400 pipes, 2 organists, 26 bellows and 70 strong men covered in perspiration

Today @laputis had her organ demonstration "Meet the King of Instruments" organized by the National Association of Organists. She said to me she was stunned by virtuosity of Balys Vaitkus who played music of Frescobaldi, Sweelink, Kerll and others. After his performance she talked about organ history and construction, organ stops, differences between Catholic and Protestant organ cultures, Italian organ at the Church Heritage Museum, pipe organ's role in contemporary world, organ as a mirror of its time and expressed hope that the youth will preserve a living history for future generations. Later she listened to 5 kids from Pagiriai music school play Baroque keyboard works on this elegant yet capricious instrument.

During the history part of her talk, @laputis mentioned the organ of Winchester Cathedral back in the 19th century. It was a legendary instrument and I found the account about it by Stanley Webb in The Musical Times from 1988, which I accessed through JSOR:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/964769?fbclid=IwAR2n4lOpgneUvd1xaO4f-mSFiiz0B8_jhKKH3Ai42xv6hIM45lDoOezKfuI&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

He writes:

Nearly 1000 years separate the restored and rebuilt organ inaugurated in Winchester Cathedral last month from the primitive instrument set up by Bishop (later Saint) Alphege in the Saxon minster north of the present building at the end of the 10th century. A picturesque account of it by the monk Wulfstan says (in part):

"Twice six bellows are ranged in a row and fourteen lie below. These are worked by 70 strong men covered in perspiration, each inciting his companions to drive the wind up with all his strength that the full-bosomed box may speak with its 400 pipes. Two brethren of concordant spirit sit at the instrument... Like thunder the iron tones batter the ear. Everyone stops with his hands to his gaping ears; the music is hear throughout the town, and the flying fame thereof is gone out over the whole country."
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One can only say that the wind supply must have been exceedingly inefficient if it took 70 men to blow 400 pipes. But Wulfstan may have been fanciful rather than factual. A cynical contemporary described the organ as 'audible at five miles, offensive at two, and lethal at one'.

I don't know about you but I would be delighted to see 70 strong men covered in sweat when pumping bellows of the pipe organ...