The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-12-16

In company with Captain Cary he
visited the bell foundry Of Jose Do
mingos Dacosta. Captain Cary. II
seems, was connoisseur in bells. Da-
costa applied the lever to one bell after
another as he struck each to ascertain
Its peculiar tone or tone quality, but
each time Captain Cary said. THAT
will not do"
At last Dacosta raised and struck
the bell whose history we are describ-
ing. Captain Cary was delighted with
the result "Ah, CLASSIFY" he said,
you need look no further. That's the
bell you want. She Is a beauty. She
sounds on B."
well, SIR" remarked Dacosta, I'VE
consider that to be the finest bell that
we have In our foundry"
At first Dacosta demurred and could
not see his way clear to selling the
bell, since II belonged to the set of
chimes designed for the Church of the
Good Jesus of the Mountain and was
appropriately inscribed and all. but
Captain Clasby would have no other.
Finally Dacosta decided, since the bell
had not yet been consecrated and since
he could cast another 10 take its place,
that 1t would be all right to sell.
So Captain Clasby bought the bell,
and II was brought TO Nantucket by
Captain Cary, whose vessel was going
home first. In Lisbon. just before he
set sail, Captain Cary heard of the dec
laration of war with Great Britain.
for it was now the year 1912. on the
way over they were spoken by Brit
ish sloop of war; Fortunately the Brit
isher had been ut sea for some time
and had not yet heard of the declara-
ton of war. The commander asked
Captain Cary the news. but Captain
Cary says he took especial pains not
to tell all he knew. If he had told. our
precious bell would probably never
have seen Nantucket. 1t might now be
either at the bottom of the sea or 1t
might be swinging In the tower of
some English church.
The bell was landed in Nantucket
and placed In the store cellar of sam
uel Cary. where II remained until 1915,
when II was purchased and placed In
the tower where 1t now hangs. About
$500 was given for the bell-the society
paid about $3.50 and the rest was raised
by subscription. Even some Friends
or Quakers subscribed.
After the bell had been in use little
while the agents of the historic Old
South church In Boston heard of II, and
they sent letter to the agents OF the
South church in Nantucket, saying that
they had very good clock IN their
tower, but no bell; that they had heard
that the South church in Nantucket
had very fine bell, and they would
like to know for how much the bell
could be bought.
The Nantucketers replied that they
had a very fine bell in their tower, but
no clock; that they had heard that the
Old South church had very fine tower
clock. and that they would like to
know the price of the clock.
The agents oSered to pay 81 pound
FOR the bell. Since the bell weighs
1.575 pounds. this would have made
the price $1,575. making a net profit of
$1,075 above the price paid for the bell
and S1,225 above the amount contrib
uted by the society. 1t seems that the
old Nantucketers must have had some
sentiment after all and were not purely
mercantile in their spirit.
If the Nantucketers had agreed to
sell, as they might have done, our bell
would probably be hanging in the his
toric tower of Old South church in
Boston today. That might have been
a great honor for the bell. but It would
have been n great deprivation for Nam
tucket. Moreover. II would now be
spending Its time in elegant leisure in
stead Of being a very useful bell where
It is. The history Of this bell is like
vcritabie parable Of human life. The
possibilities which occur In the history
Of the hell remind us Of the possibilities
which abound In every life. - Cor.
Springfield Republican.