The Lamar register., 1892-03-12
MUSIC BY ELECTRICITY.
Church Organs Worked by Means of The
Electric Fluid.

There are half a dozen pipe organs in New
York City operated by electricity. One of tho
best of these is the Dutch Reformed Church
at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-ninth street.
The pipes In the ordinary organ are worked
by trackers, which consist of long, thin strips
of wood, connecting the key with the Pipe
palate. By pressing down the key the tracker
displaces the palate and admits the air
pumped from the bellows into the pipe, thus
producing the sound.
1t VIII readily be seen that this device,
which Is purely a mechanical one, will not adj
NIT of much elaboration. 1t is necessary TO
have as little friction as possible, In order that
the keys may be played with a minimum
| amount of effort. This necessitates the con-
struction Of the body Of the organ in the i'm
mediate neighborhood of the keys, for each
| foot of distance means an increase In the pres
sure required TO be exerted by the performer.
BY means of electricity distance as factor
TO be taken into consideration In constructing
the instrument is entirely done away with. An
electrical organ Is so arranged that by press
ing down the key circuit is closed which
opens the pipe valve as quickly as the press
ing Of an electric button rings bell
The organ is located in three different parts
Of the church. The most remote and largest
Is In the gallery, at distance of the entire
length Of the building from the keys. All
these three parts, each of which has the ap-
pearance of a separate instrument, is operated
from the small key box, barely five feet high,
and not much larger than ordinary roll
desk. In fact, it Is in the concentration Of all
the mechanism into so small space that
makes this particular electrical organ superior
10 any other.
The electric current is communicated to
eech Of the separate departments by means of
cables, each cable containing all the wires
necessary to work any one part. There are
FIVE cables leading from the key box TO the gal
lery organ, and four to the chancel organs,
which constitute the other two. The cleo
trlelty used In these cables is derived from a
storage battery located in the chancel bellows
room, and having an electro motive force of
eight volts. This is fed over the same wires
that supply the currents for lighting the
church and running the motors.
When the current Is open, or, in other
words, when none Of the keys are depressed,
this bellows is In It's normal conditioner
phndcd. When, however, the circuit is closed
a core situated directly beneath the bellows is
mRgnetized. The magnet attracts a metal
valve in the bellows, and acts so that the wind
is allowed to escape.
The pressure of the air in this wind chest
causes the bellows to collapse, thereby pulling
down a wire connecting with the palate of the
sound pipe.
Thus, all that the electricity does IS to open
a valve In this inner bellows. The bellows, on
collupsing, removes the stopper, or palate, OF
the organ pipe. The wind from the large
pumping bellows being then admitted, the
pipe performs It's duty.
The method by which the three distinct or
cans are played, separately or together as the
organlst may wish, consists of an ordinary
switch, such as is used in the killing by elec.
tricity Of criminals at Sing Sing The main
wires from the battery before entering tht
mercury troughs are passed through three
point switch When the switch lever touches
one OF thcse points the current is allowed Il
reach every contact in the organ. In another
position all communication with the gallery Is
shut or and in a third position, this eommuni
! cation Is restored, while at the same time tn,
current Is interrupted on its Say to the chan
eel organ.-Nelr York Post.