Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-16

gan that has been the means OF afford
ing so much Joy TO residents and tour
isis alike. Mr. Ridges said: 'ln a. in
company with friend. | sailed for
Australia. suffering from a bad attack
Of gold fever and after five months at
sea, we landed at sydney While On
board snip ! became acquainted with
a gentleman whose name was Luke
Syphus it subsequently transpired that
Mr.. Syphus was q Mormon. but at that
time ! could not have told you what
Mormon was. as the fame, or otherwise,
of the 1.atter-day Saints had not then
become TO be so widely known as per-
haps 1t is today. Upon landing at
sydney, | Joined forces with this gem
tleman and we went some 400 miles up
the rivers and creeks into the dense
bush. Well; 10 cut the matter short,
it was not long before found out what
a Mormon was end ! became one of
them joyfully. an action which ! have
never regretted. II 1t did have the eff
feet Of causing my brothers and rela-
tiyes az home in England to cease cor
responding with me.
After staying IN the bush for some
time ! returned 60 the beautiful city Of
sydney. Here | picked out double
stored house, and having a lit
tie money coming 10 me |
began 10 build my first
church organ, which. by the way, was
the first organ 10 be built in Australia,
| had plenty Of time on my hands and
! worked night and day at the instru-
ment' Mr. Ridges went on to describe
the calm, unalloyed delight with which
he worked on that organ; how II began
TO grow under his skllful hands, The
story Of how he developed the beautiful
wind chest with Its slides and valves,
and how II was reared into position
piece by piece proved to be a very in
teresting one. The climax was reached
when he related how he attached the
valves 20 the keys and then made,
voiced and tuned the two soft rich
Dlapason stops OF pipes--the basis and
charm of all organ tones-and COM
menced to play on the organ. LAS the
tones filed the house and foated into
the street" he said, men and women
came out OF their homes and stopped
on the street with the expression,
Great God, there Is a church organ in
there and we have not heard one for
years. Mr. Ridges stated that he
finished the inside of the organ with six
stops to ultimately bring 1t to Utah, ar
ter many adventures, and put IL up in
the old house Of worship where II ac-
companied the choir for many years.
THE TABERNACLE ORGAN.
Coming down to the story Of how he
came TO build the great Tabernacle or
gan, he said: when the present Great
Tabernacle was well advanced. David
o. Calder the founder OF the well
known music firm here. was teaching
children notation singing in the old
school house just within the Eagle Gate.
by this time cabinet organs had be-
come to be comparatively common In
Utah. and altogether music was be-
coming TO be In the ascendant. About
this time the question of having a big
church organ for the Tabernacle was
being pretty well discussed, and Il was
the universal opinion that II was alb
solutely necessary that n big organ
should be obtained to accompany the
choir, The thoughts OF Brigham
Young were always in advance of
those of the rest OF the community
One day he said that the Tabernacle
must have big organ which would be
commensurate with the beauty and
yastness OF the building. No sooner
had he advanced this proposition than
" was at once urgently supported by
the loving approval OF such influential
and sterling citizens as ID. II. Wells.
q. A. smith, ID. o. Calder. Alexander
Piper. Dr. Benedict and others. After
discussing the matter President Brig
ham YOUNG came 90 me and asked me II
II were possible TO build such an organ
in Utah. told him that ! thought II
could be done, whereupon he asked me
TO draw preliminary plans Of the lnstru-
ment | at once went TO work on the
draft OF large organ In the office OF
Truman o. Angel and worked on IL for
weeks Truman was Just at that time
putting up the front OF the gallery Of
the Tabernacle he loved beautiful
things and would come into my shop
every morning and look around at the
columns pillars, entablature and dome
and at the small skeleton organ I was
making TO voice the pipes on. BY this
time had submitted the scheme Of the
organ together with the plans and ele-
walton TO President Young. and he had
approved them. one, day he came into
my shop Il can hear him speaking TO
himself now as II II were but yester-
day. Can we do this thing. Yes; we
can we can do anything that we put
our minds to- Then turning TO me he
said, Go ahead with this Brother
Ridges The elevation looked grand
with the pillars. towers and domes tow
ering to the roof The president asked
many questions regarding the size OF
the platforms required. their strength