Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
sign, you compelled him to pay for the powder and
ball with which you loaded the boycott pistol which
you held at his head. Let me say right here to the
walking delegate, that if he enter.-* the offices of any
mercantile, manufacturing, or shipping firm, he
stands in the extreme penalty of the law if he dares
to extract a single penny from his victims. I am
always glad to be merciful. I appreciate the fact
that you are workingmen, that you were deceived,
but you know in your hearts that you did wrong."
STORY & CLARK, CHICAGO.
TORY & CLARK, organ manufacturers, of Chi-
cago, III., are shipping their organs in large
numbers to London. Their agents there find
the sale of this organ immensely profitable, and
are pushing their trade not only on the British Isles,
but far into the continent.
The Story & Clark organ has made a record for
Itself, which is second to none. It is thoroughly and
honestly made, and elegant in design.
The firm recently applied for one of the biggest
improvements of the age in reed organ manufacture.
Letters patent are expected in a few days. The in-
crease in this enterprising firm's business demands
greater facilities for turning out their goods, and
the firm contemplates enlarging their factory.
The success of this firm is due in great measure to
the businoss sagacity of Mr. H. L. Story, who visits
the factory in person, and his advice and sugges-
tions are of great value to the younger members of
the firm. The Story & Clark Organ undoubtedly has
a big future before it.
S
AUGUSTUS BAUS CO'S. ACTIVITY.
T
HROUGH the indomitable energy and persever-
ence of Messrs. Baus & Co., that firm "bobs
up serenely" from the pile of ashes under
which it has been buried by the recent fire, which
destroyed $30,000 of the firm's property.
This firm can now be said to be fairly on its feet
again, and about the first of August will be prepared
to ship pianos to their agents as rapidly as before—
more rapidly in fact, for the factory which has just
been completed has a larger capacity for work than
the one which was destroyed.
It is located at 251 East Thirty-third street, and is
five stories high, and has a flooring of 15,000
square feet, which is lighted by 125 windows. The
factory is perfect in all its appointments for piano
making. The case factory is still located at 406 and
408 East Thirtieth street, which is only three blocks
from the factory.
The firm deems it safer to have the case factory
separate from the main factory. At the time of the
fire the firm had over 200 cases in the case factory,
which was several blocks distant from the burned
factory, and consequently they were not destroyed.
Messrs. Baus & Co. have reason to feel grateful that
their agents have stood by them so nobly, for at the
time of the fire It looked as though the firm would
be so seriously crippled, that fears were entertained
that they might loose some of their agents, but owing
to the demand for the Baus piano and the fidelity of
its agents, the firm not only does not loose agents,
but have secured several additional ones, and with
the increased facilities for manufacturing, and brand
new material, the Baus piano will doubtless meet
with greater success that ever.
SALE OF THE BEATTY PROPERTY.
G. BILLINGS, receiver of the Daniel F. Beatty
Organ and Piano Company, has been ordered
• by the Chancellor of the State of New Jersey
to sell the property of the Daniel F. Beatty Piano
and Organ Company at public auction. The proper-
ty comprises in part ten acres of land and the follow-
ing buildings, viz. : One main building, basement,
three-story and attic, 240x40; one south wing, base-
ment, three-story and attic, 95x46 ; one north wing,
basement, three-story and attic, 40x50; one centre
wing, basement, three-story and attic, 40x30; one
boiler and shaving room, three-story and attic, 50x42;
one engine room, basement, three-story and attic,
24x24; one drying house, one story, 120x22; one
blacksmith shop, one story, 22x18; one oil house,
one story, 30x16 ; one foundry, 00x26 ; one barn, two-
story, 45x30 ; one cottage, two story, 30x24 ; together
with engines, boiler, machinery, shafting, belting,
tools, electric lights, railroads, etc , etc., the whole
comprising a large reed.organ factory, with a capaci-
ty of manufacturing about 15,000 organs per annum.
The property will be offered to the highest bidder,
on the premises, between the hours of 12 M. and 2
P. M., July 2'J. Terms, 20 per cent, cash, the whole
balance of purchase money to be paid in thirty days
from the date of sale, and only upon confirmation of
the Court of Chancery.
L
" NOT MUCH USE OF MY LIVING."
RANK KRAFT, of No. 305 West Thirty-fifth
street, attempted suicide at his home yester-
day, by cutting his throat with a razor.
Kraft is only twenty five years old, and had become
despondent over his inability to obtain lucrative em-
ployment. He left home some weeks ago, and went
to Philadelphia, where he secured work as a var-
nisher in a piano factory. In his letters to his
mother he complained of his small earnings, and
finally threw up his situation in disgust, and re-
turned yesterday. He remonstrated witli his mother
for not writing to him more frequently during his
absence. She replied that Sunday was the only day
that she could spare time to write. Then she turned
to attend to some household task, when Frank ex-
claimed, " There's not much use of my living," and,
drawing a razor from his pocket, deliberately gashed
himself across the throat. He was removed to
Roosevelt Hospital, where it was found that the
windpipe and two arteries had been severed. He is
thought to be slightly deranged, and was somewhat
under the influence of liquor when he cut himself.
F
THE PROPOSED EXTENTION OF PATENTS.
E have already given a summary statement of
a number of bills that have been brought be-
fore the present Congress for the practical
nullification of patents. As patents are a source of
wealth to the country, and therefore to be fostered,
not attacked, these bills in their objects, deserve
condemnation. Whether an invention be regarded
as a property per se, or as only acquiring that statue
after patenting, the simple material interest of the
Government requires that the inventors should be
encouraged, not repressed. Hence it is a matter
of some interest to find a bill presented (H. R. 4,034)
that on its face at least seems designed to protect,
not assail, the inventor. In this sense it is a de-
cided novelty ; but it only goes a certain distance on
the the right way, but not far enough.
The bill applies to all patents ever issued, or issued
and extended, or reissued, expired or unexpired. On
application, the Commissioner of Patents is author-
ized to extend them for an additional period of eight
years. Such extension is not to confer the right to
damages for any infringement committed between
the expiration of the original patent and its renewal.
The interested party, who may be inventor, or ad-
ministrator, or executor, must prove the value of
the invention, and show what profit it yielded such
party or parties. Publication in the District papers
and elsewhere of the proposed extention is provided
for. Should the patent be shown eligible for exten-
sion, a total fee of twelve hundred dollars to be paid.
Two hundred is a preliminary fee, to be paid before
publication ; one thousand dollars is the final fee, to
be paid before issue.
On its face, as providing for the possible exten-
tion of all patents ever granted, this bill might
appear revolutionary. But it is hedged in with
so many provisions that this character is to a
great extent represssed. Thus, the size of the
fee required would cut off many applications.
All expired patents that are to be renewed
under it must have their application filed with-
in six months of the date of the passage of the
bill. This provision would operate in the same way
as the high fee. The bill would insure a busy six
months among the patent lawyers and in the Patent
Office. The amount of applications that would be
filed in that period would exceed all precedent.
Many a device, duly patented, that yielded the pat-
entee a very poor return for his ingenuity, has now,
as the basis of improvements, mounted into great
importance. Many of the early patents covering the
W
modern straw cutter, the plow, washing machine,
churn, sewing machine, mower and reaper, the
planing machine, the vulcanized India rubber,
the telegraph, and hundreds of other great inven-
tions, would certainly claim the new lease of life.
The amount of revenue to be derived from some of
these patents, if revived and extended at this day,
would be simply fabulous.
Not only would this bill benefit some of the early
inventors. The patent lawyers in the new infringe-
ment suits which it would occasion, would reap a
rich harvest. The circuit courts would have more
of their time than ever devoted to patent ca6es. It
would be interesting to see how the old patents would
now be treated when they reached the Supreme
Court. There would be a probability of more rigid
construction being awarded their claims than they
received in former days.
The limited time within which application under,
this bill is to be made, would prevent many exten
sions. But all unexpired paying patents would cer-
tainly be extended under it if allowed. In other
words, the terms of many important patents would
be extended to twenty-five years.
In this, there would seem little objection. The
award of a patent right is, by the best authorities,
considered a bonus from the Government. Property
in ideas has never been recognized. All protection
accorded them is considered artificial, and in the
nature of a monopoly. The term of a pat-
ent is the measure of the bonus. Otherwise,
as a matter of simple justice, patents should
be awarded for all time, and the Patent Office
would become a simple office of registry. A
twenty five years'term would not from this stand-
point seem too great a reward, especially when it is
remembered that the last eight years would be con-
ditional on an insufficient return having been yielded
by the term of the original grant.
The bill has a great deal of good in it. Any pro-
vision for the indiscriminate exteneion of all expired
patents would be so revolutionary as to deserve op-
position. But the present bill has so many limita-
tions that it would not seem destined to do any
harm in this regard. Indeed, it may be considered
to err in the other direction.
If expired patents are only to have a limited time
for securing their extension, six months does not
seem enough. The amount of the fee is quite dis-
proportionate to the prevailing rates of the Office.
These two features give the bill a disagreeable
aspect, as, to say the least, they suggest the possi-
bility of its being presented in the interest of some
particular corporation or patentee.
The one and only restriction needed is contained
in the provision that the applicant must show that
he has been insufficiently rewarded for his work.
This properly acted on would suffice. No high fee
or restriction of period of application is proper.
In such a bill as this, it would be well to insert
some special clause relating to extension of claims.
Many an old patent of greatest merit would be use-
less on account of its restricted claims. If justice
dictated the extension of a patent, the same quality
would suggest the propriety of seeing that its claims
were made to cover the essential features of the
device, and its points of novelty judged by the state
of the art at the period of its original date of issue.
The scope of the claims might justly be determined
in the extension proceedings. The present treat-
ment of expanded claims of reissues by the Supreme
Court is a subject of general criticism among patent
lawyers.—Scientific American.
S. G. CHICKERING & CO.
INCE the firm of 8. G. Chickering & Co., of
Boston, Mass., has been established, one of
our contemporaries has had a great deal to
say to their detriment, even at one time going so far
as to state that the only prospect this house has of
selling their pianos is trading upon the name and
reputation of Messrs. Chickering & fc-ons. We can
see no good reason why Messrs. S. G. Chickering &
Co. have not a perfect right to manufacture pianos
under the name of S. G. Chickering piano, and we
do not believe that the firm intend in any way to
sell their goods through the name of Chickering &
Sons.
Mr. S. G. Chickering, the head of the concern, is a
praciical piano maker, having worked at the bench
for the past twenty years, and he is thoroughly
S