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THE MUSIC. TRADg REVIEW.
Continued from page 272.
Upon perusing the facts of this extraordinary case
several queries presented themselves to us. First, if the
decision be in accordance with the Louisiana law, what
manner of men must the legislators of that state be?
Are they in the habit of legislating for honest and repu-
table merchants and other citizens, or for swindlers and
thieves ? Secondly, if, as we would rather believe, the
judgment of Judge King is a flagrant violation of the
Louisiana law, what kind of a person is " Reform"
Governor Nichols, who appointed him to the judicial
bench ? The whole occurrence savors of the stupidity of
the magistrate, who addressed a prisoner as fol-
lows:—" Prisoner, Heaven has blessed you with
health and strength, and you appear to have received a
good education, instead of which you go about the coun-
try robbing hen-roosts. Have you anything to urge in
mitigation of sentence ?"
"Yes, sir; I wish I had never seen the G
d
d
ducks."
' Then, (assuming the black cap) the sentence of this
Court upon you is that you be imprisoned for six
weeks with hard labor, and may God have mercy on
your soul!"
One of three things seems indisputable. Either the
law relating to the leasing of pianos in Louisiana ought
to be altered; or Judge King and the Governor who ap-
pointed him ought to be removed; or piano dealers in
the Creole State must abandon the practice of leasing.
* *
THE DENVER FIRE.
ON referring to our correspondence columns our
readers will find a fairly exhaustive description of the
recent destruction by fire of the music store of Messrs.
Knight & McClure, Denver, Col. The sympathy of
the entire tra'le will be extended to this old and honor-
able house by reason of the disaster which has befallen
them. No firm of manufacturers, however, will be al-
lowed to suffer, for the good will, as well as the wealth
of Knight & McClure will hold absolutely harmless all
whose wares have been destroyed or injured in the con-
flagration. We are glad to learn that a good portion
of the loss is covered by insurance.
* *
MR. E. L. BILL, the junior proprietor and editor of
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, leaves town to-day on a
somewhat extended tour in the West and South. Mr.
Bill will pay especial attention to the trade conditions
at present surrounding the dealers whom he will visit,
their immediate and remote prospects, and so forth ;
and in coming issues of this paper will endeavor to con-
vey some impressions in regard to these matters.
In the stores which occupied the first story of the
building, is the Denver & Rio Grande Express Company;
the damage was only by water, amounting to $500, and
covered by insurance. Callowoy Bros. & Denzwall
and the Shiff-Carlton Company sustained but little loss.
The most valuable pianos in Knight & McClure's
store, and which were entirely destroyed, were of the
Steinway, Decker, Knabe, Fischer, and Everett manu-
facture, while among the organs were a number jof
Estey's goods.
.
The loss of Knight & McClure will aggregate
$140,000, which was partly insured. The amounts in-
sured are as follows :
Liverpool, London & Globe,
-
-
Springfield F. &. M.,
.
.
.
.
Phoenix of Brooklyn,
.
.
.
Imperial,
-
-
-
-
-
-
City of London,
-
.
.
.
.
Connecticut Fire,
-
-
-
- -
Germania, New York,
.
.
.
Northern,
-
Hamburg-Bremen,
-
.
.
.
Boylston
-
.
.
.
_
.
Prussian National,
-
.
.
.
Union of California,
.
.
.
.
South British of New Zealand,
-
-
German of Peoria,
.
.
.
.
Sun of California,
.
.
.
.
Citizens' of Missouri,
.
.
.
.
Peoples' Fire, New Hampshire,
-
-
Orient,
-
Continental of New York,
-
-
Total
-
-
-
-
-
-
$2,500
2,500
2,000
1,000
2,500
2,500
2,500
1,000
2,500
1,500
2,500
2,000
2,000
2,000
3,000
1,500
1,500
2,500
2,500
$40,000
FURNITURE AND FIXTURES.
California Insurance Company,
-
Norwich Union,
-
-
.
Phoenix of Brooklyn,
.
.
.
London Assurance
.
.
.
.
Niagara
.
.
.
.
.
.
Liverpool and London and Globe
-
Total Insurance
.
.
.
.
$1,000
2,500
2,000
2,500
2,500
2,500
$53,000
The loss of the Denver Music Company, which occu-
pied one part of the store, will amount to $12,000, on
which there is $5,000 insurance.
The building itself sustained only $11,000 worth of
damage, and was more than covered by insurance.
The firm of Knight & McClure is a very old one and
needs no introduction at my hands. The kinds of in-
struments handled by them have been previously de-
scribed in the Music TRADE REVIEW. For the present
the firm will simply rent a business office. They hope
to be able to secure another place of business ere long.
The manufacturers will not lose a cent by the fire, for
all losses will fall to the firm.
There is practically nothing of importance going on
here at the present time. The King Piano Company
still continue to give their regular semi-occasional con-
certs, which attract large throngs, and prove in the end
very beneficial to the house, namely, in the pushing for-
ward of their instruments, which sell rapidly.
O. E. Pettes, of Pueblo, writes me that business is
very good considering the season of the year, and that
he is receiving instruments weekly.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Montelius
since my return, and were it not for the fact that I leave
this afternoon for a brief business jaunt to St. Louis and
Chicago, I would look up the new real estate firm of
Montelius & Company.
JACOB S. H I R S H .
THE KNIGHT & HcCLURE FIRE.
DENVER, COL., March 14, 1889.
A most disastrous fire occurred here at an early hour
Wednesday morning in the King block on Lawrence
street, the music store of Knight & McClure being the
scene of the conflagration. The boiler room of the
building is directly under the music store, and it is
thought that it was in that room that the fire originated.
The lodgers in the building were aroused upon the dis-
covery of the fire, and a scene of consternation followed.
Young girls and old men rushed down stairs in their
nigfft gowns, hauling sheet music and trunks after them.
When daylight appeared the scene of destruction was
beyond description, The floors on which had stood
numbers of the finest pianos, were broken through,
while organs and musical instruments of all kinds were
piled pell-mell into the cellar.
The floor of the store was literally covered with dam-
aged musical instruments and mud. The office in the
rear of the room was burned out, and the only thing
which remained was the safe, which was left there for
safe keeping, as it was the only safe place. It, how-
ever, was smoked beyond recognition as to whose man-
ufacture it was.
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.
[FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRRESPONDENT.]
CHICAGO, March 16, 1889.
The Chicago Press Club has two pianos, a Chickering
square and a Hallet & Davis upright, but as Mme. Car-
reno is obligated to a certain other piano house first,
last, and all the time, she was in a quandary when in-
vited to favor the large attendance at the March "fort-
nightly" held last Saturday. Please the audience she
would, refuse their appeals she couldn't, but—well,
president Scott rose to the occasion, gave Mme. Car-
reno an occular demonstration of the evils to be cured
by the stencil business and then, to her astonish-
ment, displayed a "presto-change" act, and the Chick-
ering grand assumed the aspect of the instrument to
which the Madame's loyalty is pledged. Her playing
was a revelation to the ladies and gentlemen present,
who heartily applauded the artiste and congratulated
president Scott upon his ingenuity.
In my letter from Washington I referred to but a few
houses in the trade for the reason that I was most in-
terested in "sight seeing." I believe there are more mu-
sic stores in Washington than in any other city, in pro-
portion to her size; and then, too, there are so many
transients in the Capital City who can't, of course, be
counted on for trade. The stores are more "scattered,"
some being on Pennsylvania avenue, others on F street
7th street, 10th street, and in fact on nearly all the prin-
cipal streets. It's a great city for renters. Prominent-
ly displayed and attracting as much attention as
any other photograph on exhibition, in the Free-
born Smith warerooms I noticed a large, full-length
view of the genial Senior, under which was the legend
"The Coming Man." A great crowd, attracted by the
magic words, wondered "Is that Senator so and so?'
Messrs. Story and Caldwell, of the Story & Clark Or-
gan Co., "did" the inauguration in fine style.
Talking about Mr. Story reminds me of the fact that
he has just returned to-day from St. Paul; also that a
catalogue of the first eight new styles of 1889 Story &
Clark organs will soon be ready, to be followed shortly
after by another of five more new designs. These new
designs are the work of an artist of the highest order,
and are "beauties," quite in keeping with the prevailing
styles of furniture and ornamentation. They are so
beautiful that they really require no "talking points;"
they sell themselves.
Renting pianos is one of the most profitable sources
of income of several of our dealers. One institution,
and by no means one of the largest, although sufficient-
ly strong financially to care for all their paper without
the aid of any bank, has a rent roll of something like
$1,200 monthly, and others approximate much more. It
is a paying investment.
As to the condition of business I think it is consider-
ably better than since January. There are more pianos
selling at both retail and wholesale. The manufac-
turers, of course, are " rushed,"—they always are " be-
hind on orders," etc. It would be decidedly hard to
find a handsomer class of piano and organ warerooms
than we now have in Chicago. Dealers seem to take
special pride in their warerooms. As Mr, Schneider, of
Julius Bauer & Co., said to-day, "fine warerooms are a
great help," and he called attention to the changes in
the Bauer rooms. The workshop, heretofore at the
rear of the store, has been relegated to the basement,
and a fine sample piano room has been fitted up, which
adds very materially to appearances. The Mason and
H ami in Organ Co. have also "improved" their large
offices, by contracting them into neat and ample com-
partments in the front of the store. Their piano and
organ display space is greatly enlarged.
Mr. James Cumston, of Hallett & Cumston, arrived
in Chicago to-day, and will spend Sunday here. Mr.
T. J, Quinn, manager of the New England Piano ware-
rooms, Boston, Mass., was also a visitor here.
Mr. Ferdinand Mayer's change from the Weber to
the Knabe house has been the occasion of many com-
pliments to the ability and gentlemanly traits of Mr.
Mayer's character. In conversation with Mr. Mayer's
old associate here, Mr. Curtiss, that gentleman said
that " he deeply regretted the loss to the Weber house,
but it was probably the opportunity of a life to Mr.
Meyer, and he embraced it. He will be a great acquisi-
tion to Win. Knabe & Co." Mr. Curtiss also paid a
great compliment to Mr. Meyer's character and ability
as a gentleman and a salesman, and these, I may say,
are the sentiments of the entire Chicago trade.
I wish also to congratulate Messrs. Wm. H.Wheelock
& Co. on their success here, and on their great " fipd "
in Mr. Wright, their resident manager, for while he was
not lost, still he has developed managerial ability of
the highest order. H e is a great advertiser and in this
he also shows good judgment.
Messrs. A. Reed & Sons have on exhibition some of
their new scale pianos, their name being on the plate,
the cases as handsome as the prettiest, and the pianos
perfect in musical excellence as well.
Brainard's Sons are packing up at Cleveland, and are
nearly ready for transmigration from that ex-city to
this active, busy burg.
CHICAGO.
JOHN H. HUMAS has re-entered the piano and organ
business at Piqua, O.
PROF. BENJAMIN F. BAKER, of the B. F. Baker Up-
right Piano Co., Boston, Mass., died in that city on the
12th inst., aged 78. He made considerable reputation as
a teacher of singing.
IT is believed in trade circles that Mr. Hugo Krae-
mer will shortly become the husband of Miss Jeanne
Franko, the distinguished violiniste.