The Portland daily press., 1897-02-04
BELLS THE WORLD OVER.
If Rung One after Another the Chain of
Sounds Would Encircle the Globe.
From the Cincinnati Commercial
Tribune.

| Tribune.
There is chime of bells which, il rnng
one after another in longitudinal scale,
would reach around the world. The
BELLS hang In different countries, and
have each a separate history. This, told
chronologically, would give afrecord OF
the world. for the bells reach back to
the early Egy ptians and tho days of bon
dage Taken separately, they mark his
torie epochs.
Our own Liberty Bell is one of the
chime. 1t cracked ringing for indepen-
dence, that blessed crack that is its
proudest marking; but its sound is still
sweetest music Before the moment 1t
cracked for joy that bell could be heara
far and wide, and its peal easily reached
the outskirts of the young republic OF
which it was the proud spokesman.
Spain has bell that is it's prophet 1t
is its soothsayer, oracle, and guide.
This bell, the famous Villela. has hung
| for centuries in the historic castle, keep
inc watch over the nation.
1t is the most celebrated bell in Europe
| though not Proud nor handsome. LIS
fame rests not 80 much upon it's notes.
though these are high pitched, soft, and
clear, nor upon its size, for there are
other bells in Spain much larger, but
upon its personality
"The Bells of the Tower" have besn
their own. "Ring out, wild bells,
means that the bells have it within them
to tell terror. And "Chime, ye bells, .
means they can speak for joy. The bell
ringer does the best he cen for them, but
| it is true the bells add force Of their
| own.
The Villela is Spanish bell that for
years had forstold any impending trouble
to the nation. When the father of little
AIphose died the ViIlela began tolling in
the night and tolled until morning light
In the ten years. Cuban war the boil
struck awful tones on the nights of de-
| feats. And when great fires have touched
| the castle and sickness or insurrection
| threatened the throne, the Vlllsla has
| lifted up it's voice in sudden loud warn
| ing.
| Last week the Villela tolled again. t
was one short, quick stroke. Only few
heard 1t, but they ran to tell the dread
full tidinRs. Did it mean more disaster
| III CubaP Was the war to drain the royal
| vaults beyond penufy debtP V1llela
| would not tell, hut it sent out Its warn
| Ing note
| Russia has coronation bell. 1t is the
| largest in the worlo, and weighs half a
million pounds. Its sound has never been
bounded, and it is said, like the Emper-
or's voice. to reach to heaven. 1t hangs
in the Kremlin. 1t Is the Emperor
bell, and ia rung only in honor of him.
At, the coronation it pealed forth as the
Emperor entered the church, and it's
voice announced the conclusion sof the
ceremony to the whole of Russia. The
corona tion bell is rung by be)lrtnger
blessed blythe Emperor, the head OF the
church. The bellringer gdoes no otter
work, and is always on duty to tell the
imp ortant events in the family Of the
Emperor
He is persioned OF late he has been
busy polishing up the hell for special
happenings. He rugs " hen his Majesty
goes to church, and III case of the death
of a Russian monarch the Krsmlin bell
tolls constantly between the death and
the time Of the funeral.
Since Russia Ia the home OF bells, it ia
not wonderful that it should hold the
largest unrung bell in the world. This
bell now makes building in the Krem-
lin. 1t was cast two centuries ago but
was found too heavy to remove from the
pit.
The Russian monarchs. one after an
other, tried to have it lifted, and hun
dreos Of lives were aacrifjcea in the
shifting pit OF sand. Finally fate inter
vened. A raging fire broke out and heat
ed the bell in its pit. A quantity of cold
water flowed in around 1t. and great
piece, the size of a door, was broken out.
The Russian King Immediately ordered
it lifted to PEDESTAL and set within tho
Kremlin, where it Ia som Rtimes used as
temple. Its walls ars two feet thick
and ID is twenty five feet high.
The 'dearest bells" la FlaDce are the
| An9elus made famous by Millet, and
the bells of Notfe Dame. J illet's son
| still lives in the little home overlooking
the stone church. where the Angelus bell
hangs, and every niaht he goes out 30
hear it TOLL while this peasants bow their
bends and say prayers. The bells of
Notrs Dame are the largest bells of
| sweetness In the world. One OF them
| weighs IS, 600 pounds. The maker who
| cast it would never disclose tho secret of
| its loud, sweet tone.
The japanese have the largest bells,
but the crndest. So unskilled are they
| that many of them will not ring, and 50
| bells. The best bells are mixture of
copper and tin, with hammer one
| twentieth the weight of the bell. The
Japanese bells even If east correctly,
| have too small hammers. Or they are
cast to sound like tin. and the hammer
does not strike .roundly. One of these,
the Little Giant, has never bsen weighed.
| IL is said to weigh comparatively little,
being of some light japanese metal but
| it is 80 feet across. 1t is used to an
nounce births and deaths In the royal
! family It's clapper is small, elongated
affair that strikes with double sound.
and tho Little Giant is easily recognized
when heard.
The bell Of Notre Dame in Montreal 10
the largest bell in America. but mot the
sweetest This attribute is claimed by
the biggest bell of lriniry's chime 10
New York, which is 20 surprising in its
dslicaey and SO penetrating Ia its pure.
ness that rich and poor alike stand all
| night, in all weather, TO hear 1t ring in
the new year. The most Indictment
weather never keeps them away, ,,nd so
| dsnonstrative do they poM etimes become
at it's sound that Trinity's rector has
ohcs or twioe forbidden the Chime to ring