Workers Restore Bell to Memorial Church Following Loss of Clapper

Late sleepers in Canaday Hall beware--the Memorial Church bell will soon ring again.

The bell, which has not rung since its 100-pound clapper came loose in high winds two months ago, may be back in business as early as the end of this week. The bell must first pass a final inspection, according to University officials.

Yesterday, workers hoisted two new clappers to the steeple using a large crane and counter-weights.

Behind an area of the Tercentenary Theater sectioned off by police, onlookers gawked at the all-day spectacle.

Harvard received the two new clappers from the foundry in England where the original clapper was constructed nine years ago.

Each assembly, with a bell clapper and counterweight, weighs 400 pounds. They each cost approximately $2,500.

Officials purchased the two identical clapper sets at once in case there is any problem with the new clapper, said Daniel F. Murphy, Harvard Property and Real Estate (HPRE) property manager.

Yesterday, crane workers attached one clapper assembly to the bell and left the other on a protected platform below the bell.

An expert will examine the new setup before the motorized bell starts ringing this week to make certain that all parts are joined correctly.

"We think it will work great, but he will render his final opinion," Murphy said.

HPRE officials plan to attach a cable to the new clapper that will prevent it from falling out of the steeple even if it breaks off again, Murphy said.

Murphy said he is still uncertain as to why the clapper broke off in the first place.

The accident occurred March 5 when the clapper snapped off from its counter-weight and pierced a cornice of the steeple during a windstorm.

"You never know. We are going to ship it back [to England]," he said. "Maybe they can come up with a reason."

Murphy said church officials are elated by the bell's quick repair.

Murphy had originally expected that it would take until the end of May to repair the bell.

Canaday Hall residents responded with much less enthusiasm to the news that the bell might ring at the end of the week.

"It was nice [without the bell]," said Laura Kawakami '02, a resident of Candaday's F entryway.

"It rings for quite a while, and it's hard to go back to sleep. If I'm really tired, I'll sleep through it. But other times, I'll wake up for good," she said.

Bradley W. Rogoff '02, who lives slightly farther away from the bell in Canaday C, said the hourly chimes are useful. "It's good to have, to remind you when to go to class during the day," he said.

But, he added, "It's incredibly annoying when you're trying to sleep."

In a separate project yesterday, workers used cranes in efforts to remove paint from a lower part of the Memorial Church roof.

The only damage to Memorial church is some minor piercing where the clapper struck the copper cornice--damage still visible from the Canaday courtyard.

At the time of the accident, Murphy told The Crimson that the University would try to get the bells working again as soon as possible, but said it could take some time to bring the appropriate replacement parts to Harvard from their manufacturers.

The University first learned of the accident when Murphy received a call from the church sexton, who said the bell sounded strange at its 8:45 ringing, according to Murphy.

He then sent two workers to climb and inspect the tower. They informed him they could not find the clapper.

Walking through the Canaday court-yard to the church, Murphy eventually found the clapper.

He discovered it impaled on the cornice above the brick section of the steeple. A roofing company removed it later that morning.

Ann P. Hall, a communications officer for Memorial Church, said she was surprised by the accident.