Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/516

 496 BELL enduring uses of church bells were to give the alarm in case of invasion or other public dan- ger, to peal in celebration of marriages, and to toll during the burial of the dead duties which, in modified form at least, are still as- signed to them. The bells of Russia are among the most famous of the world. In Moscow alone, before the great fire, there were no less than 1,706 large bells; in a single tower there were 37. One called Bolshoi (the Giant), cast in the 16th century, broken by falling from its support, and recast in 1654, was so large that it required 24 men to ring it, and this was done by simply pulling the clapper ; its weight was estimated at 288,000 Ibs. It was suspend- ed from an immense beam at the foot of the bell tower, but it again fell during a fire on June 19, 1706, and was a second time broken to fragments. These were used with addition- al materials, in 1733, in casting the Tsar Kolo- kol (king of bells), still to be seen at Moscow. Tsar Kolokol, Moscow. Some falling timbers, in a fire in 1737, broke a piece from its side, which has never been replaced. This bell is estimated to weigh 443,- 772 Ibs. ; it is 19 ft. 3 in. high, and measures around its margin 60 ft. 9 in. The value of the metal alone in this bell is estimated to amount to over $300,000. Whether this bell was ever hung or not, authorities appear to differ. The following notice of the bells of Moscow, and of the great bell in particular, is from Clarke's " Travels " : " The numberless bells of Moscow continue to ring during the whole of Easter week, tinkling and tolling without har- mony or order. The large bell near the cathe- dral is only used upon important occasions, and yields the finest and most solemn tone I ever heard. When it sounds, a deep hollow murmur vibrates all over Moscow, like the full- est tones of a vast organ, or the rolling of dis- tant thunder. This bell is suspended in a tower called the belfry of St. Ivan, beneath others which, though of less size, are enor- mous. It is 40 ft. 9 in. in circumference, 16iin. thick, and it weighs more than 57 tons. The great bell of Moscow, known to be the largest ever founded, is in a deep pit in the midst of the Kremlin. . . . The bell is truly a mountain of metal. They relate that it contains a very large proportion of gold and silver, for that while it was in fusion the nobles and the people cast in as votive offerings their plate and money. ... I endeavored in vain to assay a small part. The natives regard it with superstitious veneration, and they would not allow even a grain to be filed off ; at the same time, it may be said, the compound has a white shining appearance, unlike bell metal in gen-. eral, and perhaps its silvery appearance has strengthened if not given rise to a conjecture respecting the richness of its materials. On festival days the peasants visit the bell as they would a church, considering it an act of devo- tion, and they cross themselves as they descend and ascend the steps leading to the bell." After Mr. Clarke's visit the czar Nicholas, in the year 1837, caused the great bell to be taken out of the deep pit in which it lay, and to be placed upon a granite pedestal. Upon its side is seen, over a border of flowers, the figure of the empress Anne in flowing robes. The bell has been consecrated as a chapel ; the door is in the aperture made by the piece which fell out. The room is 22 ft. in diameter and 21 ft. 3 in. high. The bells of China rank next in size to those of Russia, but are much inferior to them in form and tone. In Peking, it is stated by Father Le Compte, there are seven bells each weighing 120,000 Ibs. One in the sub- urbs of the city is, according to the testimo- ny of many travellers, the largest suspended bell in the world. It is hung near the ground, in a large pavilion, and to ring it a huge beam is swung against its side. A bell taken from the Dagon pagoda at Rangoon was valued at $80,000. Among the bells recently cast for the new houses of parliament, the largest weighs 14 tons. The next largest bell in England was cast in 1845 for York minster, and weighs 27,000 Ibs., and is 7 ft. 7 in. in di- ameter. The great Tom of Oxford weighs 17,000 Ibs., and the great Tom of Lincoln 12,- 000 Ibs. The bell of St. Paul's in London is 9 ft. in diameter, and weighs 11,500 Ibs. One placed hi the cathedral of Paris in 1680 weighs 38,000 Ibs. One in Vienna, cast in 1711, weighs 40,000 Ibs. ; and in Olmutz is another weighing about the same. The famous bell called Su- sanne of Erfurt is considered to be of the finest bell metal, containing the largest proportion of silver; its weight is about 30,000 Ibs. ; it was cast in 1497. At Montreal, Canada, is a larger bell than any in England, weighing 29,400 Ibs. ; it was imported in 1843 for the Notre Damo cathedral. In the opposite tower of the cathe- dral is a chime of 10 bells, the heaviest of which weighs 6,043 Ibs., and their aggregate weight is 21,800 Ibs. There are few bells of i large size in the United States. The heaviest