rhymers, among them the one in
the Cathedral at Montreal, which
has held the palm on this eOntin-
ent for size. Great Tom of Oxford
and the one at York are hOth class
ed AZ Of lirpful tone, while the one
at Erfurt, Germany is praised ~
the most perfect, with the N0tre
Dame, Paris, or the second largest
Cologne bell, as second in the
beauty of tone.
These instances go to show how
very elusive is the element OF tone
and how anxious all concerned in /
this Instance have been during the
past Is days to know what kind of
a tone Cincinnati's big bell is going
10 produce. The musicians of the
city will soon have chance to ex.
press themselves on the subject,
for the big fellow will be exhibited
about the middle of the week in II
big tent back OF the postoffice. 1t
will be moved at night when the
traffic on the streets Is least, and
by a circuitOus route presumably,
ON account of the sewers and con.
dults, which might be endangered
by tn weight.
HOW THE TEST is MADE.
There will be two judges OF the
tone test, who, should they he un-
able to agree between themselves.
will choose u third person. Rev.
A. Nj. Quartman has selected as
his representative or Judge Albert
X ralI Sr fha WaIl. L nown nnusir
dealer aud violin maker. The
mode of procedure will probably
be to test the bell first, to see If
Is in tune with itself. To do this
the fundamental tone IL found by
the sounding bow or lower
part of the hell to vibrate gently;
then the nominal tone is produced
by striking the crown or top part
Of the bell. The latter or nominal
tone, II the bell is In perfect tune,
will he perfect octave higher
than the fundamental tone. AT
distances between the
crown and sounding bow the. third
and the fiith are found.
The tuning fork and the dIupason
are both brought into requlsition In
determining the Accuracy of these
Intervals and the question Of pitch.
the hum tone or tho ono