The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1915-07-03
final TONE OF
LIBERTY BELL?
What Is Believed to Be Its Last
Ringing Is Said to Have
Recently Taken Place
at Philadelphia.

What may prove to be the last ring
Ing of the historic Liberty bell took
place in independence hall at Philadel-
iphia recently.
1t was decided to transmit the tones
of the bell across the country to San
francisco over the recently completed
transcontinental telephone line, partly
fulfilling in literal sense the prophet
ic words cast on the bell, Proclaim
liberty throughout all the land, unto
all the inhabitants thereof" The bell
was struck three times with mallets at
intervals OF five seconds. By an ar
rangement of three very sensitive
transmitters, which were suspended
beneath it on rubber bands, so as to
exclude all foreign vibration. the
ZONES were caught and clearly heard
over the telephone wires on the Pa
cific coast. At the same time a pho
geographic record was made of the
notes SO as to preserve them for pos
terity.
This is the first time that the great
bell has been sounded since it was
cracked in 1885 while tolling the death
of John Marshall, the first chief JUS
tice of the United States Supreme
court The reason that it may never
again be rung Is that a new crack,
more serious than the old one, has de-
veloped in it.
1t has been found that the bell Is
afflicted with the disease of metal"
This is partly responsible for the ap-
80 Lot l..
made 1t necessary to support its
weight on padded props in order to
relieve the stress which has gradually
been pulling 1t apart.
The new crack is now plainly Wis
lble. while only short time ago it
was microscopic. 1t begins at the up
per part of the original fracture, ex-
tending from the letter "P" in the
philadelphia" diagonally a quarter of
the way around the circumference, to
the letter "y" in Liberty" near the
top. 1t is believed that the new crack
might not have occurred had the bell
been allowed to remain at rest after
II was first broken. 1t has, however,
been shipped on different occasions to
New Orleans Chicago, Atlanta,
Charleston, Boston and st. Louis. That
1t is actually suffering from a malady
known as the disease of metal" is
the description of its ailment in the
technical phraseology of the metallur-
gist, and is not popular figure OF
speech The reason for this distemper
is to be found in the history of the
bells casting.
1t was originally made by Thomas
Lester at London. in 1852. and shipped
to Philadelphia. When it was hung to
try the sound 1t was cracked by the
clapper. At first 1t was intended tc
return it to England. but subsequently
two workmen. Pass and Stow, neither
of whom was experienced in the art
undertook the recasting in Philadel
phia- Obviously the bronze was toe
brittle. and in order to tougher 1t
they added approximately ten per cen
of copper to the original metal. Wher
the bell was later rehung 1t was fount
that too much copper had been used
and, to the chagrin of everyone, tn,
tone was destroyed. The same mel
again undertook the work, and THU
time are supposed to have added til
to restore the tone. The third bel
was accepted, but too much tin hat
Oeen used, and the tones were 80 high
iy resonant that 1t was seldom rung.-
Popular Mechanics.