Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1915-11-12
FINAL TONE Of
LIBERTY BELL?
What Is Believed to Be Us Las
Ringing Is Said to Have
Recently Taken Place
atsnhiIadelphia.

What may prove to be the last ne :.
ing OF the historic Liberty bell t.. i
place In Independence hall at Philado!.
phia recently.
II was decided to transmit the tones
of the bell across the country to san
Francisco over the recently compl ii
transcontinental telephone line. par )
fulfilling In literal sense the prophc.
ic words cast on the bell. proclaim
liberty throughout all the land. ua.o
all the inhabitants thereof" The bell
was struck three times with mallets Il
intervals OF five seconds. BY N 90.
rangement OF three very sensitive
transmitters. which were suspended
beneath II on rubber bands. so as 10
exclude all foreign vibration, the
tones were caught and clearly heard
over the telephone wires on the Pa
cifc coast. AT the same time pho
nographic 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 u %
craC ked in 1885 while tolling the d>.,h
OF John Marshall. the first chief il
tice OF the United States supreme
court. The reason that II may never
again be rung is that n new cracM
more serious than the old one. has 10.
veloped in IL.
1t has been found that the bel Is
afflicted with the disease q. metal
This is partly responsible for the -.
pearance OF the latest assure q las
made 1t necessary to support as
weight on padded props In order 20
relieve the stress which has gradually
been pulling it apart.
The new crack is now plainly yls.
bile. while only a short time ago II
Was microscopic. |, begins u tAc W.
per part OF the original fracture. X.
tcuding from the letter pc .u the
philadelphia" diag0nally quar,r %.
the way around the circuiuicreai @. t.
the letter ~" In Liberty. near The
top. IL is believed that tn new crack
might not have occurred had the bell
been allowed to remain NJ rest after
II was first broken. II has. however.
been shipped Oh different occasions to
New Orleans. Chicago. Atlanta,
Charleston, Boston and 81 Louis That
II is actually suffering from q ma'ldy
known as the disease OF metal, Is
the description Of its ailmcut 10 The
technical phraseology Of tae metilur.
gist. and Is not a popular lgure OF
speech. The reason for this dialcmper
Is to be found In the history OF the
bells casting.
1t was originally made b. Thomas
Lester at London. In 1852. and shipped
TO Philadelphia. When Il was luAg to .
try the sound 1t was cracked by the
clapper. At first II vs. iuioHi.d TO /
return It to England. bu, SUB .luently .
two workmen. Pass ana STOW. neither
VI whom was experienced IN the art. .
undertook the recastins In Ihiladel.
phia. Obviously the bronze was 100
brittle, and in order to tougher IL,
they added approximate ten p.r cent
Of copper to the original metal When
the bell was later rehung it was found
that too much copper had bee. Used,
and To the chagrn Of everyone, the
tone was destroyed The same men
again undertook the work. and this
time are supposed to have add 4 tin
10 restore the tone The third bCl
was accepted, but too much tin h.d
been used, and the tones were SD high
ly resonant that II was SELDOM rule.-
Popular Mechanics.