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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
GREAT DEMAND FOR "WONDERS."
Cbc Small Goods trade
BUSY IN ALL DEPARTMENTS.
So Reports Oscar Schmidt — Active Demand from
Domestic and Foreign Sources.
Oscar Schmidt, maker of the American
mandolin-harp, the Menzenhauer guitar-
zither, the O. S. mandolin, the Notaphone,
the Guitarophone, and other musical novel-
ties, at 36 to 50 Ferry street, Jersey City,
N. J., is quite busy in each and all of
his departments. The call for the guitar-
zither is large and continuous. The O. S.
mandolin is in such request that the demand
frequently puts a heavy strain on the fac-
tory experts in the mandolin department.
The Notaphone, described in The Review
of April 13th, is gradually becoming known
among the teachers and heads of. schools.
There are strong indications that school
boards in many cities will adopt it as a mu-
sical educator.
The Guitarophone, described in The Re-
view of Sept. 14th, is now being prepared
for the market and will be ready shortly.
CRONJE AND THE GRAPHOPHONE.
The graphophone is beginning to figure
as a considerable American export, and cer-
tainly it is one of the most curious and in-
teresting. While its commercial uses are
beyond the comprehension or needs of the
Persian, the Hindoo or the South Sea Is-
lander, each of them is fascinated by an in-
vention which reproduces the familiar
sounds of the human voice and entertains
him with grand and light opera and orches-
tral music. Captain J. W. Webster, of the
transport "Milwaukee," who took General
Cronje to St. Helena, amused the old hero
and his wife with a graphophone. Although
the instrument is common enough in Johan-
nesburg, the general knew of it only by re-
port. "I heard you had a box thafc*talked
like a man," he said to Captain Webster
through an interpreter. Webster, telling the
story, goes on: " 'Yes, general,' I replied,
'and if you and Mrs. Cronje will come into
my stateroom I will give you an exhibition.'
They sat down soberly in front of the talk-
ing box, and I slipped in a cylinder contain-
ing Moody and Sankey's hymn 'The Ninety
and Nine/ which I had been told they sang
in their own language. The effect was start-
ling. They recognized the tune at once,
and Mrs. Cronje burst suddenly into tears.
Her husband turned away and wiped his
eyes, and I could see by the spasmodic clasp-
ing and unclasping of his hands that General
JOHN C. HAYNES & Co.
45t Washington St.
BOSTON,
SMASS.
Importers and ^Manufacturers
Cronje himself was deeply affected. To
relieve the tension I put on a record with
a lively banjo solo, and in a moment the old
gentleman began to smile and beat time with
his feet and head, his gray beard wagging
to the melody."
Several important foreign orders for Conn
"Wonder" instruments, aggregating $1,000,
were shipped from the warerooms of W.
Paris Chambers early this week. Mr. Cham-
bers has also sent off a full set of "Wonder"
brass instruments consigned per order to the
United States Navy department. Business
with Mr. Chambers, needless to say, is ex-
cellent and shows a steady growth.
"SMALL GOODS" MEN HONORED.
THE THIBOUVILLE-LAMY DISPLAY.
Conspicuous among gold medallists in the
recently issued list of awards for exhibits
at the Pan-American Exposition are C. G.
Conn, Elkhart, Ind., for brass wind instru-
ments with open mouth pieces, and John C.
Haynes & Co., Boston, Mass., for "Bay
State" guitars, banjos, zithers and mando-
lins, who also received a silver medal for
"Bay State" flutes and piccolos. The silver
medal list further included C. G. Conn for
piccolos, flutes, clarionets and saxaphones,
and the Regina Music Box Co. for music
boxes. C. G. Conn also received honorable
mention for drums.
The Review visited the musical instrument
warerooms of J. Thibouville-Lamy & Co.,
35 Great Jones street, this week, and noted
the immense variety of the firm products
now on exhibition. The choice of violins
and other string instruments, also those for
band equipment, is particularly large. Vis-
itors to these warerooms cannot but be deep-
ly impressed with the business-like manner
in which the stock is arranged and handled.
The prompt, effective way in which busi-
ness is transacted is also worthy of remark.
Mr. Duchatellier has been unusually success-
ful since he took charge of the business and
the reasons are not far to seek. He devotes
his full time each day to the task he has in
hand and deals with each problem as it
arises, in a way that demands the admira-
tion and compels the respect of all with whom
he is brought into contact.
MATHIAS MESSNER IN NEW YORK.
Mathias Messner, of Chris. Messner &
Co., Trossingen, arrived in New York on
Friday as a passenger on the "Columbia."
He is visiting the United States in order to
familiarize himself with the American mu-
sical merchandise trade. The Messner firm
owns and occupies the oldest mouth-harmon-
ica factory in Trossingen.
Mr. Messner is going to introduce, during
his stay, a great novelty. It is a walking-
stick having a mouth-harmonica inserted
within a sliding groove in the handle. The
instrument can be removed from the stick
whenever the owner desires to have it unat-
tached.
TONK ON PRICE CUTTING.
William Tonk, of William Tonk & Bro.,
reports trade conditions as satisfactory.
"There is a healthy demand for Tonk spe-
cialties all along the line," remarked Mr.
Tonk to The Review on Tuesday. "The vol-
ume of our business up to Sept. 30th of this
year compares favorably with that of last
year.
"Volume of business, however, in our trade
does not now mean what it meant at one time.
There is such a terrific cutting of prices now-
adays that the total output is no criterion as
to prosperity such as is represented most ac-
curately by the credit side of a firm's account
books."
SCRIBNER ENTHUSIASTIC.
Frank Scribner is enthusiastic over the
success of the new Weiss harmonicas. The
demand has far exceeded even his most
sanguine expectations. Mr. Scribner's latest
novelty, the Metallochord, is selling 1 well.
As a Christmas present it will evidently be
a leader this season.
GRATZ TRAVELING.
Wm. R.
the West.
to transact
the end of
Gratz left town on Sunday for
He has much important business
and will probably be absent until
November.
A REMARKABLE LOG OF MAHOGANY.
The restless and aggressive American spec-
ulators who have for the past few years been
bidding for "the control of the few remaining
profitable industries of effete Europe, appear
at length, says the Timber Trades Journal
of London, to have invaded the timber trade,
for we have now to record the fact that the
finest" Mahogany log of the new century has
been secured for the American market—a
grand Cuban log, which was purchased in
Liverpool last month by a London buyer at
15s. 3d. (about $3.75) per foot super, and
has since been sold at an advance on that
price to a firm of veneer manufacturers in
Cincinnati.
The log is practically 20 feet long, and 31
inches deep by 29 indie's broad. It is per-
fectly straight from end to end, and of the
most beautiful texture and color. It may
be said to be a perfect piece in all respects,
there being practically no faults of any kind
on either of the four sides or two ends.
The log contains about 1,670 superficial feet
of extreme measurement, and weighs 3 tons
10 cwt. It is beautifully figured in every
part, and is unique, in the fact that the fig-
ure is apparently as strong on one side as it
is on the other—highly-figured wood, as a
rule, being strongest on one side of the tree.