Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1915-07-01
FINAL Tone OF
LIBERTY BELL?
What Is Believed to Be It's 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
phia recently.
II 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 q literal sense the prophet
&c woyds 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 Eve seconds. BY an ar
rangement Of three very sensitive
transmitters, which were suspended
beneath 1t on rubber bands, so as to
exclude all foreign vibration, the
tones were caught and clearly heard
over the telephone wires on the Pa
cifc coast. At the same time q pho
nographic record was made Of the
notes 30 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 1t may never
again be rung is that new crack,
more serious than the old one, has de-
veloped in It,
It has been found that the bell IL
Rf1icted with the disease Of metal"
This Is partly responsible for the ap-
pearance Of the latest hssure and has
made It necessary to support its
weight on padded props in order to
relieve the stress which has gradually
been pulling It apart.
The new crack is now plainly Wis
BILE, while only a short time ago It
vas microscopic. It begins at the up
Der part Of the original fracture, ex-
ending from the letter "P" in the
philadelphia" diagonally quarter of
he way around the circumference, to
he letter "y" in Liberty" near the
op. It 10 believed that the new crack
night not have occurred had the bell
cen allowed to remain at rest after
was first broken. It has, however,
cen shipped on different occasions to
lew Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta,
Boston and St. Louis. That N
Is actually suffering from a malady
nown as the disease Of metal" is
ne description of its ailment in the
'chnical phraseology Of the metallur-
Ist and Is not a popular figure Of al
'eech. The reason for this distemper O.
to be found in the history of the W
sll's casting. hi
1t was originally made by Thomas he
ester at London, in 1859, and shipped r.
Philadelphia. When It was hung to o.,
y the sound 1t was cracked by the
Apper. At first it was intended to a.
turn it to England. but subsequently AZ
70 wofkmen, Pass and Stow, neither ia
whom was experienced in the art, da
ldertook the recasting in Philadel-
Ia. Obviously the bronze was too ar
title, and in order to tougher It. "a.
~ added approximately ten per cent ~.
copper to the original metal. When mi
bell was later rehung It was found NJ
1t too much copper had been used, lie
q, to the chagrin Of everyone, the be-
70 was destroyed. The same men
ain undertook the work, and this
10 are supposed to have added tin ST
restore the tone. The third bell
accepted, but too much tin had
N used, and the tones were SO high. 7
resonant that It was seldom rung- Ste
pular Mechanics. mn