The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-13

New York-''When the news of the
Eall of Richmond came I helped Mr..
Aeyliffe to ring out patriotic songs as
well as hymns of praise. New York
was happy that cay"
And when the news of Lincoln S
peath calne-did you help to ring the
chimes that day?"
we did not play Trinitys chimes
mat DAY. We only tolled. 1 helped
70 toll. New York was sad thar day"
The reporter was talking with Albert
Meisihan, for 80 years official ringer of
me chimes of Trinity and for many
years before his official work there be-
pan an enthusiastic unpaid helper. Mr..
Meislhan, still a sturdy specimen of a
New York boy, although he admits be-
ing somewhere between So ard 70 years
Young, retired from his work in Trim
lty's belfry on the first OF last June
be had retired from all other work sew
sFdl years beforehand now INDUCES
expensive delights of an amateur farm
Fr on his pretty five-acre place near
Madison, N. J. He can afford the lux
ury, because he made himself a COM
Portable fortune and Inherited another.
''The two earliest sounds 1 remem-
Der" the old chime ringer said one day
recently, sitting on the veranda OF his
farmhouse after satisfactorily selling
load of fodder TO a dairyman. ARE
my mothers voice and the chimes of
pld Trinity. 1 couldn't well help hear
Ing those chimes. W
Got to Love Music Of Chimes.
Il was born in a house which stood
wnere Trinity school now stands, at the
corner of Trinity place and Thames
street The morning sun moved the
shadow of Trinity steeple across the
window of my bedroom and the sounds
Of the chimes Sunday mornings and
afternoons. saints days, holidays and
celebration days came in at my bed
room window, and 1 got to love the
music.
My father was not a rich man even
as riches We're counted then, but he
was prosperous mana grocer-and
besides the schooling 1 got in the public
school In Washington street, a little be-
low where We lived, also received les
sons in music. I guess I didn't play
hockey from those music lessons be-
tause had notion that they would
help me become chiner of Trinity, and
10 become that l made up my mind, 1
guess about as soon as l had a mind
10 make up.
well, one day thought ii was time
for me TO make my first try to prepare
myself for that job. So 1 went over to
the church when knew Mr.. Aeyliffe
was in the belfry-and I knew him, of
course, for he was the greatest man
In New York TO me-and / climbed
the IS steps up to the belfry and said
TO the ringer that 1 wanted to learn
how to ring the chimes.
All right, AL my boy said he
Now I'll number this piece of music
and number the levels, and I'll show
you how
so, proud of my learning, I said I
could read the notes and didn't need
the numbers. That pleased him. A
chime ringer hearing another ringing
can tell whether he is ringing by num-
bers or by note. There is accent and
phrasing in ringing chimes as we'll as
playing a piano. and the ringer who
ran read notes plays better, of course,
than the one who plays by numbers.
Helped Mr.. Aeyliffe at Times.
Il was only a schoolboy at the time,
but soon got to know the chimes well
Enough to help MIR. Aeyliffe and I did
help him when he had a long program
TO play He was a fine musician. He
was a first violin in the orchestra
which accompanied Jenny Lind the
first time she sang in what was then
Castle Garden theatre. It's the Aquar-
ium now. He was in Barnum's or
chestra. and il was Barnum who
Brought Jenny Lind here.
THE first celebration for which
can remember helping Mr.. Aeyliffe to
play the chimes was when the Prince
OF Wales-hes now the King of Eng
iand-vistted New York. I think you'll
find that was in about 1850. All the
great folks of New York were interest
I'd IN that. There was a holiday parade
for the Prince If 1 remember. Anyway,
1t was right that Trinity should ring
chimes for him because that church,
another building, though, was once
rallied the English church
"Then there was the fall of Rich
nond and the death OF Lincoln we were
speaking of. Those times were long be-