Restored Bells Bring Ringing Back to River

Quincy, Lowell and Adams House residents can now relate to the woes of their first-year counterparts in Canaday Hall.

Following in the footsteps of Memorial Church, St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church--which neighbors the river Houses--has started ringing its bells every fifteen minutes from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

The bells began chiming two weeks ago. They were restored to their original sonorousness after more than 20 years of neglect, during which both the church's clock and the bells ceased to function.

After it became apparent that the church tower's advanced state of disrepair was a serious safety hazard, the church undertook renovations costing about $500,000. Over the course of the repairs, the church decided to make cosmetic changes as well as structural repairs.

The result was a working clock and quarter-hour chimes.

Many students, particularly those living in the church's immediate vicinity, say they are annoyed by this latest development.

"It's a hassle," said John A. Height '00 of Quincy House. "Most of the time it's really bad...I could have handled [the bells] on the hour, but every fifteen minutes doesn't help."

Anna-Marie L. Tabor '98 of Adams House agreed.

"I think it's a beautiful clock tower...but I think going off on the quarter hour is a little excessive," said Tabor, who is a Crimson editor.

"I'm taking Music 1b and I can't listen to a piece all the way through for my class without it being interrupted," she added.

Other student residences are also affected.

"It was nice to hear them for the first day or so, but it's getting old," said Jud L. Jaffe '99, a Crimson editor who lives in the Sigma Chi fraternity house, located at 45 Mt. Auburn St.

Rev. James W. Savage, the church's associate pastor, said he can understands what students are upset about.

"When I was at [the University of] Notre Dame, I lived next door to the church, and the bells rang all through the night, so I have sympathy," he said.

But Savage added that, in time, he becameimmune to the ringing.

Rev. Dennis F. Sheehan, the church's seniorchaplain, emphasized his enthusiasm for the bells'refurbishment.

"I am ecstatic," he said. "It's a greataccomplishment."

Savage said the bells have spiritualsignificance. "The Catholic Church is asacramental church, and the bells are a veryconcrete sign of God calling people to hispresence," he explained.

St. Paul's had not been renovated since itsconstruction in 1923, and many large repairs wereneeded on the 190-foot tower. According to DavidW. Graf, who oversaw the clock restoration, therepairs to the clock-works proved quitechallenging.

"The pieces were mostly rusted or missing,"Graf said. "This model is particularly extensivein terms of its mechanics."

Graf managed to fix the clock's originaltime-keeping mechanisms and preserve the oldparts, an achievement of little consolation tomany students.

But river-dwellers who curse the bells may takeheart. The original plan at St. Paul's called fora daily ringing at 6 a.m. In deference to thechurch's sleeping neighbors, the idea was dropped

But Savage added that, in time, he becameimmune to the ringing.

Rev. Dennis F. Sheehan, the church's seniorchaplain, emphasized his enthusiasm for the bells'refurbishment.

"I am ecstatic," he said. "It's a greataccomplishment."

Savage said the bells have spiritualsignificance. "The Catholic Church is asacramental church, and the bells are a veryconcrete sign of God calling people to hispresence," he explained.

St. Paul's had not been renovated since itsconstruction in 1923, and many large repairs wereneeded on the 190-foot tower. According to DavidW. Graf, who oversaw the clock restoration, therepairs to the clock-works proved quitechallenging.

"The pieces were mostly rusted or missing,"Graf said. "This model is particularly extensivein terms of its mechanics."

Graf managed to fix the clock's originaltime-keeping mechanisms and preserve the oldparts, an achievement of little consolation tomany students.

But river-dwellers who curse the bells may takeheart. The original plan at St. Paul's called fora daily ringing at 6 a.m. In deference to thechurch's sleeping neighbors, the idea was dropped