, 1864-02-27
TiiB MONSTER ORGAN.

I literature Of musical criticism:
Boston has been greatly excited lately over
the Inauguration at the Music Hall, 10 that city,
Of the largest organ in the world, built expressly
for "tbe Hub" BY Welchcr of Wirtemburg.
The pressure Of war news has prevented us
heretofore from noticing the organ Of organs in
appropriate terms but we now propose to give
the readers Of the Star some idea Of the great
instrument" We make up our account from
the Boston papers and magazines, taking the
precRution, Of course, to prune their partial
ami doubtless hiRhcolored statements TO the
bounds Of credibiIty.
This monster organ, then, is equal in power
to u choir Of 5000 throats. Its longest wind.
pipes are 285 feet in length, (requiring the
erection Of tower for their special accommo-
datiOn) and fUll-siZed man can crawl readily
through its finest tubes. 800 stops produce
the VARIOUS changes and combinations Of which
its immense orchestra is capable. Like all in
struments Of its HlaSs, It contains several dis
tinct systems Of pipes, commonly spoken Of as
separate organs, and capable Of being played
alone or in connection with each other. Four
manuals or hand key boards, and two pedals or
foot kcyboards, command these several systems
the solo organ, the choir organ, the swell or.
gan and the great sSVan, and the piano and
lgOrtepetssl QrnAn.
DR.. Holmes U. ~.) says Il was at first pro.
posed to move the Go pairs of bellows, designed
10 gil the monster insti nent, by water.power
derived from the Cochituate reservoirs, but It
has been found more convenient TO substitute
two 9.horss.power selfregulating Ericsson en-.
gines as motive power. DIR. Holmes states that
these engines keep an even stroke aud ..ork ad-
mirably. lie adds that no description will do
i,,p.ico IN Nhis Gilman ,nus ins strun,ank
1t requires six able.bodiCd organsts 10 man.
ipuate this immcnse musical machine.
When in the grand crescendO passages these
six Organists rose simultaneously from their
seats, and reccdng couple Of PAGES, rushed
forward in line, throwing their collective weight
Of over 200 ibs upon the pedals, the musical
exploson-ior by no other name can il be des.
gnIted--was terribly grand. Through inad.
vestence the roof trap. doors OF the Music Hall
had not been raised, and the first effect Of this
great dctonal;on Of sound was to lift the heavy
tin roof from the wall sockets some 10 feet into
the air, holding il suspended there until the
immense volume Of sound had fore passage
beneath il. Il is proposed 10 avert similar
accidents by placing mn immense sound-escape
chimney over the Music Hall, alter the style
Of the draught chimney to furnace; but DR..
Holmes. who has given much attention to
acoustics, suggesIS-prrhaps not altogether se.
riously-that The condensed sound thus vented
may fall upon the city in solid chunks, doing
damage.
Outs do the building the effects were quite as
remarkable. II was notic.d that the spires oi
the different chu'ches in the city yiLrated over
an arc Of s'v'ra degrees, the weather 'yanes
upon them dipping and oscillating in the most
singular mannrr, foIn the same cause. The
walls Of the houses throughout the city were
sensib!y shaken, furniture displaced, &c,
causing many timid persons to rush to the
street, thlnking it M earthquake.
In the towns immediately adjoining Boston,
the conclusion also was Supposed 10 be an
earthquake. At NewburyPort il was thought
that the sound Indie It'd b savy naval eigag,.
ment off Boston harOor. AT Salem Q jarring
concussion and report WIS experience, l, Ioseln
bling in sound heavy Uurden.traln passing
over trcssel.work bridge. At Jamaica Plains
twas thousht 10 prVceep from thunderstorm
ia the direction oi Boston, and curiuusly enough
the barometer fell sew eral degrees at that point
aud the same fact w9SAotic,d atNatck, Lynn,
and as Tar distant as Tsunton.
The water receded from Boston harbor in q
wave Of considerable magnitude, and in its ret.
rograde and return swamped, stranded and
kvelcd over several vessels, doing no little dam.
age to the connercal interests.
Gold fish IN globes, and fish of all kinds in
aquaria were instantly killed; and what, for
q time, was unexplainable, was the fact that
they sank immediately, until twas ascertained
by DR.. Holmes that their bladders had been
burst by the concussion; when, Of course, be-
ing minus thtir floating apparatus, they went
down like lead. Dr.. Holmes states also the
remarkable fact tnat numerous dead bodies Of