Show veteran bell ringer of retires FIGURE unique in the church history A of now new york city and one of the last professional representatives ot of the rapidly passing occupation of bell reager hag had just been lost to new york in the person of albert niels mels lahm who ever since 1879 that la is for 30 years has rung the chimes of the famous old trinity church at avery every regular service and on special occasions the last ot of these special occasions on which he played the chimes was when theodore roosevelt set out on his bis african hunt his selection for that occasion given as the outbound steamer was wads abreast of the church was guide me ate oh thou great jehovah pilgrim to a foreign land lie he has been associated with many other famous happenings having rung the chimes at the unveiling of the statue of liberty the opening of the brooklyn bridge which was the first to connect manhattan with long island the celebration here of queen victorias diamond jubilee and many other events of national and international importance one duty every year which he never missed was the ringing out of the old year and the ringing enof the now new and for nearly a third of a century he has done this to the accompaniment of the tooting horns of the celebrating crowds in the street below it la Is far from a sentimental reason however which lias has led to the retirement of mr air mels alois lahm for his great weight has haa made the climbing of the 81 steps to the keyboard of the chimes an almost impossible accomplishment he was born in n tho shadow of trinity |