Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

The bell bearing the inscription which
after events proved so strangely pro-
phetic arrived at Philadelphia toward
the end of August. 1852. Apparently. it
was in good order Norris and his two
colleagues at oEce expressed their thanks
to Charles in London and proceeded to
hang the bell III the state house steeple.
There, however, the very first tome
that it was rung Norris had the morti-
fication to learn that 1t was cracked by
a stroke OF the clapper without any
other violence, as it was hung up to try
the sound"
He wanted to send 1t back to England.
but Skipper Budden was unable to stow
it on his ship. At this juncture two
hellfounders of Philadelphia-Pas a ma
tive of Malta. and Stow, son of Charles
Stow. doorkeeper Of the council i oblig-
ingly volunteered to recast the bell.
Their offer was accepted and THE two
ingenious workmen." as Norris called
them, set to work.
II was decided that the metal compos-
Ing the old bell was too brittle so that.
in remaking 1t, Pass and Stow added
copper in the proportion of one and one
half ounces to every pound of the old
bell. When they had finished Norris told
them they had worked 'fn a mastery
manner and that the inscription on the
bell was even better than it had been
on the original from England.
One Edmund Wooley forthwith hung
the bell III the steeple, His bill for the
work is still extant. Apparently the as
sembly was obliged TO foot the cost of
feeding Wooley and his workmen while
they were on the job. for the bill in
cluded charges for potatoes, beef, a.
cheese, 800 lines and much rum and
beer.
In spite Of Norris enthusiasm. the bell
was not all it should be. Again it dis
graced itself. There was altogether too
much copper in it. 1t gave forth dis
agreeable noises Pass and Stow were
$50 teazed with the witticisms of the
town" that they humbIy asked to be al
lowed to cast 1t over again. Once more
the job was given to them. in spite of the
fact that the man who had cast the bell
originally in London offered to do the
work.
In June. 1888, the new bell was finished
and put in position, Pass and Stow col
lecting something more than sixty
pounds
Then and there the bell began it's ex-
tremely active career. It's first and fore
most duty was to summon the assembly.
Members Of that body who did not put
in an appearance at the old statehouse
within half an hour after the bell ceased
tollng We're fined.
Gradually there was tolling on all
sorts of occasions. until. finally, those
Philadelphians who lived in the immedi-
ate vicinity Of the state house became
surfeited with the noise and addressed a
petition to the assembly requesting that
- ba n
complimentary terms to the bell. 1.-The in
convenience Of which, they declared,
has often been felt severely when some
Of the petitioners families have been at
f1icted with sickness, at which times, from
it's uncommon size an0 unusual SOUND, II
is extremely dangerous and may prove
fatal.'
We do not learn whether the bells &C
= tivities were .curtailed it certainly, rang
often enough, in all conscience, during
the ensuing years
Proclaim liberty through all the land
to all the Inhabitants thereof"-the Lib
er'ty bell gave the first signs that 1t meant
to obey that behest to the letter when,
September Il, 1854, 1t summoned the as
sembly to consider the repeal OF the OBJ
nOxious stamp act. A year later II again
summoned the assembly, which this time
sent delegates to the stamp act congress
at New York.
One month later it toiled ominous,y to
herald the arrival, off the Delaware capes,
of the ship Royal Charlotte. escorted by
a war vessel unimpressively dubbed the
Sardine, and bearing the stamps intended
for Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Again the bell tolled, this time in grim
muffied tones. on the day the stamp act
was to go into effect. At the signal the
Philadelphians rushed into the streets