The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-03-16
CHIMES RUNG BY ENGINES.
rhe Old Bell-Ringer Supplanted By
Compressed Air and Elec-
trIcIty.

When the great 6,0I0-pound bell of
St. Patrick's cathedral, answering the
chimes of Grace and Trinity. doomed
out the closing hours of the last cen
tury and ushered in the new. II rang
down the curtain on the melodramatic
and picturesque occupation of the bell
ringer as he is known in literature.
The shadows that yelled those somber
inhabitants of the belfry, the phan-
toms and elfin creatures of the bells.
have all been banished, and in their
place now hear;less, mechanical
genius, with a switchboard, com
pressed air. and electrical power hired
from a street-lighting company, has
with mathematical precision reduced
tell-ringing TO a business basis, says
the New York Post,
The chimes of ST. Patrick's, which
consist of 10 bells weighing from 27o
to 6,000 pounds, with the names of the
various donors on them, came from the
great Paecard foundry in Paris three
years ago, and cost $4,000. They have
a musical range from lower &C. 10 up
per d." with the accompanying
sharps and flats. Immediately upon
their arrival the trustees advertised
for an original device to ring them, and
after public competition ii. {. Champ,
of Brooklyn, was awarded the con
tract. His plan called for small key
Loard Is inches long, fashioned like
that of a typewriter, TO be placed in
the sacristy, and which could be oper-
ated with ease by anyone with a
knowledge of music. Champ worked
for three years at his device, aided by
the trustees, who not only called in
well-known experts TO advise him, but
when the sum of his contract was ex-
hausted made further contract with
him. They had the satisfaction of
knowing ON the night of December 2s
that the installation was perfect, and
three nights after, the chimes played
"Adeste Fideles," 10, Father of Light,
"The Harmonious Blacksmith" and
my Country, 'Tis of Thee" at the
dawn of the new century. The other
day the automatic clock mechanism
which is to render the "Angelus" and
"De Profundis" four times daily was
| successfully installed.
William F. Wynn, consulting en-
| gineer to the trustees. in describing
| the plant, says: at is an adaptation o.
the compressed-air cylinder adopted
by the Union Switch and Signal com
pany. Mr.. Champ in following theil
idea constructed 10 bell engines, cor
responding to the number of bells
| These bell engines are bolted to wood
en- seats, which in turn are bolted on
| system of steel beams inserted in tn
walls of the north tower. These en-
| gines consist in their working parts o
a fine grade of bronze composition
metal, so as not to rust or corrode. Th,
engines practically consist of thre,
main parts, two cylinders and piston
which fitted to clip hung on tn
clapper of the bell above il. On the en-
gine there is an adjustable clevis. s,
that the stroke can be arranged to
nicely, and. once so adjusted, it can
not change its position.
THE engines are operated from tn,
sacristy by means of keyboard. 4
key being depressed, a current o
electricity is sent along its wire to tn,
belfry, where. by means of an air
valve operated through an electro
magnet, the compressed air is admit
ted to the bell engine, and the air pres
sure delivers the blow, which acts upcr
the clapper, and rings the bell