The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-30

| tThs department Is intended 10 answer
questions that are Of general interest. Its
main object Is to supply out.of-theway
facts and curious information. Questions
OF personal interest only will not be
| answered. No business or personal al
dresses wiz be given. Questions as to the
value. etc.. OF old coins and stamps will
| net be answered. All correspondence
should be addressed to The Letter Box
care Houston Post. and TO receive atten-
| tion must be signed by the name In full
OF the party making the inquiry. as well
as that under which It is desired that the
question shall appear. Owing to the large
| number OF questions received answers can
not always be given promptlyl
Constant Reader-o. VIII you kindly
state in yorr Query colunn the size Of the
old Liberty Bell, giving It's weight aud
height and the diameter Of Its base? was
Il made for any other purpose than to be
Liberty Bell?"
A. From the worlds Fair Souvenir" OF
the Liberty Bell. written by Charles S.
Keyser. and published in 1898 we take
| the following
"The Assembly of Pennsylvania custo.
marily bad In its possession bell for
official purposes, from the organization
OF the Province Its ordinary use was TO
cali the Assembly together morning and
afternoon during its sessions, and TO an-
nounce the hour Of the opening Of the
courts Of justice to the people Its most
stately use was to announce the procla-
nation OF the accession of q member Of
the royal family TO the throne, and the
| proclamatlons Of the treaties OF peace aud
| declarations Of war.
| This he'll, which. following the custo-
mary use OF those bells announced the
| Declaration of Independence was ordered
| By the srrerintende..s u the state House
| from the agent Of the Province 10 London
in 1851. 1t was required TO weigh about
/ 2000 pounds ana TO he lettered with the
! following words Well shaped, In large
letters:
'' Iiy order 81 the assembly Of tho
! Province Of Pennsylvania for the state
House In the city Of Philadelphia, 1852,
and underneath Proclaim liberty throughout
/ all the land unto all the inhabitants there.
Of
hr bell arrived Mt the end NJ August,
! 1853. Early IN September. however. It was
cracked by stroke of the cispper, with.
out any other violence. and thereupon re
/ Gst by Pass S stow. In Philadelphia, and
I again hung in l752 This recastlng was not
satisfactory, and the founders obtained the
/ privilege Of rccostine the bell In June.
| 1868, 1t WAS hung In the State House, II
( has never been outside of its walls until
the present year when It was taken to
the Chicago exposition Ed except from
September. 175I when ii was taken to
Alleutown. then long distance from the
/ city, for safety and there or elsewhere
securely kept until after the British army
! evacuated Philadelphia, and again from
January, 1885, when It was taken under
an escort TO New Orleans and returned to
the state House at the close of the e1hib
ton held lherc that year. ct was later
also taken TO the Cotton States Exposition
In Atantn, we think.-Ed)
The diameter Of the hell is ave feet al
the lip, and it is three inches through II
the thickest portion; its weight is 2oSt
pounds
1T is lettered in a line entirely encIrclln.
the crown with the sentence
Proclaim Liberty Throughout All til,
Land, Uuto All the Inhabitants Thereof
Lev. XIV " Y.
Immediately under this sentence. also, II
line completely encIrclug the bell
BY order ot the Assembly Of the Prov
incc Of Pennsylvania, for the state Hous,
in Philadelphia.
Pass ana stow
philadelphia
'MDCCLIT"