of his
levers in a temporary way to one of the heaviest notes of his organ.
Dr. Camidge admitted that the touch of his instrument was "sufficient
to paralyze the efforts of most men," but financial difficulties stood
in the way of the remedy being applied. Barker offered his invention
to several English organ-builders, but finding them indisposed to adopt
it, he went to Paris, in 1837, where he arrived about the time that
Cavaille-Coll was building a large organ for the Church of St. Denis.
M. Cavaille-Coll had adopted the practice of making his flue and reed
pipes produce harmonic tones by means of wind of heavy pressure; but he
encountered difficulty as the touch became too heavy for practical use.
Mr. Barker's apparatus, which simply overpowered the resistance that
could not be removed, was therefore an opportune presentation; he took
out a _brevet d' invention_ for it in 1839, and M. Cavaille-Coll
immediately introduced it, together with several harmonic stops, into
the St. Denis organ. Besides the organ of St. Denis, Barker's
pneumatic lever was applied to those of St. Roch, La Madeleine, and
other churches in Paris.

"Barker's connection with Cavaille was not of long duration, and we
next find him in the Daublaine & Callinet organ-building company. At
this time the company was rebuilding the magnificent organ at St.
Sulpice, the acknowledged masterpiece of Cliquot, the French 'Father
Schmidt.' * * *

"During the time this restoration of the organ was in hand, Louis
Callinet experienced acute financial difficulties, and, failing to
induce Daublaine, his partner, to advance him a relatively small sum, *
* * Callinet became so bitterly incensed that one day, going to the
organ on some trifling pretext, he entirely wrecked it with axe and
handsaw.

"This act of vengeance or criminal folly involved Daublaine in the same
financial ruin as himself, and through this tragic occurrence the firm
in which Barker was beginning to be securely established came to an
end. Callinet, being absolutely penniless, was not prosecuted, but
ended his days in the employ of Cavaille as voicer and tuner.

"Nor was this the only disaster which occurred during the time Barker
was with Daublaine & Callinet. In 1844 (December 16th), it was
Barker's ill-fortune to kick over a lighted candle while trying to
remove a cipher in the organ his firm had recently erected in St.
Eustache, which occasioned the total destruction of the organ. *