By Fred Steiner, www.blufftonforever.com
Roscoe Evans, who helped construct and then for 23 years was in charge of maintenance on the world’s largest pipe organ, located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The website www.blufftonforever.com offers additional details, photos and links to the famous organ. This story was originally published in the Oct. 14, 1937, Bluffton News.
Maintenance man and caretaker of the world’s largest organ, which requires a building 10 stories high to house its 33,056 pipes is the job of Roscoe Evans, formerly of Bluffton, who was here visiting old friends during the past week.
The former Bluffton man an expert on organ construction has been responsible for the care and tuning of the great organ in the Atlantic City Convention hall since it was completed four years ago.
For the preceding two and one-half years he has been at the same place assisting in building the large musical instrument.
So extensive is the $400,000 organ in the auditorium of the convention hall that it requires four hours to walk thru the eight chambers crowded with pipes.
Pipe 64 feet high
Largest of the 33,056 speaking pipes of the organ is one wooded pipe 64 feet in height. Next largest are nine 32-foot pipes of metal, wood and reeds. One of the 32-foot pipes is three feet in diameter made of Oregon fir three inches thick.
Smallest pipe in the organ is no larger than a lead pencil in diameter, and has a speaking length of three-sixteenths of an inch in length. Many of the pipes are less than one-half inch long.
Eight blowers are incorporated in the organ, powered by motors from 40 to 60 horsepower in rating. Today the horse power of the organ’s 12 motors is 365.
10-story organ
A space 10 stories high is required to for the great organ that occupies the sub-basement, basement and eight floors in the auditorium.
At an electric power rate of two cents, when the complete organ is operated cost is approximately $5.70 an hour.
However, the average cost is approximately $3 an hour since the organ is seldom in full operation.
Left here in 1905
Evans left Bluffton 32 years ago, going to Van Wert where he learned to tune pianos in a factory. He was the son of John B. Evans, a Bluffton livery stable operator whose barn was at the present location of Sidney’s Drug shop.
Check https://www.blufftonforever.com/post/roscoe-evans-famous-from-bluffton for the complete story, which includes photographs and links to the Atlantic City organ.
