Steel Bars instead of Bells.
It may not be known that steel bars are used in some places of Europe in preference to bells, supplanting them sometimes altogether in church steeples, and producing very pure, distinct, and melodious sounds. An English publication, The Choir, advocates their general use on the ground that, while in point of sonorousness they are equal to the common bell, in certain other respects they are to be preferred to it. Thus their weight will be light in comparison with the ponderous engines they are to replace. They will not burden the steeple so much, and, consequently, will give more scope for architectural design. Their winding and hanging up will not be so difficult, dangerous, and expensive. They are not liable to crack, as is the case with bells, and are, therefore, adapted for use in any climate. They can be operated by a simple mechanical contrivance. The cost of these bars is so low that three or four of them, forming a peal, whose weight would not exceed one hundred pounds, could be manufactured in England for fifty or sixty dollars; whereas three bells of the same power would cost five times as much. They can be made of any dimension, weight, or power of sound. Every note or harmony can be produced more easily, and the tuning is obtained more precisely than in cast bells. Of course, these bars are also adapted for use wherever bells are now employed.