As is well known, the last and largest installation of Deagan tower
chimes resides in White Springs, Florida, at the Stephen Foster
Cultural Center, a state park on the Suwannee River. Last April
I detoured through White Springs on the way home to Rochester from my
winter place in Lake Wales. Hoping just to hear the instrument, which
was reputed to be in ill repair and barely playing, I was pleased to
learn that it has been fully restored and is currently maintained on
a regular basis by retired park rangers.
The friendly folk there introduced me to "Ranger Larry", a current
employee who, after checking with management, gave me a tour of the
tower and the instrument. I have uploaded a couple files which may
be of interest to some. Here are a few photos of the tower and
instrument. Click the image to enlarge with most web browsers:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rmt/Fostercollage.jpg
Following the photos is an 11 MB file, a short video taken in the relay
room one floor below the Deagan. The excerpt features a bit of music
from the roll player on the ground floor. The accompanying mechanical
noises are relays, solenoids, and dampers. I noted ammeter readings of
130 amperes as the chimes struck.
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rmt/deagantower.MOV
Dick Twichell
Rochester, New York
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