Evening star., 1942-04-19
nond Castle Houses Magical Inventions

GLOUCESTER. Mass.-You may have
heard Of men designing musical organs
especially TO suit their homes--but this Is
the story Of man who built home
around an organ.
Hes John Hays Hammond. jr., million
aire inventor. art collector, musician and
sportsman, whose contributions TO mill
tary science and radio communications
are known throughout the world.
Now 81, he has been an inventor since
he was H. when he rugged an electrical
device 10 enable his schoolnates 10 keep
their reading lights hidden after bed
time-and was paid of in royalties OF
double dip chocolate ice cream sodas.
Son Of the late famous mining engi-
neer. Hammond holds patents on 800 in
ventions ranging from a hair tonic to a
radio-controlled torpedo and device
that can operate a loooo-ton battleship
by remote control
Benefciaries OF his wizardry run the
nsmut from Premier Mussolini of Italy.
for whom he once constructed a secret
radio communication system. TO a mil
honaire friend OF pas on whose bald
head / grew pink fuzz with my hair
tonic"
He also invented a hydrocyanic acid
proieotile used by the Allies during the
First World War, and he claims that he
originated the thermite incendiary bomb
which the Germans first used after,
Hammond said. they gypped the plans
from him.
But II was to solve a real estate prob
lem OF his own that he set up house.
keeping at q new address just to accom-
modate a musical instrument.
Hammond was living In q fairly large
mansion on the Gloucester coast few
years ago when he decided to build a
great organ in which to test various
musical devices conceived in his labora-
tories
But gradually" he smiled, "as the
thing grew, and the great pipes became
more numerous, found myself being Of
fered the choice of living on the lawn
and giving my house over TO the organ
or building new home large enough to
accommodate it."
Builds Huge Castle.
So he built himself huge baronial
castle Of medieval pattern. the style be-
ing dictated by the fact that Hammond
had all kinds of art objects of the Middle
Ages In his possession. It's brooding
palace OF stone that lies atop a rugged
seaside ledge and lifts its turrets among
pines that quiver and sigh in the wind
from the sea. 1t overlooks treacherous
Norman's Woe Reef, scene of the storied
wreck Of the Hesperus.
Grinning gargoyles leer down from the
rounded battlementS, and two stone lions
guard the outer end OF a drawbridge
that stretches over a moat rather
good-natured German shepherd dog am
bles through the thin woods around the
castle, but you'd scarcely be surprised to
see a dragon prowling around the place,
looking for a return match with st.
George.
Behind those gray walls Hammond
now has plenty of room to house his
completed organ one of the largest and
best In the world.
As. he told the story, Hammond sat in
a shadowy alcove of the castle. Sur
rounded by medieval treasures which he
gathered from out-of -the-way parts of
the world, he slipped a sociable eggnog
and wiggled his toes in yellow sandals
His tortoise -shelled glasses and natty
leather jacket seemed almost profane
I'm an atmosphere Just ripe for the vista
ton of restless crusader. clanking
armor and all.
Odd Lighting Effects.
There are so many rooms in the place
that the owner has to refer to archi-
tectural drawings to give the correct
number, and there are some rooms Ham
mond doesn't see for six months at a
time-"here you can have guests for days
at time-and never meet them"
1t isn't quite the labyrinth of myStih-
cation that was hinted when the place
was under conStruction-but even Ham,
mond will admit that its narrow. winding
passageways and odd lighting effects
make for complications certainly not to
be found IN an apartment in Boston's
Back Bay.
"A dowsger got stalled behind door
In one Of the organ towers" he grinned,
land she nearly starved to death be-
fore some one came along!"
The great organ speaks into the main
room Of the castle. a room the size of
a large church. and known as the great
hall" II is designed to give the feel
ing of an abandoned church, and as
Hammond escorts you through it, he
helps the illusion by ducking behind
drapery and throwing the electric switch
OF a recording device.
Immediately, the voices of a Grego-