American Organs.
Year: 1885

page_text: American Organs.
I, JAMES MURGATROYD, of Belle Vue Organ Works, Manningham Lane, Bradford
in the County of York, Organ Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in the means employed for
blowing American Organs when hydraulic or other kind of engine is used; and has
for its object the arrangement of the blowing apparatus in such a manner that the
amount of wind drawn through the reeds is regulated so steadily, that no difference
can be detected in the tone of the instrument, when the organist changes rapidly
from a light to a heavy passage or vice versa, as is now the case with this class of
organ blown by means of an engine connected directly to the bellows.
I accomplish my object in the following manner. To the hydraulic or other
engine is coupled an exhauster, independent to the one in the organ, constructed
with the fulcrum in the centre and divided into two compartments so that when
one bellows is expanded the other is collapsed, and thus at each stroke of the
engine air is drawn from a flexible receiver placed beneath this exhauster, which
former is weighted to the same strength as the springs of the receiver in the
organ. When the engine works, air is drawn through the reeds into the receiver
and then blown away by the exhauster.
;
In the wind trunk I fix a palate or throttle valve which is actuated as the
organ receiver rises or falls, the former closing the palate and the latter opening it,
thus the more wind the organist uses the wider does the palate open allowing a
larger amount of wind to be drawn through the reeds or as the palate closes vice
versa.
י
,
When the palate closes the air is exhausted out of the supplementary receiver
faster than it can enter which latter consequently rises, thereby actuating a rod
connected with 'the engine which slackens or stops it until more wind is again
required, when the palate opens wider and by the receiver being expanded the
engine is made to go faster.
1
The connections between the wind trunk and the organ bellows are flexible
whereby the organ may be blown by feet or hands should it be necessary to do so.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1885

page_text: i
I, JAMES MURGATROYD, of Belle Vue Organ Works, Manningham Lane, Bradford,
in the County of York, Organ Builder do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to certain improvements in the means employed for what
is generally termed the blowing of American Organs when hydraulic or other kind
of engine is used, and has for its object the arrangement of the blowing apparatus
in such a manner that the amount of wind drawn through the reeds is regulated so
steadily that no difference can be detected in the tone of the instrument when the
organist changes from a light to a heavy passage, or vice versa, as is now the case
with this class of organ blown by means of an engine connected directly to the
bellows.
The invention consists in coupling the engine to a double acting air exhauster
which draws the air from the ordinary receiver in the organ into a supplementary
receiver, from which it is drawn and blown into the atmosphere. The amount of
wind drawn through the reeds I regulate by fixing a palate in the wind trunk
between the two receivers, which closes when the air is drawn from the organ
receiver by the exhauster quicker than it can flow in through the reeds of the
instrument; the exhauster then drawing air from the supplementary receiver
which, as the pressure of air inside becomes less than the pressure outside, is
compressed, thereby actuating a rod which causes the engine to reduce its speed
until such time as the ordinary air receiver of the organ is again full of air, when
the palate in the wind trunk opens, the supplementary air receiver is filled, which
moves the rod to its original position, thereby allowing the speed of the engine to
increase.
In order to explain more fully my invention, I append a sheet of drawings in
which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of my improved apparatus, Fig. 2 an end
view of the same, Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the supplementary receiver and
exhauster, and Fig. 4 a section of a portion of the wind trunk shewing the palate
therein.
The letter A indicates the double acting exhauster fixed in a horizontal position
to suitable framework, and worked by means of a rod B connected to an hydraulic
or other suitable engine. The exhauster A is pivotted at C and works in the
manner of a see-saw, air being thus continually drawn from the flexible supple-
mentary air receiver D weighted at W on the underside to correspond with the
strength of the springs of the ordinary air receiver fixed in all American Organs.
In the wind trunk E between the two receivers I fix a palate, constructed by
preference as the one shewn at F, which is connected to the ordinary air receiver
of the organ by the lever L and rods RR, the palate F being hinged at one end,
opens and closes as required, thus regulating the flow of air.

page_text: When the engine is set to work, air is drawn through the reeds of the instru-
ment into the ordinary air receiver of the organ through the wind trunk E, into
the supplementary air receiver D, from which it is blown into the atmosphere, the
arrangement of the palates of the exhauster A and receiver D being shown by
Fig. 3, air being blown out of the exhauster at A¹ and drawn from the receiver D
into the exhauster at A*.
Should the air be drawn from the organ receiver quicker than it can flow
through the reeds of the instrument, the palate F is closed owing to the former
being expanded, whereby the exhauster A has then to draw air out of the supple-
mentary air receiver D, the bottom of which is soon lifted upwards owing to the
pressure of the atmosphere being greater than the pressure inside the receiver, the
lifting of the bottom of the latter moving the rod G attached to the hydraulic or
other engine by which the speed is reduced; but as soon as the ordinary receiver
of the organ begins to be filled with air, the palate F opens and thus equalizes the
pressure in and outside of the receiver D which becomes distended again and
actuates the rod G in the opposite direction, thereby increasing the speed of the
engine.
By making the connection flexible between the wind trunk E and the ordinary
receiver of the organ, I do not interfere with the existing method of blowing
American Organs, so that I am enabled to blow the organ by the hands or feet as
hitherto with the addition of my improved apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The blowing of American Organs by means of an exhauster A, supplementary
air receiver D and palate F, all combined and arranged substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described.
In an American Organ provided with a palate F enclosed in the wind trunk E.
substantially in the manner and for the purpose as set forth.