(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Tangley Calliaphone illustration from a circa 1930 Tangley Manufacturing Company advertising flyer. Promoted as The Instrument With A Hundred Different Uses, the Calliaphone was superbly qualified for advertising and drawing large crowds, due to its attention getting musical tone and long distance carrying qualities—up to one-half mile for the soft toned model, and one mile for the loud toned model. Another advantage of the Calliaphone was its relative portability, it easily mounted in a small truck or circus wagon.

(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Circa 1930 Tangley advertising flyer illustration of the popular Calliaphone Model CA-43, a 43-note brass whistle instrument with keyboard and roll playing mechanism. The case to the front of the Calliaphone encloses the electric motor driven blower, which would be connected to the Calliaphone by two long hoses. The catalogue notes that "these blowers can be placed at any distance from the Calliaphone, if hose or pipe is connected."

(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Circa 1930 Tangley advertising flyer illustration of the blower normally shipped with a new Calliaphone. When an electric motor is used it requires a 1 H.P. motor for one pound press on loud volume instruments; 3/4 H.P. for 1/2 pound pressure for soft volume instruments. It is a positive displacement lobe type blower. The internal components consist of two horizontal shafts that are geared together, each shaft fitted with a precision two-sided lobe that meshes with an identical lobe on the other shaft, which has been rotated 90 degrees from the primary powered shaft(see drawing below). The lobes must be precisely machined to a close fit, so that air does not excessively leak past the machined edges of the lobes.

(Illustration from Motorcar Handbook of 1935.)

This simplistic cross section drawing is of a typical Roots positive displacement lobe pump design used during the Calliaphone era. It clearly shows the interface between the two precisely machined lobes. To keep the two lobes in perfect Synchronicity with each other the two shafts were geared to rotate in a one-to-one ratio. In this drawing the intake port is at the left side, with exhaust on the right.

(Tangley Instruction Booklet courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Blower connection illustration from a Tangley Manufacturing Company booklet titled Instructions For Assembling and Operating The Calliaphone—A Vestal Press Reprint. This being a positive displacement pump, it would develop a vacuum whenever the intake port was obstructed. Because the automatically played Calliaphone had a pneumatic stack and player mechanism it required a vacuum source, and so the intake port of the blower was fitted with a "vacuum valve," or perhaps more correctly a vacuum relief valve. When the vacuum level reached a set threshold the relief valve would open and maintain a fairly steady vacuum level, while also providing air pressure (using air spilling through the vacuum relief valve). The vacuum level was adjustable by means of the coil spring and adjustable nut located on the vacuum valve.

(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Circa 1930 Tangley advertising flyer illustration of a Direct Connected Engine Blower that eliminates belts and trouble. Weight of engine and blower is about 450 lbs. Floor space about 18 inches by 40 inches, height about 34 inches. The unit can be furnished with a 1500 Watt generator for lights.

(Photograph courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

Nameplate for an Acme Blower, which was manufactured by the P. H. & F. M Roots Company of Connersville, Indiana. This was the type of "Roots" blower typically sold along with a Tangley Calliaphone.

(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Circa 1930 Tangley advertising flyer illustration of the Calliaphone Orchestra—More Volume - Less Musicians. The catalogue goes on: "Just what Orchestras need. Gives a beautiful calliope effect and plays like a piano. Small and compact. Whistles unscrew for packing and traveling. Operated from 1/2 H.P motor, form light socket, or 32-volt battery can be used. Gives effect of four Saxaphones. Gives volume effect of twice the number of musicians. 3-1/2 octaves, chromatic scale."

(Tangley advertising flyer images courtesy of Terry Smythe.)

Circa 1930 Tangley advertising flyer illustration of the Calliaphone for Churches, Funeral Homes, and Private Homes. This tall case model featured a keyboard on the front side, and could be played automatically or by hand. It came complete with a motor blower outfit which could be placed in an outside room. This style Calliaphone was featured as background music on Norman Baker's radio shows, broadcast by his own station, K-TNT (Know The Naked Truth) situated on the highest hill in Muscatine, Iowa.

(Tangley Instruction Booklet image courtesy of Dana Johnson.)

This "Diagram of Vacuum System of Calliaphone" provides a simplistic layout of the vacuum components and tubing interconnections. The keyboard mechanical linkages and pneumatic stack representations are at left; the wind-motor and roll frame components are represented at right.