Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL XXIII.
N o . 4.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, August 15,1896.
In The West.
TORRID
C
HEAT IN CHICAGO DEATH OF J. A. RICE J. V. STEGER's PURCHASE
FAILURE OF
ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS CONCERNS THE HALI.ET & DAVIS MATTERS
— PROPOSAL TO CREDITORS—BLUMNKR 1!ACK OTHER
AFFAIRS VISITORS EAST.
ONSIDERING the fact that Chicago
in common with the rest of the coun-
try east of the Mississippi river has been
suffering from a spell of humidity during
the past week, it is impossible to glean
much trade news. Palm leaf fans and all
other necessary accessories for coolness
have been in great demand, while the
pianos and other important adjuncts which
go to make life pleasant and enjoyable in
good times have been side-tracked until the
sweet bye and bye when that much sought
for and long looked for cool wave strikes us.
The only fatal result of the extreme heat
thus far that has occurred in the music
trade is the death of Mr. J. A. Rice, who, I
think, was treasurer of the Schaeffer Piano
Co —at least an official. He was prostrated
by the extreme heat at the factory at River-
view last Friday. The deceased left a wife
and three children. His remains were
taken to his former home in Iowa.
The weather has been so warm that I
think even my old friend J. V. Steger has
lost a little of that slickness which usually
characterizes the Hon. "J. V." His linen
has lost temporarily that polished ivorylike
surface, which is a part of "J. V. 's" apparel.
I am not sure but I think the lustre of that
beautiful white sparkler which adorns his
shirt front was slightly dimmed also. How-
ever, when "J. V." isn't doing business of
some kind, it is slow.. He has just pur-
chased a corner lot on Michigan Avenue
and 67 th street.
A. H. Castle & Co., Minneapolis, made
an assignment last Saturday; R. C. Munger,
who is a member of the firm, and who has
conducted a business in St. Paul under his
own name, also assigned.
"Uncle Russ," as he is familiarly known
among his friends, has been one of the pic-
turesque figures in the Northwestern music
trade, and many will regret to learn of his
failure.
Creditors representing about eighty per
cent, of the indebtedness of the Hallet &
Davis Co., Chicago, were represented at
the meeting recently held. It was decided
to recommend to all the creditors the ac-
ceptance of the proposition made by the
company, viz., the payment of all claims
in full within the space of two years in a
specified sum to run six, twelve, sixteen,
twenty and twenty-four months. Mr. R.
K. Maynard maintains that the assets are
fully as good as those of any piano concern
in the city. The Hallet & Davis Company
has been granted the privilege by the Court
to sell through its assignee on time not ex-
ceeding two years. There has been con-
siderable talk about the alleged proposition
made by I. N. Rice. As I understand the
creditors of the Schaeffer Piano Co. held a
meeting last week, at which Mr. Rice made
no definite proposition. He threw himself
metaphorically in his creditors' hands. The
creditors, after talking over the matter,
came to the conclusion that it was best to
accept a settlement, notes to be paid at
regular intervals within two years, the sum
total of which would be fifty per cent, of
the entire liabilities. The proposition at
this writing bids fair to be accepted by a
number of the creditors.
George Blumner, traveling representa-
tive of Geo. P. Bent, has returned from the
East, where he has been doing excellent
work for the "Crown" piano. George P.
Bent himself will be back soon from his
European trip.
There is nothing later to add relative to
the affairs of Estey & Camp. Mr. William
Carpenter Camp will remain in enar^e until
September, when it is rumored that new
officials will be elected.
C. G. Steger left for the East last week.
The failure of the Chapman String Co.,
So. Jefferson street, is announced.
Vice-President MacDonald of the Pease
Piano Co. is still East.
The "Indicator" says:
We yet insist that Calvin Whitney, the
genial and aggressive president of the A.
B. Chase Co. of Norwalk, O., ought to be
rewarded with the secretaryship of state in
f 3 .oo PER YBAK
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CKNTS
the cabinet of President McKinley. Mr.
Whitney is one of the most consistent and
persistent McKinley boomers in existence.
He is traveling about the country now, and
has been for a long time past, doing great
missionary work in behalf of the principles
of sound money and horse sense in politics.
George Armstrong can toss off more bib-
lical quotations than any man in this or
any other trade.
It's dollars to doughnuts on George Bu-
chanan every time.
A. H. Castle & Co. Assign.
N Saturday, August 8, the A. H. Cas-
tle Piano Co., Minneapolis, Minn.,
filed a deed of assignment to E. D. Barnett
of St. Paul. The members of the firm were
Russell C. Munger of St. Paul and A. H.
Castle. The assignment was precipitated
by an attachment issued on the goods in
the possession of the firm for the sum of
$5,099.65, claimed by the Swedish-Ameri-
can Bank.
O
Som me r—Burton.
F
ROM Richmond, Va., under date of
August 8th, comes the following : In
the Law and Equity Court yesterday, in
the cases of T. G. Burton & Co. versus the
Sebastian Sommer Piano Co., Harvey
Wilson and James W. Gordon were ap-
pointed receivers. As we understand, the
Burton Co. have been doing some business
with the Sebastian Sommer Piano Co., and
the company have sued them for certain
accountings. Burton in turn has brought
a.counter suit against the company.
Vacation for William Steinway.
ILLIAM STEINWAY left Tuesday
night for Richfield Springs. He
expects to return early in September to at-
tend to business and work for sound money.
Regarding the Abbey, Schoeffel & Gran Co.
and the opera, he says that the prospects
are better than ever, and as an indication
of business at the Metropolitan Opera House
during the coming season, he states that
after a lively competition, the Board of
Directors awarded Monday the contract for
publishing the program to the Leo von
Raven Co., the amount to be paid being
much in excess of the sum usually received.
W