Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-06
HOW BELLS ARE MADE.
Glimpse Into the Foundry Where
 Chimes Are Cast.

a CnfmeS Are CaSL.
 A peep through the furnace door re- veals wide molten lake of liquid fire, glowing with rosy light, stirred into sluggish motion from time to time by long-handled rake, which comes out red hot almost in a moment from it's fiery labor This seething mass is a compound of copper and tin in admix- ture of about three parts of the former to one of the latter, and occasionally small portion of the metal is withdrawn while the melting is in progress, and may be examined by the expert, who directs. maybe, that small quantity more copper or tin be added to bring it to the right consistency.
 The floor around the furnace consists of hard trodden earth only, and from the sloEer door sofNtbes great cauldron sfIioIh which the molten lmass will pres ently flow little shallow channels of clay, sprinkled with powdered plum bago, have been scooped into the ground, conducting to four separate roles leading downward. These four holes lead, we are told. to the grave beneath, where carefully buried in edilll, lAC 41Oittc OI the four bells to be cast. These molds are, of course, invisible to Us but we can form very fair idea of what they are like from the specimens that are piled up in negligent order round the walls. = = - -
 The mold of the bell consists, then. of two parts. called technically a''core" and q cope" The core is built up of brick and covered with loam, which word, as even cockney knows, is the proper agricultural term for clay. This loam is carefully plastered upon the bricks and then smoothed round with a specially shaped instrument known as a scrook" until the core has as- sumed outwardly precisely the form of the inside of the bell which is to be cast upon it. Next the cope is pre- pared. This is the outer covering, which fits exactly over the core, but leaves a space between the two. to be presently filled with the molten metal of the bell tosbe cast. The cope itself S is an iron case of a size dependent upon the bell being made. and thickly cover ed with & lining of loam.
 The lining is done with great care and skill, for upon it's depth depends the ultimate thickness of the bell. Upon the soft 1oaIi is also molded any lettering or decoration which the com pleted bell is to bear and the choosing and inscribing of suitable inscription has from the time immemorial been considered matter of grave import. The cope is placed in position above the core. and the whole then buried under ground in convenient proximity to the furnace as described. Then, when all is ready, the lower doors opened and. the molten metal in a fiery stream rolls down the little channels scooped for it and :pours through the prepared holes into the space between the cope and core which it Is .fos i'll. lSThe workman armed with long ham died iroh plug stands beside to see that the stream fibws flight, and to stop it's course as, one by one, the molds are filled to oyerfowing. M
 The temperature of the shed rises al- most uncomfortably as this molten mass is liberated. The liquid metal gIows first with white-hot brilliance, which quickly gives place to rosy glow, lighting up the heated faces of the men bending over 1t and suffusing the whole building with warm and ruddy glare. For many minutes does the fiery stream, in well regulated tor rents. flow from the furnace doors un- til each mold is filled and the surplus metal lies in broad red pools within the channels.
 Then at length the 1oodgates are closed. the fire is suffered to die down and the workmen withdraw to other labors, leaving the molten masses to slowly cool and solidify until such time as the heat has sufficiently abated to allow of the unearthing of the mOlds
 With the big bells this will take many hours. The moment of opening the mold is an anxious time for the found CTS, for only then can 1t be discovered whether a perfect casting has been made and how much the resulting note differs from that which was in tended Philadelphia Times.