Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1899 Vol. 28 N. 17

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
12
THE MUSIC 'TRADE REVIEW ~
The New Bankruptcy Law.
THE BUSINESS MEN OF CHICAGO
AGAINST ITS PROVISIONS.
PROTEST
The wholesale merchants, large job-
bing houses and trust companies of Chicago,
are making complaints againts the new
bankruptcy law. They claim it sanctions
commercial piracy and permits unscrupul-
ous merchants to make assignments and
have their debts wiped out. In the lan-
guage of one of the representatives of a
large mercantile establishment these bank-
rupts may then "dig up their buried as-
sets. "
Hardly one provision of the act escapes
criticism by these business interests.
Wholesalers confidently predict the new
act will share the fate of past bankruptcy
legislation, and will be repealed. Although
there is no united movement among the
large jobbing houses said to be affected by
the law, all believe the measure will be
repealed.
Harlow N. Higinbotham, manager of
the credit department of Marshall Field &
Co., Manager H. W. Leman, of the
Chicago Title and Trust Co., voice the op-
position of the wholesale establishments
and trust companies to the Bankruptcy
act, which went into effect recently.
The opinions formed of the bankruptcy
bill by the Chicago merchants is entirely at
variance with, the views of the leading
authorities who claim that nine months
trial of this measure has proved its worth.
It aids the small merchant, enables the
honest debtor to re-establish himself and
prevents preferences in assigning effects.
As a result there has been a perceptible
decrease in the charges of fraud and other
wrongs in connection with commercial em-
barrassments.
time the alterations on the lighting lines
were doubled, and when he tried his in-
strument the last time he was getting the
night current, for which his motor was
not fitted. As a consequence the armature
burned out. This apparently ruined the
prospects of his company in Newark.
firs. Olmstead Asks Damages.
CLAIMS $ 5 , 0 0 0 FOR HER HUSBAND'S DEATH IN
AYER BUILDING FIRE.
Helen M. H. Olmstead, the widow of
William A. Olmstead, the proprietor of a
school supply establishment, who perished
in the disastrous fire in the Ayer building,
Chicago, on March 16, 1898, started suit in
the Superior court this week against F.
Ayer, the proprietor of the building, and
the Chicago Cottage Organ company, the
lessees at the time of the fire, for $5,000
damages for her husband's death.
Patent Affecting Piano Tone.
Among the inventions relating to pianos
patented this week was that of August
Richter of New York. It bears the num-
ber 622,782, and applies to all varieties of
upright pianos and relates to the provisions
for softening the tone, which when carried
to a great extent is sometimes designated
"mute." In this, as in other mechanisms
for this purpose, Mr. Richter employs a
movable hammer-rail which restrains the
backward movement of the hammer and is
connected to the pedal, so that on depress-
ing the pedal the rail will be moved
upward toward the hammers and prevent
them from falling back to the limit required
for full effect. The reduced movement of
the hammers being produced by the same
amount of movement of the key as before
induces a tendency to lost motion in the
key when the soft pedal is in action, the
first part of the movement of the key
being of no effect and the last part only
acting on the hammer action. ; Many ef-
forts have been made to overcome this
difficulty and induce a uniform but less
motion of the hammer with each portion
of the movement of the key—in other words,
to cause the key, and consequently the finger
of the player upon the key, to feel the resist-
ance of the action the same as in ordinary
playing, the resistance being less, but con-
tinuous throughout the whole movement
of the key. One of the modes whereby
the lost motion is avoided is to shift the
comparatively fixed centers of the back
ends of the horizontal levers, ordinarily de-
signated "tongues," moving them back-
ward when the soft pedal is depressed. The
rods extending upward from the keys,
generally designated "extensions," being
correspondingly moved backward and the
tongues being now acted upon by the
capstan-screw nearer its front end than
before there will be a smaller motion of
the extension, and consequently the re-
quired smaller movement of the hammer,
while it is continuous throughout the
whole movement of the key. Mr. Richter
has devised a new construction of the me-
chanism by which it is effected by provid-
ing, separate pendent links, one for each
key, extending downward from the ordin-
ary transverse rail to the corresponding
tongues and operate the, whole series of
such pendent links by a single bar mounted
below and engaging with a sufficient notch
in the lower ends of such links and moved
backward when it is required to make the
tone soft.
An 1899 "Winner" Hade by the flcPhail Piano Co,
The Power that Failed.
A short time ago an effort was made
in Newark, N... J..,. to organize a company to
conduct business with a new musical in-
strument operated by an electric motor.
A number of prospective investors as-
sembled and listened with great pleasure
to the automatic music. They were thor-
oughly impressed with the value of the
invention and went through the prelim-
inaries incident to incorporating. It was
getting on toward nightfall when the
electric lights went out and flashed up
again in a second or so. They had put on
their hats and coats and were about to
go, when one of the party said to the
agent: "Let's have just one more tune
before we break up." The agent started
the machine, and the instant he did so
there was a flash inside of it and smoke
filled up the case. ."Burned out," he said,
and he knew at once that the accident was
fatal to the project, although he did not
know what caused the trouble. None of
those prospective stockholders had enough
faith to continue the organization of the
company. The agent sought an explana-
tion from the, lighting company, and
learned that every evening at a certain
STYLE E.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
[Speciarto The^Review.]
Washington, D. C, April 27, 1899.
The monthly summary of imports and
exports of the commerce of the United
States for the month of March, '99, the
last period for which it has been compiled,
has just been issued by the Treasury De-
partment. The following figures relating
to the music trade industry will be found
of interest.
The dutiable imports of musical instru-
ments during March amounted to $82,625
as compared with $79,959 worth of in-
struments which were imported the same
month of '99. The nine months' total,
ending March 31, shows importations
valued at $784,105 as against $684,665
worth of musical instruments imported
during the same period of '98. This gives
an increase for the nine months of $99,440.
The total domestic exports of musical
instruments for March, '99, amounted to
$148,906 as compared with $123,404 which
was the value of the instruments exported
the same month of the previous year. The
nine months' total exportation of musical
instruments amounted to $1,310,808 as
against $1,042,194 for the same period in
'98. This shows an increase in exports for
the nine months of $268,614.
On the aggregate exportations in March,
'99, there were 1,714 organs valued at
$191,906, as compared with 1,002 exported
in '98, and valued at $62,025. The nine
months' total shows that we exported
13,120 organs valued at $725,413 as against
10,526 valued at $583,821 for the same
period of '98.
In March '99, we exported 119 pianos
valued at $23,975, against 88 pianos valued
at $11,816, in March, '98. The nine months'
total exports show 771 pianos valued at
$168,132, as compared with 728 pianos
valued at $177,133 exported in the,, same
period in '98.
The value of "all other instruments and
parts thereof " sent abroad during March,
'98, amounted to $59,025; in the same
month of '98 their value was estimated at
$39>563- The total exports for the nine
months under this heading foots up $417,-
263 as against $281,240 exported during
the same period of '98. This shows an in-
crease of $163,023.
Exposition Space Increased.
Ferdinand W. Peck, the United States
Commissioner to the Paris Exposition of
1900, was officially notified Thursday of the
allotment of 56,500 square feet in the Vin-
cennes annex.
This makes a total of 300,000 square feet
of space allotted to American exhibits, or
double the original grants.
Mr. Peck is confident the exhibition will
be ready in the time indicated.
Dolge's Farewell Reception.
Stein way-Cassebeer.
[Special to The Review].
Mr. Frederick T. Steinway, of Steinway
& Sons, and Miss Julia A. Cassebeer,
daughter of Henry A. Cassebeer, one of
our most prominent citizens, were married
on Thursday evening by the Rev. Dr.
Chas. H. Eaton at the home of the
bride's parents, 205 West Seventieth street.
The wedding was confined to the immedi-
ate relatives, but there was a reception at
the Waldorf-Astoria later which-was at-
tended by many friends of the bride and
bridegroom.
Little Falls, April 24, 1899.
It has been definitely announced that on
Monday, May 1, or the day following,
Alfred Dolge will pull up stakes from
Dolgeville and leave the village and indus-
tries he founded for good, and it is not his
present intention to ever return.
Mrs.
Dolge will accompany him.
On Saturday evening, April 29, a farewell
reception will be tendered to Mr. and Mrs.
Dolge at the Turn hall. This reception is
to be given under the auspices of the
Alfred Dolge Hose company, of the
village of Dolgeville. On this occasion
Alfred Dolge will make a speech to his
friends and former employes. It is ex-
pected that in this speech Mr. Dolge will
have something to say in relation to the
reason of his going and the causes that led
up to it.
Mr. Dolge has not as yet definitely de-
cided where he will locate or the business
he will engage in. It is claimed on reliable
authority that he has in consideration three
or four plans for the future and will fully in-
vestigate each before deciding. His sons,
William and Ernest Dolge, will remain in
Dolgeville for the purpose of packing up the
household goods and making preparations
for shipping the same.
Death of Jos. P. Shaw.
[Special to The Review.]
Rochester, N. Y., April 25, 1899.
Joseph P. Shaw died at his home, No. 6
Gorham street, on Sunday. He was for
nearly forty years proprietor of a music
store in this city. Mr. Shaw was born in
the north of England in 1826. He came
to this country when he was 16 years old
and afterwards started a music store on the
site of the present Gibbons & Stone store,
remaining there for many years, when he
went to No. 144 State street, where the
store now is. Mr. Shaw's store was for
many years the largest music store in
Rochester. Deceased was an honest and
upright man and had many friends. He
was a member pi the Sons of St. George
from the members of which society his pall-
bearers were chosen. Mr. Shaw's wife died
many years ago and in 1891 he married
Mrs. Grace Walling of Canandaigua. He is
survived by three sons and three daugh-
ters.
/Eolian Co. Additions.
[Special to The Review.]
Meridan, Cenn., April 25, 1899.
That the Eolian Co. have no intention at
present of removing their plant from this
city to Garwood, N. J., is evident from the
fact that it has given a contract to erect an
extension to their factories in the shape of
a two-story storehouse 35x65 feet.
This will be used solely for, storing
organs and organettes after they are
finished, as the concern now needs all
their present room for their working force.
Work on the structure will begin within
two weeks.
Mr. and Mrs. Steinway have left on an
FRED. T. STEINWAY.
extended honeymoon trip.
They will
journey as far as Yellowstone Park, and
probably San Francisco, taking in all points
of interest en route.
Frederick T. Steinway is one of the
nephews of the late William Steinway, and
brother of Chas. H. Steinway, the present
head of the corporation of Steinway &
Sons. Like other members of the family,
he is a practical piano man who has inher-
ited much of that ability that has made the
Steinway family and the Steinway piano
famous in two hemispheres. Mr. Steinway
is at present one of the leading technical
forces at the Steinway factory.
The Sohmer Baby Grand.
Hugo Sohmer, of Sohmer & Co., during
a brief talk with the Review recently con-
cerning the large demand this season for
Sohmer parlor and baby grands, said, in re-
ply to a query as to probable causes: " The
instruments themselves have, of course,
much to do with it.
We have given the
matter of style and of construction in
small grands very earnest consideration of
late, and the results are evident.
"Our Baby Grand for 1899 has many
attractive features, and the difference in
cost between our highest-priced uprights
and our small grands does not influence
purchasers who really wish to secure a
grand for their homes. The Sohmer Baby
Grand appeals strongly to the large and
growing class of suburban residents who
own or lease a detached or semi-detached
residence. As to the extra space required
the difference is really too trifling to be
considered.
" W e have the satisfaction of knowing
that our baby grands occupy- comfortable
quarters in hundreds of cosy -houses, and
are located not only in this city and in this
State, but at many points east, west, north
and south, from Maine to California. And
they rrialtei,ffiends^£t)r us."
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