MY X-RAY

It was a sunny summer day. I was playing baseball with Alfred and Bob at Saint John's Catholic School grounds. We got really thirsty, so we went to my house to get something to drink. I really wanted some pop, so I ran up the stairs to ask my mom if we could share a pop. Mom said no, but could have some lemonade. I was running down the stairs to tell my friends, when I tripped and rolled down the rest of the way. I didn't want to cry in front of my friends, but my leg really hurt. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but wiped them away before my friends could see. My leg felt very sore, and when my mom came out to see what the noise was about, she said, "I think you might have a broken leg. We should take you to the hospital." I didn't want to, but my leg was so sore that I felt like throwing up.

When we got to the hospital, the nurse looked at my leg and decided to do an x-ray. She gave me some medicine so my leg wouldn't hurt so much, and then she took me to the x-ray station. I had never seen an x-ray machine before. It was really cool! It was about the same height as the nurse, and about as wide as my wagon. It was black and metal, and it said on the side that it was made by General Electric in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The model number was D4 Type 1 model 39 with a serial number of 487004. As I sat waiting for the nurse to take the x-ray, I read a little metal thing on the side. It said, "This device in so far as its safety from electric shock and fire hazard is concerned has been approved by the Canadian Standards Association. The CSA is not concerned with the physical effects of the radiation from the device." I had no idea what that meant, but by the time I was done reading everything I could see on the machine, the nurse had taken an x-ray of my leg. It was broken.

The nurse put a big cast on it. It was really heavy, and it still hurt. I had to stay in the hospital for two days. The nuns were very nice, but I wanted to go home. When my mom and dad came to pick me up, I was so glad. When we got home, Alfred and Bob were waiting, and we all had lemonade.

By: Seth White

November, 2009

Holling and Spangenberg Piano Outline

I. Intro

II. What I am studying? Ex. Description

III. Who made it?

IV. Where was it made? Ex. History of Company

V. When was it made?

VI. Where has it been? Ex. Museum, Convent, Music Store

P.S. It was not at all part of the Old Catholic Mission.

VII. Conclusion.

Holling and Spangenberg Piano Nov.25/09

Many pianos have a mystery behind them. A piano is sitting in the Old Catholic Mission, which is one of the displays at the Heritage Park of Fort McMurray. I decided to research about this piano because I am a piano student. I will talk about the condition of the piano who made it, and were it has been over the years.

This piano was made by the company Holling and Spangenberg. The piano is in very good condition for its age. It has ivory keys and carvings of flowers on the cover. The piano itself is very out of tune, but no strings are broken inside. I am not sure what wood the piano is made of. I did try and find out online. I e-mailed several sources and they had no idea what it was made of. Some hadn't even heard of a Holling and Spangenberg piano! I did find a website that was all about the maker of the piano, though. There wasn't very much information at all. The Holling and Spangenberg Company must have made very durable pianos, because this one only had a couple of scratches and chipped keys!

The Holling and Spangenberg Company was founded by Mr. Dietrich Holling. He founded this company in the year 1843, in Zeitz, Germany. Upon finding the serial number inside the piano I was able to track when it was made. The piano was built between 1887 and 1920. I'm not sure where the name Spangenberg came from but I do know that the factory stopped producing pianos during World War II. Mr. Holling and his family made a specifically important piano in 1843. One piano made by this company was specially hand crafted for King Ludwig II, of Bavaria in South-east Germany. Inside the piano there are many stamped awards and two medallions. On these stamps are inscriptions of different exhibitions and fairs the Holling and Spangenberg Company participated in. The fairs were held in the cities of Melbourne, Auckland , Sydney, and Adelaide. Mr. Holling's company built many pianos during its lifetime.

This piano has a very interesting history. First of all it was made in Zeitz, Germany. I'm not sure what happened after that, but I do know that it was shipped over to a convent in Newfoundland. It was probably used in daily masses and for ceremonial purposes. Then, it came here, to Ft. McMurray. It was donated to the Heritage Park by an instrument and music shop, and has been there ever since.

This piano has had an amazing life. From Zeitz to Newfoundland to Ft. Mc. Murray, this piano has traveled alot!