|
Slide show of a selection of pictures from the Midland Meander 2005.
Click here for details of a fantastic video available on VHS or DVD.
The Steam Car Club of Great Britain caters for owners of
steam cars, old and new, and steam cycles. But you do
not have to own a steam car or cycle. Perhaps you want
one, or are just interested in these vehicles or in
their further developments.
The Music
Located deep in the Luray Caverns in Virginia's
Shenandoah Valley is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the worlds largest musical
instrument. Stalactites covering 3 1/2 acres of the surrounding caverns produce
tones of symphonic quality when electronically tapped by rubber-tipped mallets.
This most unique, one-of-a-kind instrument was invented in 1954 by Mr. LeIand W.
Sprinkle of Springfield, Virginia, a mathematician and electronic scientist at
the Pentagon. He began his monumental 3 year project by searching the vast
chambers of the caverns selecting stalactites to precisely match a musical
scale. Electronic mallets were wired throughout the caverns and connected to a
large four-manual console. When a key is depressed, a tone occurs as the
rubber-tipped plunger strikes the stalactite tuned to concert pitch. For many
years Leland played the Stalacpipe Organ for visitors, as seen in the bottom
right photo.
Close-up of one of the mallets which strike a stalactite
when an organ key is pressed.
|
