Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL XXIII.
N o . 5.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, August 22,1896,
Alvord & Spear Failure.
In The West.
FAILURE OF THE RUSSELL PIANO CO.—-SYMPATHY FOR CHARLES RUSSELL
ON THE SILVER QUESTION
SHRINE
$3.00 PER YEAR
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
AST Monday the Alvord & Spear Co.,
of Torrington, Conn., manufacturers
of piano stools, failed. The liabilities are
placed at $25,000; assets unknown. Henry
J. Allen, of Torrington, has been appointed
receiver.
L
JAMES E. HEALY
DEVOTEES AT THE BASE BALL
BUSINESS PROSPECTS.
Burned Out.
T
HE chief item of news this week is the
failure of the Russell Piano Co. The
factory was in the possession of the sheriff
last Tuesday on confession of judgment
made by the company for something like
$25,000. The members of the trade ex-
press sympathy for Charlie Russell, as he
has a good clean record, and is a hard-work-
ing, honest and conscientious man. It is im-
possible at this writing to say whether the
company will resume or not. Lack of ade-
quate capital and the tremendous business
depression brought about its failure, which
even in ordinary times would have pro-
gressed to a satisfactory success.
The Chicago Journal, Aug. 18, publishes
the following concerning the Russell Piano
Co.'s affairs:
"The assets of the corporation are
scheduled at $85,000, and the liabilities
are said to reach about $100,000.
"The concern was incorporated in 1893,
its officers and principal stockholders being
C. C. Russell, president, and George W.
• Evans, secretary. The factory employed
about sixty men, who will be thrown out of
employment on account of the failure."
I think, speaking of the political situa-
tion, that James E. Healy made a good
point when he said to the "Indicator:"
The free silver agitation has interfered
with the trade of this country very much.
The uncertainty created by it has done
more during the past few months to affect
business than any other element, not ex-
cepting the changes in the tariff caused by
the Wilson Bill. lam a Democrat, but my
convictions on the subject are so firm that
I would be willing to have the tariff restored
if the nation could have permanent gold
legislation along with it. I regard the out-
look as very doubtful. It is very discon-
certing to find out how many intelligent
people there are who are in favor of free
silver. If McKinley is elected I look for a
restoration of confidence and a decided
change for the better. We have right in our
store a practical illustration of this silver
business. Some of our goods are bought in
Bohemia, which is on the German border.
The Bohemians have so little of the neces-
sary confidence in the stability of their own
money that they want us to pay them in
the German mark, and we pay them in Ger-
man marks, for they are unwilling to take
the risks of the fluctuations in the Austrian
silver florins. I think that that is as good
an example of the workings of silver as any-
thing that I ever heard of. The Bohe-
mians do their banking business 50 miles
across the^German border and in German
money, rather than to take the pay for
goods that we buy in their own money.
A man said to me the other day, "How
is it that baseball is dying out? I remem-
ber the time when a large number of the
members of the trade were enthusiastic
over the national game. In New York
Karl Fink was a worshipper at the baseball
shrine. Every afternoon he could be seen
upon the Manhattan grounds, applauding
his favorite players." I should judge that
the members of trade still preserve a lik-
ing for the game. The "Musical Times,"
referring to Col. Hollenberg, of the Hollen-
berg Music Co., andjj. H. Reardon, mana-
ger of the New England Piano Co.'s Chi-
cago branch, says: It is more fun than a
barrel of monkeys to see these two enthusi-
asts carefully watch a closely contested
game and keep a score that would make the
official scorer green with envy. They know
all the points, and their decision is a law
unto themselves. The umpire don't count.
There seems to have been no change re-
garding the condition of the Hallet & Da-
vis affairs in this city since last writing.
There is a general belief existing that
business will be fitful at its best until
after the election, and if I am permitted to
judge from the reports which have reached
me from the far West I should say that
there is a steady undercurrent already com-
ing in in favor of sound money.
F
ROM La Grange, Ore., we learn that
the Huntington Block in that town
was recently destroyed by fire. In the
building was located the music store of G.
M. Richey. The damage which the music
firm suffered is not stated in the report.
Bartlett Sells.
C
W. BARTLETT, Des Moines, la.,
has sold his interest in the C. W.
Bartlett Music Co. to the W. W. Kimball
Co., of Chicago. Mr. Bartlett will devote
his time to the Des Moines union band and
orchestra business.
#
Piano Dealer Hissing.
B
URLEIGH C. SPRAGUE, a well-
known piano dealer, of Attleborough,
Mass., has been missing since last Tuesday.
It is feared that his mind has become un-
balanced by reason of the extreme heat.
It is stated that financial causes are not in-
cident upon his disappearance.
Orme's Store Entered.
E have received word from Ottawa,
Ont., that Orme & Sons' music store
was recently broken into during the early
morning hours, but that the burglars were
frightened away before they were afforded
an opportunity to make away with any
property.
W
The Star of flcCammon.
"THE star of McCammon is growing more
^ brilliant as time wears on. The Mc-
Cammon pianos have now been sold to sev-
eral generations of purchasers, and the lat-
est products of this old-established company
eclipse any previous instruments made and
sold in their long career. The McCammon .
pianos have a steadily augmenting fame.