The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries Ancient and ModernTalmage, James E. (James Edward)
Religion
The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries Ancient and Modern
Talmage, James E. (James Edward)
Latter Day Saint temples; Temples
At the west end are the stands including the pulpits. There are really
three pulpits rising in tiers or terraces; these afford accommodations
for the Church officers of different grades in authority. On either
side of the pulpit-terraces are extended platforms for other bodies of
Priesthood. Behind the stands and pulpits, rising on either side to
the level of the gallery and occupying the space in front of the great
organ, is the choir space, seated to accommodate approximately three
hundred singers, with extra provision in the gallery for nearly as many
more.
At the west end of the building is the great organ, generally admitted
to be one of the best instruments of its class ever built. At the time
of its construction it was the largest organ in this country and the
second or third {205} largest in the world. One of the many surprising
features connected with the instrument lies in the fact of its having
been constructed by local artisans; the woodwork, including pipe and
mechanical equipment, is wholly of native material. The organ occupies
a floor-space of thirty-three by thirty feet, and rises to a height
of forty feet for the body of the organ itself, while the towers in
front reach a height of forty-eight feet. Its stops and regulators
number one hundred and ten; it contains over three thousand six hundred
pipes, which range from half an inch to thirty-two feet in speaking
length. There are four complete finger key-boards and one pedal system,
making in all five individual organs. In size and proportions the organ
comports with the great building in which it is installed; while in
tonal quality and mechanical equipment it is of an order of excellence
corresponding to the other appointments of this splendid auditorium.
The domed roof is constructed on the principle of lattice-work support,
and is self-sustaining throughout its entire extent, there being no
pillars between ceiling and floor. The roof-work is of wood, and at
the time of its construction the beams and trusses were held together
by wooden pegs and rewhide thongs. These materials were used instead
of nails from necessity rather than from choice; nails were obtainable
only as new supplies were brought in by prairie wagons, and the cost
of the long haul precluded their use. While at present there are many
larger roof-spans in the great buildings of the country, most of the
more recent structures are of steel; and it is doubtful if ever there
has been made a more stable structure of its kind consisting wholly of
wood.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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