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

me down TO the Tabernacle and marked
| with his stick a certain distance out
| from the west wall according to the
plan.
THOSE WHO ASSISTED.
after obtaining permission to pro-
coed with the organ, ] proceeded to
! gather around me a few intelligent and
skllful mechancs-Shure Olsen, Niels
| Johnson, David Anderson, William
Pinney, John sandberg. None Of these
| men had ever worked at organ building
| but all afforded me efficient help, and
| toward the end | had one man-Mr
! Frank Woods-who had worked at the
business before.
"Great difficulties had TO be met and
| surmOunted. The white vertical grain
| pine had TO be obtained from the noun
| talns and some loads We're brought in
| wagons from st George distance Of
| near 400 miles. This was the best wood
| for the pipes, being free from gum or
| pitch, and clear. The great 32-foOt
tones required many thousands Of feet
of it.
THE COWS SIMPLY DIED.
eve wanted immense quantities OF
| glue. so we made ranks Of fires just
| outside the Tabernacle walls and put
| on big iron pots. We wanted COW hides
| to chop up and boil down into glue. We
| got them" said Mr.. Ridges with
| smile, for the cows simply died, We
| also wanted calves skins to hinge the
ribs Of the great bellows and, well, the
| calves died also.
"At this stage my time began 10 be
| taken up with making scales Of sizes OF
ranks Of pipes, voicing them and as
signing details for the boys Those
were busy, happy days, After many
months the great instrument on which
we had worked so long began to assert
itself The great bellows were put In
their place, the strong frames carrying
their huge wind chests, with their null
tltudes OF heavy pipes, the entablature,
the columns and pillars began To arise
into their positions. All was happiness
and pleasure, and We felt, every one or
us, that we had not worked in vain.
our reward was with US for a thing
Of beauty Is a JOY forever
COMMENTS FROM TOURISTS,
at this time Brother Bywater brought
the iron horse into salt Lake with the
screeching of whistles aud the clang-
ing of bells. Every day brought in the
trains loaded down with eNcursonlsts
and tourists who invariably came to
see the great Tabernacle and the organ
as IL was being reared behind the mas
siye scaffold Many is the time that
these tourists have said to me, why
Mr. Ridges, you people way off here In
Salt Lake are manifesting intelligence
and genius TO q degree which we were
not led to expect in the wild west
Sometimes Capt. Hooper with a dozen
of his friends from Congress and Wash
ington, would come and ask me 10 snow
our work to them. / can remember that
one day some seventeen members OF
the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's con-
gregation from Brooklyn, n. Y, visit
I'd us and expressed themselves de-
lighted with the tone of the organ. The
great 32-foot pipes. especially excited
their wonder and admiration as no such
pipes In those days had heretofore been
attempted in the United States
after the Brooklyn visitors returned
to their homes ! received one Of their
papers containing an account OF their
visit here in which 1t was admitted that
I'm some things the 'Mormons were
ahead Of tho people Of New York.
"Well, | guess that / had better not
talk any more in that strain as you
might think that possibly l am try
ing to blow my own trumpet at the
same time ! am very proud of that or
gan, as proud as the proudest father
could be Of distinguished son, and !
have the satisfaction of knowing that
when am laid away to rest that that
organ will continue to stand as a me-
mortal Of the trials and difficulties
that were overcome by the pioneers.
breathing out strains Of sweet music
to delight future generations