Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1950-06-16

to the mayor Of Philadelphia 70
have the bell sent to the Panama
Pacific exposition.
Symbol Of Freedom 4
There and on its journey by ran
to and from the Golden Gate, an
estimated 100000 Americans
turned out to see the bell. Since
New Years, 1925, when it was
struck 10 times with a rubber
tipped gold mallet to spell out the
new year, it has not been sounded
directly, nor is it likely to be again.
A trip across a continent, the
voice Of sorrow and happiness,
stolen and cast into a river, the
first to proclaim freedom-an that
is but part Of its history. And Il
continues to serve its country. To-
day it is the symbol telling Ameri-
cans to purchase savings bonds to
insure their freedom and indie
pendence.
Fifty-two replicas Of the bell
have been donated to the saw
ings bond cause and are now
on tour Of the country. The
bells, one for each state, ono
for the District Of Columbia,
and one each for Alaska, Ha-
waii and Puerto Rico, are ex-
act copies of the original; the
crack is indicated on the sur
face; the bells ring and are
harmonically tuned.
The tour of the replicas, which
will end July 4, will enable mil
lions of Americans, who have nev-
er seen the original bell and might
never get to Philadelphia to see it,
to inspect an exact copy of this
most hallowed of our historic rel
les.
Since its return from the San
Francisco exposition in 1915, the
bell has not been allowed to leave
Philadelphia. Since October 10,
1917, when it was the star attrac-
ton in Philadelphia first liberty
loan parade during the first World
War, it has not even left its shrine
in Independence Hall, because of
the danger of further cracking of
the historic relic.
Made in France
On the last journey in 1915, a
slx-armed iron spider was fastened
to the clapper bolt inside its
crown, with arms hooked under
the lip of the bell to distribute the
strain of its weight, 2O8o pounds,
more evenly.
The bells now on tour Of the ma
ton were made at the foundry Of
the Sons of George Paccard at
Annecy-le-Vieux in France. DR..
Arthur L. Bigelow, professor of
engineering and bellmaster of
Princeton university, made the
measurements and drawings from
which the new bells were made.
Andrew J. Dunn, director of the
labor section Of the U. S. savings
bonds division in Washington, and
its liaison officer with the American
Federation of Labor, went to
France to expedite the production
and shipment of the bells to this
country.
To symbolic for millions of
Americans the idea Of thrift
which is essential to indepen-
dence, the replicas will have
visited 1000 communities dur
ing the nationwide tour.
Authorities report the bells, be-
cause of the painstaking, old-world
production, sound exactly like the
Liberty Bell would if it could be
rung. They attributed this to the
fact the bells are of the same COM
position as the original, IS plus
per cent copper, and that their con-
struction gives the same tone.
Millions of Americans will thrill
to the sound that the people Of
Philadelphia heard when the
original bell proclaimed liberty
Throughout all the land and to all
the inhabitants thereof"
At the conclusion of the bond
drive on July 4, the secretary Of
the treasury will lend one bell to
each state and territory for perma-
nent exhibit.