Evening star., 1924-11-16

in shape and with plug and handle
at the end which can be adjusted for
tuning purposes. The wooden pipes
range in size from an ordinary penny
whistle to the mammoth one capable
of sheltering a man, but they all re-
semble each other in construction.
And the sound is produced from the
pipe simply by cutting an opening
which resembles an ordinary hand
made chestnut whistle. This OPEN
ing is cut by hand and has to be ac-
eurate to the smallest particle of an
inch. Seven thousand feet of lumber
are being used in the construction
the thirty-two 32-foot pipes. These
gigantic pipes will produce notes one
octave below low CO. on the piano.
There is one still larger in an organ
in Australia, which is GA feet long
and its note is two octayes lower than
the bottom &C. on piano.
II the construction OF the wooden
pipes, all of spruce. seems simple the
making of the metal ones is compli-
Gated. To make metal pipe when
has a speaking length OF three quar-
ters of an inch and a diameter OF
one-quarter of an inch, such as will
be in the auditorium organ, requires
an artist This little pipe must be
absolutely true and requires care.
thought, a deft hand and keen.
clear eye on the part of the workman.
He rolls a sheet Of tin, or alloys OF
lead and zinc, according to the tone
desired, into the desired shape and
soldiers it together. while another
man cuts a hole in 1t to produce the
proper sound. 1t it. is pipe to sound
like d string instrument, a special
man will voice 1t in the voicinG
room. He will cut hicks in the
mouth. notch them here, bend them
there and with very different opera
tion change the tone until the pipe
takes on it's real individuality.
Reservoirs of Wind.
It being necessary for these pipes
to have wind in order to speak,
great alright boxes are made in an
other section Of the factory. They
have innumerable holes in the top
and cleverly designed interiors. with
channels which lead the wind through
delicate valves just where it should
go, to the holes in the top, in which
the pipes are finally set. These
chests will be furnished with wind
from reservoirs in which it is stored
under pressure. Two motors and
several fans will keep them supplied.
The electric wiring In the audi
torium organ would cloud the mind
of a layman, but as 1t is explained
the simplicity is astonishing. To
each note in the wind chest there is
run wire which carries the cleo
tricity to actuate tiny magnet,
which raises a light armature from
its seat and permits wind to pass to
the pipe it controls. These wires run
in almost unbelievable ramifications,
tapping every part of the instru-
ment and centering in the console.
There is peculiar technical con-
struction. which If one wire goes
dead another can be cut in without
going over the miles of electric lines
to find the trouble. The magnets are
wrapped with hairlike insulated wire,
$50 feet of It being on each magnet,
of which there are about $500.
Virtually every part of the Wash
ington organ can be removed or re-
placed al will in the event of dam
age by fire or water, so. unless the
organ be totally destroyed. there is
nothing to fear about It's future.
The console, with its array of stop
keys, finger keys and foot pedals.
has not been built. but work will
begin on 1t shortly. AS soon as each
section is completed the assembling
room will check up. it will be packed
In heavy excelsior and shipped to
Washington for erection. Then, on
a date to be announced later, Mr..
Gibson will give the first public re-
cital, and later, it is under stood, it
will be turned over to organists of
the various churches for recital pur-
poses.
Mr.. Gibson has been private organ
list to the late Henry Clay Frick,