USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > History of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. : 1817 to 1888 > Part 27
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The inscriptions prepared for the bells by the Rev. Dr. Shelton are strikingly appropriate. A general description of the chimes, with a list of the inscriptions, appears in the original book of minutes of the
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History of St. Paul's Church.
Chime Fund Association. This description has been quoted in the few brief accounts of the bells which have appeared in print. There were some apparent errors, however, and it was thought best to obtain the inscriptions directly from the bells themselves as they are now hung in the tower. With some difficulty this was accomplished, and several variations and additions to the list as recorded were found. The belfry is crowded with mechanism and the heavy framework and timbers supporting the bells, so that a thorough examinatian of the inscriptions is difficult. The exact wording, as cast upon the bells, is here given.
The largest of the cluster of bells is called the "Christian Bell," and bears the following inscription : "A. D. 1856. + Bethlehem. Calvary. Bethany."
The second bell, called the "Bishop's Bell," is inscribed : " A. D. 1856. William Heathcote De Lancey, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L. Oxon., First Bishop of Western New York. Consecrated A. D. 1839." (Re- verse) " If a man desire the office of Bishop, he desireth a good work."
The "Rector's Bell " is inscribed : "A. D. 1856. William Shel- ton, D. D., Rector. Instituted A. D., 1829." (Reverse.) " The Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth."
The "Historical Bell " has the inscription : "A. D. 1856. St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, organized A. D. 1817 ; the first church conse- crated A. D. 1819 ; this church consecrated A. D. 1851." "Let every- thing that hath breath praise the Lord." (Reverse.) "Trinity Church, Buffalo, organized A. D. 1836. St. John's Church, Buffalo organ- ized A. D. 1845. St. James' Church, Buffalo, organized A. D. 1853. Church of the Ascension, Buffalo, organized A. D. 1855."
The statement as cast on the " Historical Bell," that the first - or frame - church was consecrated in 1819 is an error. The corner- stone was laid in 1819, but the building was not consecrated until 1821. This error on the bell was evidently noticed, and some one was appa- rently sent to erase the incorrect figures. Instead, he has increased the mistake by leaving the wrong date 1819 untouched, and chiseling
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The Chimes of St. Paul's. 303
off 51 in the date - 1851 - of the consecration of the stone edifice, which was correct - having evidently confused the two conse- crations.
The "Chime Fund Bell" is thus inscribed: "A. D. 1856. St. Paul's Church Chime Fund, founded A. D. 1850. These bells were placed in this tower chiefly through the efforts of the younger mem- bers of the parish, comprising the 'Chime Fund.' 'The liberal de- viseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand.'"
The "Sunday Bell " is inscribed : "A. D. 1856. We announce the sacred day of rest. We assemble the people for worship."
The "Sacramental Bell " inscribed : "A. D. 1856. We welcome the infant at the font. We invite the youth to confirmation. We invoke the faithful to the Holy Communion."
The "Patriotic Bell" is inscribed : "A. D. 1856. We proclaim the birthday of the Nation's freedom. We applaud the virtues of pat- riots and heroes."
The "Bridal and Burial Bell " is inscribed : "A. D. 1856. Joyful our peal for the Bridal ! Mournful our plaint for the Dead !"
The tenth bell was hung subsequently, and was named the "Citi- zens' Bell," in consideration of sundry subscriptions by citizens not members of St. Paul's Parish. It is inscribed : " A. D. 1857. This bell is added to the chime through the liberality of citizens of Buffalo."
On the completion of the belfry of the smaller tower, in 1851, on the Church Street side of the new edifice, the original bell from the frame church was hung there, having been retained when the frame structure was sold and removed. This bell was bought by the vestry in 1821, from Horatio Hanks, and was recast in 1827, its tone not being satisfactory. (See pages 21 and 27.) It is inscribed, "Cochran & Fisher, Batavia, 1827." This firm recast the bell in that year and redated it accordingly.
In the fire of 1888, the timbers supporting this old bell in the small tower were partially burned, and the bell was thrown out of place, but not seriously damaged. It is now rung at the hour (II A. M.) of the celebration of the Holy Communion on Thursdays and Holy Days.
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History of St. Paul's Church.
One of the Buffalo papers, of December, 1856, reports that "The St. Paul's chime sounded for the first time on Christmas Eve. The bells are remarkably sweet and musical, and in perfect harmony. Service was held on Christmas Eve, and St. Paul's was filled with a large and profoundly attentive flock. After the service, and again at twelve o'clock, the chimes rang through the city their delightful sounds, enlivening the spirits and animating the hearts of all the faithful."
Among Dr. Shelton's bequests to St. Paul's was one of $2,000, the interest of which he directed should be used for ringing and chiming the bells. (Page 149.)
Nathaniel Tucker, Sr., was engaged to superintend the hanging of the bells in the tower in 1856, and the installation of the chiming appa- ratus in 1857. Mr. Tucker pealed and chimed the bells for twenty-five years, and his services will be referred to later. Thomas F. Thornton, then a member of the choir of St. Paul's, took much of the responsi- bility of fitting up the bells, and was the first to chime them, resigning from the choir in 1857 in order to devote more time to these duties. Mr. Thornton died in 1865. He was a member of St. Luke's first vestry in 1857.
On February 10, 1857, at a meeting called for the purpose in the belfry, was formed St. Paul's Church Bell Ringing Association "to secure the regular and skillful ringing of the bells of St. Paul's Church." A constitution, prepared by Thomas F. Thornton, was adopted. According to the original manuscript, the object of the association was to "secure the ringing of the bells of St. Paul's Church as a peal, on all proper occasions, as Sundays, Church festivals, national holi- days, etc." It was further provided that " the funds of the association shall be regarded as a Mutual Benefit Fund, excepting donations given for bridal peals and week-day ringing, which shall be at the disposal of the members who ring the peals." The membership was at first limited to sixteen. Those who signed the constitution, at this time, were : Thomas F. Thornton, William Channon, John Lock, Nathaniel
IN THE BELFRY OF THE GREAT TOWER.
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Tucker, Thomas Hickman, George Scott, John Bishop, and Mark Stonham.
At the next meeting, February 25, 1857, the members showed their appreciation of Edward S. Warren, president of the Chime Fund Association, and long active in the musical affairs of the parish, by electing him as their own first president ; Thomas Hickman was elected vice-president.
The association proved very successful, and continued in active operation for over twenty years. The members were all Englishmen, most of whom had rung bells in the old country, and by these men and their successors-in several cases the sons succeeding their fathers - the St. Paul's bells were pealed upon Sundays and church festivals, as well as weekly, at first on Saturday nights and in later years on Thursday nights.
The pealing of the bells required skill and long practice, and the service was voluntary, being done from love of old associations. In the days of " the old-fashioned Fourth of July" the city authorities often engaged these bell-ringers to celebrate the day with a triumphant peal. Dr. Shelton took a great interest in the ringers ; he set aside pews in the church for their use, frequently visited them in the ringers' room in the tower, and on such occasions, it is said, never failed to leave behind him as a memento of his visit, a five-dollar gold piece, which went into the treasury of the association. It was also his custom each January to entertain them at the rectory with a bountiful supper, he himself presiding at the head of the table.
Owing to business and other changes affecting the individual mem- bers, it was found impossible to continue the organization. Probably the last time the bells were pealed was at the funeral of Mrs. Shelton, in 1882. Few of the men now survive. To two of these, Henry J. Hobbs and Robert D. Harris of Buffalo, who rang during the '70's, we are indebted for some personal details of the old bell-ringers of St. Paul's during that period. It is pleasant, too, to add their testimony of the affectionate respect felt by all of the members for Dr. Shelton.
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History of St. Paul's Church.
Peals may be rung upon any number of bells from three to twelve - twelve being the largest number ever rung as a peal. Three bells allow six " changes," while upon twelve bells, it is stated that the enor- mous number of 479,001,600 "changes " are mathematically possible. Eight bells, giving the octave, are called the perfect peal. With eight bells, 40,320 changes are possible. At Leeds Church, Kent, England, the ringing of these changes was actually accomplished in the year 1761, by thirteen men in twenty-seven hours of continuous ringing, and "is the fullest complete peal that has ever been rung."
By using the No. 7 bell - Db, the " Flat 7th "- peals may be rung in the key of Ab; and this bell and the roth - or F (treble) bell - are especially useful in giving the added notes often needed in playing tunes when the bells are chimed. In pealing, a leader was required to " call " the peal to the men at the ropes ; two men were needed for the large bell (No. I, the "tenor"), and one man for each of the others, making the services of twelve men necessary when all the bells were pealed, as was often the case at St. Paul's. The usual eight or six-bell peal required ten and eight men respectively. One of the old bell- ringers asserts that pealing bells at St. Paul's was "the finest exercise in the world." The term " changes " is applied to ringing the bells in any variation from their regular order in the scale. A " peal," techni- cally, is not less than 5,000 different changes, and occupies about three hours. The ringing of a lesser number of changes is called, in ring- ers' parlance, "a touch," or "flourish."
In pealing, the bells themselves are swung, and the sound is pro- duced by the freely-swinging clappers striking the sides. The greater beauty of the tones given by swinging bells over those struck when stationary is spoken of by all writers on the subject.
At one end of the rotating yokes upon which the bells are hung, in the belfry of St. Paul's, are large, grooved wheels of wood, and lying in these grooves and fastened to the rim a little below the top of the wheel on one side, were the ropes, which passed down, on one side of the wheel, through square wooden pipes, placed in line with the rim of
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the wheel, and running down to the bell-ringers' room in the third story of the tower, just below the room in which the levers for chiming the bells are placed. The point of attachment of the rope to the rim of the wheel of course turned with it, and the pull (or point of lever- age) of the rope on the rim consequently shifted back and forth dur- ing the ringing.
To provide for this, a fixed pulley was placed at the top of the square pipe, which served to guide the rope into the pipe during these movements. As the method of handling the bells in pealing is little understood, a few words of explanation may not be out of place. Before beginning the peal, each bell was "set," or inverted. This was accomplished by pulling on the rope and swinging the bell until its own momentum carried it, mouth upwards, just beyond the center of its axis, where it was prevented from turning entirely over by a "stopper " or "stay " fastened upon the yoke, which engaged with a buffer called the "slide," upon the framework.
In the meantime the grooved wheel had, of course, turned with the bell, the point of attachment of the rope on the rim of the wheel had turned with it, and the point of leverage of the rope upon the rim had shifted to the other side of the center, so that by pulling on the same rope the bell could be held back or "eased " into its position as it passed over the center, and too violent a contact of the "stopper " and "slide " thus prevented. With all the bells thus inverted the pealing was begun. The bell was now in such a position that a com- paratively slight pull upon the same rope which had served to raise it, would throw it off the balance and bring it down again, to make a full swing and, by its own momentum come up upon the other side and over the center, to be held as before by the "stopper " and "slide," the latter so called because it automatically adjusted itself to hold the inverted bell just off the center, at either end of its swing.
Between the strokes, the bell, of course, remained inverted, and at each pull of the rope a complete revolution was made, first in one direction and then in the other. The bell rang once at the end of each
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swing, just as it was " eased " over the center, and the quality of the sound was dependent upon the skill with which this was done. As the ringer had full control of the swings, of course he had full control of the strokes also. Skillful handling was necessary in "setting " the heavy bells just off the balance, at the end of each stroke so that they could be safely held inverted by the stoppers and slides. A little care- lessness, especially in "easing " the bell, as above described, might have torn these out, and endangered the framework itself, and might even have thrown the bell from its supports and sent the heavy mass of metal crashing down through the floors of the tower. Indeed, at one time an accident of this kind very nearly occurred at St. Paul's, but fortunately the bell was caught and held by the strong oak timbers of the framework. Few of the ropes, "stoppers " or " slides " are now in place. The corner platform for the leader, and some of the swinging seats against the wall, used by the men, can still be seen in the ringers' room. The peals were spoken of as "open " or "muffled." The muffled peal was given by fastening leather "mufflers " upon one side of the clapper, to deaden the stroke, and thus, when the bell was swung, one series of notes would be of the usual clearness, and the suc- ceeding series deadened, producing a most somber effect. For prac- tice, the clapper was entirely muffled. The open peal was rung without any obstruction on the clapper. Many citizens, not yet old, recall with pleasure the pealing of the bells on Christmas -" The merry, merry bells of Yule "- and on New Year's Eve, under the skillful hand- ling of the old bell-ringers. Hood speaks of bells as "the music nearest heaven." They touch both extremes of human emotion. What sound can be more joyful than the merry peal, or what more sombre than the muffled peal with its melancholy cadence ? This pealing of the bells is entirely different in effect from the chiming or ringing of tunes and melodies, and one who has heard it does not readily forget it. It is as if living voices floated out from the belfry, and one ceases to wonder at the fantasies of poets, so many of whom have sung of the pealing bells as of animate beings. The changes
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The Chimes of St. Paul's.
rung in the old days at St. Paul's on New Year's Eve seemed the very realization of Tennyson's -
" Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light ; The year is dying in the night ; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die."
To the present generation, however, the pealing of St. Paul's bells is an unknown experience. For twenty years past they have been chimed only, but efforts are now being made to organize a new pealing guild.
The bells are now (1903) rung every day at noon, as well as on Sun- days and Holy Days ; the selections are principally familiar hymns, and the chiming is done by a single operator, through a system of levers numbered from one to ten. These levers communicate by a compli- cated arrangement of chains and pulleys, with pivoted hammers, which strike the bells when the levers are pulled. The bells themselves remain stationary. The difference in tone given by the bells when swung and struck by their clappers, over that given when struck by the pivoted hammers, as at present arranged, is remarkable. The tone produced by the hammer is much less sweet and musical, the ham- mers seeming to interfere with the perfect vibration of the bells, and marring their really fine tones. In fact, the mechanism for chiming at St. Paul's is clumsy and antiquated ; the levers work irregularly, and call for an undue amount of exertion on the part of the player, and the numbering and arrangement are not in accordance with present usage. It is a common occurrence for some part of the apparatus to break down in the middle of a tune, which the chimer has then to finish as best he can - a fact of which the critic in the street is of course unaware. The hammers for chiming at St. Paul's are placed below the bells, so as not to interfere with their swinging if it is desired to peal them.
In modern chiming arrangements, excellent tones are produced, but, unfortunately, in all, or nearly all, of these devices, the hammers are so placed that the bells cannot be swung for pealing. In fact,
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History of St. Paul's Church.
they are usually hung stationary, and cannot be swung at all, thus ren- dering pealing forever impossible. Plans are now under consideration for putting the bells at St. Paul's in more perfect tune, and for the introduction of an improved method of chiming. It is hoped that this may be accomplished without interfering with the possibility of some- time again pealing the bells. With suitable mechanism, it would be quite possible for a good operator to play, not merely hymns and melodies, but to reproduce many of the pealing and changing effects which the old bell-ringers rendered so well years ago.
The chimer's room is thirteen feet six inches square, and lighted by four small lancet windows. It is in the fourth story of the tower. Over the keyboard is the motto, "Praise + ye + the _ Lord," with a design of swinging bells at each end, and underneath is a rack for the music. On the sixth floor is the belfry, a double story twenty- three feet four inches in height, by thirteen feet six inches square. In this space the ten bells are hung at various altitudes, supported on tim- bers of solid oak, the frame-work being constructed and supported in accordance with Mr. Upjohn's recommendations, so as to transmit as little vibration as possible to the stone walls of the tower. A small and twisting stairway winds here and there among the bells, and leads to the spire, which begins immediately above the belfry. There are eight great louvre windows in the belfry, two on each of the four sides.
The tower is entirely separate from the church, except in the first story, where the doorway from the south, or Erie Street, porch leads into the " tower room." At the southwest corner of this room is the entrance to the spiral stairway leading to the different stories above.
For many years, previous to 1882, the records of the Diocese of Western New York were kept in cases built in the "tower room," in the first story. In the fall of 1882, the second floor of the tower was fitted up as a muniment room, and the records were removed there. They passed safely through the fire of 1888, but show marks of the water and smoke. In July, 1895, this use of the room was discon- tinued, and the records were then placed in one of the fireproof build-
Praise The
the Jord
AT THE KEYBOARD IN THE CHIMER'S ROOM.
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The Chimes of St. Paul's.
ings of the city. The records of the vestry of St. Paul's were at one time kept in the tower, but are now in the hands of the rector, at the Parish House, which is of fireproof construction.
The stairway is in the stone turret buttress at the southwest angle of the tower. This turret buttress is skillfully harmonized with the buttresses at the other angles of the tower, but differs from them in design, being larger, octagonal in plan, and pierced with small win- dows to light the stairs within. In addition to furnishing space for the stairway, this buttress appears, to the eye, to balance the mass of the edifice upon the opposite side, and adds an especially fine feature to the noble lines of the general design. The spiral stairway runs up for five stories, the doorways to the different floors opening onto it. At the fifth story the turret dies into the tower, and a straight stairway continues along the inner wall of the tower to the belfry. The stairs wind irregularly among the bells, as before stated, and above the ' belfry, in the spire, they follow the narrowing walls, broken by frequent platforms or landings, and finally terminate at the topmost windows, where the heavy crossed beams support the lower end of the fifty-foot iron rod, which passes up through the great stone finial of the spire and holds in place the gilded cross. Above the stairs a rough ladder of wooden cross pieces nailed to a stout upright timber leads to one more landing, far above which extend the dim recesses of the slender stone cone, lighted at the top by four round openings.
As before stated, the chiming apparatus was installed in the spring of 1857, and the bells were first chimed by Thomas F. Thornton, who took a great interest in the work and continued it for several years, until his health began to fail.
There are no available records to show who his immediate successor was; undoubtedly some member of the association for pealing the bells took his place, possibly Nathaniel Tucker, Sr., but probably Nicholas Olver. Existing records show that Mr. Olver was chiming the bells early in 1871, and continued until January 1, 1882, at which time his age made it necessary for him to retire. The association for
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History of St. Paul's Church.
pealing the bells had, by this time, practically disbanded, although the bells were pealed on one or two later occasions ; and Nathaniel Tucker, Sr. (or N. H. Tucker, as his name is sometimes given in the records), who had been one of the founders of the pealing association in 1857, and a leader in the organization ever since that time, in spite of his own advanced age, followed Mr. Olver as the chimer, January 1, 1882. Mr. Tucker chimed the bells admirably until 1885, at which time he left Buffalo, and on May 1, 1885, the vestry voted a request that the rector, the Rev. Dr. Brown, should write to him a letter, expressive of their appreciation of his long and faithful service of more than a quar- ter of a century. Ever since then the service has been generally ren- dered by different young men connected with the vested choir. The first of these was Frederick T. Johnson, who began on September 1, 1885, and continued to chime the bells for about five years. It was he who chimed at the time of the fire, May 10, 1888. He was assisted during the latter part of his service by Henry S. Sizer, then a member of the vested choir, and now the Rev. Henry S. Sizer.
Mr. Sizer succeeded Mr. Johnson, and chimed the bells for a time, assisted by some of the other members of the choir, and by the sexton, then Wm. Graveson, who was an Englishman, and familiar with bells. In November, 1892, Frank Gedies took charge of the bells and chimed them until February 18, 1900, when he left Buffalo. Mr. Gedies took much interest in his work. It was he who put the motto, which has been mentioned, over the chiming frame, and upon the inner side of the stone lintel of the doorway carved a smiling cherub face. Herbert A. White succeeded him, and chimed the bells for eight or ten months, followed by his brother, David White, and then by Roy Van Valkenberg, who volunteered for a time. Richard Scobell played from August 24, 1901, to January 12, 1902. Henry S. Spelder was chimer from January 15 to August 3, 1902, when Arthur Cashmore became the chimer, assisted by several of the young men of the choir. This arrangement is still (1903) continued.
One of the Buffalo papers, in 1893, speaking of an especially
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snowy and stormy Sunday night, says : " But the few people who were on the streets were not left without music appropriate to Sunday even- ing. St. Paul's bells played the soothing ' Russian Evening Hymn.' The belfry was hidden from sight by the aerial drifts, which isolated pedestrians the one from the other and gave each a little snow-bound world of his own. But to every wanderer came the message from the steeple, all other sounds and sights being shut out." .
The following is a poetic fancy which the pealing of St. Paul's bells suggested to the late Allen G. Bigelow, who was at one time a member of the choir of St. Paul's, and whose early death was so greatly deplored. The poem was printed in "Bohemia " for December 23, 1882 :
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