Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. St. Marks Anglican,
WT-09-1877
It was around 2pm, nobody there, but a scaffolding in front of the parish building right
in front of another bell, WT-1913. Scrambled up an took a picture.
Thinking correctly that the chimer might be a local, I bought some postcards and asked the merchant if
I could find Jim Smith, the chimer. The merchant was only too happy to tell me that Jim
lived down the next street and a trailer was parked in front of his house.
Jim was overjoyed to see me and off we went to St. Marks. Jim is and never was a
musician and proceeded to show me how he manages to ring the chimes.
1st. - he rings by the numbers, having written every tune down as he has heard it, not as written.
2nd. - he gets the timing for longer notes by sliding his hand up and down the lever he
has just pushed
3rd. - he also maintains the local tower clock without formal knowlege.
4th. - he apparently is the person in town who will figure anything out.
The Church and the bell on theParish House.
Many Churches have plaques commemorating the chime and benefactors.
Jim at the 1877 chimestand. Older chimestands had the music behind the vertical rods.
Jim replaced old broken rods with the lighter hand made rods.
Meneely & Co is on the top line of the one bell.
How could two ropes be attached to one clapper? One pulls the clapper into the bell
while the other, attached to a spring, pulls the clapper back off the bell.
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It was around 2pm, nobody there, but a scaffolding in front of the parish building right
in front of another bell, WT-1913. Scrambled up an took a picture.
Thinking correctly that the chimer might be a local, I bought some postcards and asked the merchant if
I could find Jim Smith, the chimer. The merchant was only too happy to tell me that Jim
lived down the next street and a trailer was parked in front of his house.
Jim was overjoyed to see me and off we went to St. Marks. Jim is and never was a
musician and proceeded to show me how he manages to ring the chimes.
1st. - he rings by the numbers, having written every tune down as he has heard it, not as written.
2nd. - he gets the timing for longer notes by sliding his hand up and down the lever he
has just pushed
3rd. - he also maintains the local tower clock without formal knowlege.
4th. - he apparently is the person in town who will figure anything out.
The Church and the bell on theParish House.
Many Churches have plaques commemorating the chime and benefactors.
Jim at the 1877 chimestand. Older chimestands had the music behind the vertical rods.
Jim replaced old broken rods with the lighter hand made rods.
Meneely & Co is on the top line of the one bell.
How could two ropes be attached to one clapper? One pulls the clapper into the bell
while the other, attached to a spring, pulls the clapper back off the bell.
Use BACK bar on browser to return to previous menu.
Jim at the 1877 chimestand. Older chimestands had the music behind the vertical rods.
Jim replaced old broken rods with the lighter hand made rods.
How could two ropes be attached to one clapper? One pulls the clapper into the bell
while the other, attached to a spring, pulls the clapper back off the bell.