Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL XXII.
No. 20.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, June 6,1896.
In The West.
THK
ST. LOUIS TORNADO
BUSINESS AT A
STANDSTILL MUSIC TRADE MEN AND POLI-
TICS— J. L. MAHAN—THE EMERSON's NEW
QUARTERS -— KIM HALL
NEWMAN OR-
GANS ABROAD THE HAMILTON OR-
GAN CO. BUSY —DULL TIMES DOESN'T
INTERFERE WITH THE DEMAND
FOR
THE PEASE—R. GRUNE-
WALI) OTHER ITEMS.
T
HE disaster in St. Louis has been the
general topic of conversation all over
for the past week. It has overshadowed
politics and "hard times. " As far as I can
learn, the St. Louis music houses have
suffered but slightly from the tornado, but
so much cannot be said for the private
residences of many members of the music
trade.
J. V. Steger received letters a few days
ago from Mr. Koerber, the agent for the
Singer piano, at 1108 Olive street, and
from Mr. Eisner, the Steger agent at 1029
Chouteau avenue, stating that their show
windows had been completely wrecked.
The Estey & Camp branch.at St. Louis
was also damaged, but not seriously.
A newspaper friend who has just arrived
from St. Louis, informs me that business
is at a standstill. It will take some time
before things will run with their old-time
smoothness.
No matter where I go these days, there
is a strong under-current of political feeling.
The members of the music trade are sound
money men, and with but few exceptions,
sound Republicans. The opinion is unani-
mous that protection and honest money
will win for the Republican candidate the
biggest victory ever known in our political
history. By the way, that editorial in last
week's REVIEW was a "hummer." It hit
the nail on the head.
J. L. Mahan is making a good display in
his warerooms, corner of Wabash avenue
and Van Buren street. I noticed a hand-
some Behr Bros, piano in the window while
passing the other day, with quite a few ad-
mirers examining it critically.
The Emerson Piano Co. are now well
settled in their new store at 215-17 Wabash
avenue. The decorations and lighting are
most effective, and the display of pianos
make quite a fine showing. Mr. Northrop
has reason to feel proud of his new quarters.
The Kimball people continue to do a
very fair business—their pipe organ trade
is especially good.
The Hamilton Organ Co. are among
those who are of the opinion that reed or-
gan trade is not on the decline. Their sales
during the past six months have been very
satisfactory and unusually large when the
times are considered.
Newman Bros. Co. report a big demand
for their organs in London, recent orders
from their agents in that city being quite
large.
Lyon & Healy seem to be quite busy,
but they claim they could do more.
Rene Grunewald, mandolin manufac-
turer, of New Orleans, was in town last
week. His visit was a brief and not exact-
ly a business one; but all the same, he se-
cured quite a few orders for his instru-
ments.
R. S. Howard, J. & C. Fischer's enter-
prising road man, has been "doing" the
town during the past week.
The Pease pianos are continually grow-
ing in popularity. Chas. H. MacDonald
managed to seU more of them in May than
he really expected at the opening of the
month. For this satisfactory condition of
things he is exceedingly thankful.
$3.00 PER YEAR-
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
Trade Conditions in St. Louis.
THE
B
HALMER & WEIiER MUSIC HOUSE- -DAMAGE
DONE UY THE CYCLONE.
ALMER & WEBER, the well-known
music house, St. Louis, in response
to a letter of enquiry sent them by George
Steck & Co., in reference to damage done
by the recent cyclone, write:
"You are very kind to think of us in the
manner you express yourself, and assure
you it is appreciated by us, who can be
thankful for being alive. Individually,
our vice-president and brother-in-law, Dr.
Eyerman, lost his residence that cost him
all of $12,000. Hiswif^ and son of eight
years reached the cellar in safety, when all
collapsed; fortunately, they were against a
wall that held the joists, and they remained
unhurt. The Doctor was thrown from his
buggy against a telegraph pole which at the
same moment broke in half, killing one
man outright, another's ribs being crushed,
and the Doctor's legs badly bruised. The
Doctor's horse was also killed, and the
buggy made into kindling wood.
"The writer, Mr. Nuger, has $300 worth
of damage. The store had about eight
pianos in various wrecks. There are fully
250 pianos to be thoroughly overhauled.
Move-men charge $10 for a load. Tarpau-
lins cost from $75 up.
"Mr. Buder has some classmates at the
Haynes & fluehlfeld Troubles.
law school, who have left to lay bricks at
$6 per day. Carpenters get 75 cents per
HE announcement on June 4th that
hour without asking.
Deputy Sheriff Mulvaney had placed
"To describe the wreck is impossible,
a keeper in the factory of the Muehlfeld &
and to look at it is sickening.
Haynes Piano Co. on an execution for $1,039
"We enclose a map showing course of
in favor of Edward Germain, seems to have
tornado in our city. East St. Louis, which
resulted in precipitating financial troubles
is well known to Mr. Nembach and Mr.
for the Muehlfeld & Haynes Co. Yester-
Grass, is clean to the earth."
day the incorporators, F. Muehlfeld and
Jack Haynes, made application for a re-
Sohmer in Berlin.
ceiver, mentioning W. F. Boothe, of the
Sebastian Sommer Piano Co., as receiver.
R. HUGO SOHMER, in a letter re-
An official statement of the affairs of the
ceived at the Fourteenth street ware-
concern is not at hand but it is said semi-
rooms
yesterday, writes from Berlin stat-
officially that the net assets approximate
ing
that
he is vastly enjoying his European
$30,000 while the liabilities are a similar
trip.
He
stated incidentally that the Ber-
amount.
lin
industries
were in a very healthy con-
The business was incorporated in May,
dition,
some
houses working twenty-four
1895, with a capital stock of $50,000. This
hours
a
day,
in three shifts. The piano
was really a blending of the business con-
industry
was
booming,
with the rest, and
ducted by F. Muehlfeld and that carried
piano
makers
were
on
strike
for a 15 per
on by Jack Haynes at 20 East Seventeenth
cent advance in wages.
street.
T
M