Bandsmen Speed With Giant Drum On Chicago Trip

Two members of the University Band are feverishly racing against the clock this morning in an effort to retrieve the world's largest playable bass drum in time for tonight's Dartmouth Concert.

As of 11 p.m. last night, John P. Page '59, William D. Rinehardt '59, the Band's truck, and the drum were 100 miles east of the Indiana-Ohio state line. They are scheduled to arrive at Memorial Hall by 7:45 p.m., a scant 30 minutes before the concert is to begin.

The drum, which measures six feet in diameter, has been undergoing extensive repairs in Chicago for the past several weeks. When the Bank learned that the repaired drum could not reach Cambridge on time if shipped by freight, Page and Rinehardt volunteered to meet the crisis.

They left the University at 8 p.m. Wednesday night on the 2000 mile, nonstop trip. They must continue at a steady 45 m.p.h. pace in order to arrive in time.

Drum Vital for Concert

Over 400 tickets have been sold for the concert, which cannot go on without the drum and the truck, let alone Page and Rinehardt. Page is property crew manager of the Band; Rinehardt is assistant manager. The truck is required to transport hundreds of pounds of Band equipment to Sanders Theatre, where the concert will be held.

Kenneth H. Lang '58, Manager of the Band, armed with no-doz and black coffee, spent the night close to the telephone as he awaited the sporadic reports of the two.

Lang did not appar too nervous over the prospects of what might happen should the rescuers run out of gas or come up with a flat tire. The Band plans a gala welcome for Page and Rinehardt when they return tomorrow.