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it, and this, with his natural aptitude for
his work, was instrumental in securing
for him the position of foreman in two
months. During all the years that he
had devoted to organ building, Mr. Aus-
tin has devoted a large portion of his
spare time to the study of the scientific
and physical principles underlying the
construction of the instruments, and as a
result this study, which was the moving
factor in his rise out of the class of the
mechanical workman, has made him an
inventor of note in his line of work. Up
to the present time he has taken out
nearly forty patents covering almost
every phase of pipe organ construction.
In the summer of 1893, he severed his
connection with the first firm which had
employed him in America, and became
associated with the Clough & Warren
Company, which built organs under Mr.
Austin's patents. This association continued
until the fall of 1898, when Mr.
Austin came to Hartford, and organized
the Austin Organ Company, which was
incorporated in 1899. He became gen-
eral manager of the corporation, continu-
ing in that capacity until about ten years
ago, when the repsonsibilities of presi-
dent were added to those of general
manager of the company.
The business, which has grown to such
importance in Hartford, was started on
a small scale with three men in the old
Bliss plant, which was rented with the
understanding that the rent was to apply
on the purchase price. As the business
has grown, additions have been made,
until now the plant occupies about fifty-
four thousand square feet of floor space.
It is built entirely of brick, and is equipped
with every modern device for increasing
efficiency and conserving the health, comfort
and safety of employees. The company
employs about one hundred and
sixty people, and in 191 5 the volume of
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
315
business went over the five hundred thousand
dollar mark. The Austin Organ
Company is quite generally recognized as
the leading firm of organ builders in this
country. They built and erected the
organs used in the Panama Exposition
at San Francisco, and also at the fair in
San Diego. They have installed about a
dozen organs in Hartford. The business
of the firm extends all over the country.
They installed the organ in the Taber-
nacle in Salt Lake City ; the City Hall
at Portland, Maine; the Auditorium at
Atlanta, Georgia ; the Auditorium in Los
Angeles ; Medinah Temple in Chicago
All Saint's Cathedral in Albany, New
York ; and many other organs in places
too numerous to mention. In fact, there
is scarcely a large centre of population
in this country in which Austin organs
have not been placed. A recent and most
notable example is the organ built by the
Austin Organ Company for the auditorium
of the new Public Ledger building in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is
spoken of in the "Chicago Diapason" as
the largest organ ever constructed, and
most unique in various of its appointments.
The instrument is in fact an
assemblage of three complete large
organs, all played from one four-manuel
console on the stage. The main organ,
in rear of the stage, has four manuals and
pedal, controlling 161 speaking stops;
the dome organ and gallery organ, each
has the same number of manuals with
pedal, the former controlling 62 and the
latter 60 speaking stops, a total of 283
speaking stops. In addition is a special
string organ, which can be played either
separately, or in combination with either
or all of the other organs. The mechani-
cal accessories are a marvel of ingenuity
and constructional skill, and "The Diapason"
says that it may be safely affirmed
that never before has an equal number of