Stuart Kolbinson: Casavant 301(696): 1955 - 1988

Dear Sirs: Re. # 301, Grace Church, Winnipeg, 1907

This instrument became my property in 1955, and was erected in a music room built for it on my farm home in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, in 1963. In 1979 I moved it to a specially built room added to my house in Victoria, where it is in almost daily use by students and others.

Dear Mr. Kolbinson:-

Your letter of the 14th inst., addressed to Mr. Laframboise has been referred to the writer, and regarding our Mr. Stoot, we may tell you, that he has satisfactorily recovered from the heart attack of some months ago, but he has to be very careful and go easy. Though he has retired since September last, he comes into the office almost every day.

Now about the supply of the bass of Bourdon 16-12 pipes CCC-BBB to be of the same scale as the one for the 207-U, we beg to quote the price of $200.00 plus tax but including the transportation.

Dear Mr. Kolbinson: -

Your letter of Aug. 12th has been received and I was pleased to hear from you after such a long time.

Regarding the old Casavant organ which you succeeded in buying so cheaply, it is indeed a huge job for a residence. I have the old contract form on my desk and note that it is a 4 manual of about 45 registers built in 1907 (except the case) for the sum of $7,150.00. From our old drawings, it stood in a chamber 29'-00" wide 14'-00" deep and around 20'-00" high.

It seemed to have been originally blown by a 3 H.P. motor working the feeders on one of the two bellows one of which is 11'-0" x 5'-0". They are indeed huge but in those days of either hydraulic or electric motors working feeders through a crank-shaft, the reservoirs (or storage) had to be big because of the operation of feeders. This may have been changed later for an electric fan-blower, but the reservoirs would not have been changed.