For Sale: 32-Key Steam Calliope
By Robbie Rhodes
Steam calliope, 32 whistles, chromatic, lowest pitch circa "Middle C", with brass carillon-style keyboard and bellcrank linkage to spring-loaded balanced poppet valves. Powered by 30-horsepower vertical firetube boiler, all mounted within a 20-foot-long rubber-tired circus wagon with ornate facade.
This calliope is a production instrument (not "home-built"), maker unknown, originally built before 1905 for service aboard Mississippi River steamboats, and later purchased by an American circus in the late 1930's. The present owner bought it in Colorado in 1957; it last performed in 1959 in the Seattle region, and has been preserved in storage since. It is complete and in fair-to- good condition, restorable. The firetube boiler must be replaced with a modern boiler which can be certified and licensed for parade and public operation.
Price $20,000. For further information and photos write to: Dan Grinstead, 6119 Latona NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
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For Angelo Rulli: I think this opportunity deserves an advertisement in the MBSI bulletin, in conjunction with the MBSI convention this summer. What does a 1/4 or 1/2-page ad with photos cost? Who should Grinstead contact? (He is not the owner.)
A question for circus fans: The steam calliope deserved its names, "The Squealer" and "The Shrieker". On the old-time river-boat, I understand that it was usually mounted upon or above the pilot-house, and thus people on the deck wouldn't be deafened. To my knowledge it was always fitted with a carillon-style keyboard, and played with the fists. Of course, the calliope-player ultimately became as deaf as a post!
I can't believe that "The Squealer" is the same instrument featured playing along with the circus band, or, for that matter, along the Midway -- it was too noisy. It seems to me that the "traditional circus calliope" was more likely an air calliope with a standard-size organ keyboard. Can someone confirm my theory?
-- Robbie Rhodes <rrhodes@foxtail.com>
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(Message sent Sun 19 May 1996, 07:17:02 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.) |
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