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THE:
MUSIC TRADE: REVIEW
SUCCESS OF THE P. A. STARCK PIANO CO.
Have Made Great Progress Since Occupying Their New Factory—Results of a Year of Effort
—Description of Their Plant—Modern in Every Particular—Latest Machinery in All De-
partments—-Systematic Manufacturing—Something of the Starcks—Both Piano Men of a
Family of Piano Makers.
treasurer of the company, is a young man of real
ability, and one who is decidedly enthusiastic re-
garding the Starck piano. Together the father
and son are working harmoniously for the up-
building of the business, which has already
reached proportions which reflect decided credit
on the name of Starck.
P. A. Starck has something of a genius for
surrounding himself with lieutenants of skill and
executive ability, and this article should not
close without some mention of the capable super-
intendent of the Starck factory, C. H. Bartholo-
mee.
He represents the third generation of
piano builders. His grandfather was a manufac-
turer in Germany, and his father at one time had
a plant in New York. It was with him that Mr.
Bartholomee first received his first training. He
was afterward successively superintendent for
several Canadian factories, and subsequently for
eight years was connected with one of the largest
Chicago concerns.
wood carvers are also located on this first floor.
It should be stated before leaving this floor
that the company also has a patent system of
veneering round columns. There are also two
large stock vaults on this floor.
On the second floor is the bellying depart-
ments, the stringing, side gluing, action finish-
ing, key fitting, chipping, tuning, regulating and
polishing departments. A bridge boring ma-
chine was noticed merrily boring three holes at
once. Four hundred actions and sets of keys are
kept in stock on this floor.
In the journey among the pianos it was noticed
that all styles Starck pianos have finished bird's-
eye maple backs, except the style H, which has
FROM OVER THE BRIDGE.
the backs in mahogany or walnut, finished the
same as the fronts of the pianos.
Brooklyn Trade Greatly Improved—W. S. Dens-
All backs are equipped with acoustic rims, and
low Head of Sterling Piano Co. Returns—
the treble and base bridges inside and the cross
Wissner Grands in Demand—Hardman Au-
bars are all laminated.
totones Very
Popular—Newest
Hardman
A private telephone system enables the super-
Piano Well Received—F. G. Smith, Jr., on
intendent or his assistant to communicate imme-
Way Home from Pacific Coast.
diately from the office on the first floor with
every workman in the building.
(Special to The Review.)
On the third floor are the storing and filling de-
Brooklyn, N. Y., April 16, 1907.
partment, varnish room, cross rubbing, six large
Piano business in this city picked up wonder-
drying rooms, kept at an even temperature, a fully during the past week, and notwithstanding
prime desideratum for perfect work, and the flow- the slump that occurred all along the line early
in the month, all things point to a healthful con-
dition of affairs before the close of April.
Collections also have tal^en a brace, and manu-
facturers
report all departments
running
smoothly.
Great was the rejoicing at the Sterling Piano
Co.'s warerooms on Fulton street over the return
of W. S. Denslow, the popular head of this pro-
gressive house, on Friday night. Mr. Denslow,
as is his custom, has been spending the winter in
Florida, and when he entered his place of busi-
ness on Saturday morning, he was met by a dele-
gation of the employes, who presented him with
a handsome sterling silver loving cup as a token
of their high esteem. Mr. D. is bringing back
with him a healthy coat of tan and certainly
looks, as he says he feels, in excellent trim to
renew the commercial battle once more.
Reports given out at Wissner Hall show that
this well-known house are enjoying their full
share of the increase in trade. There has been
quite a call this spring for the Wissner grands,
which shows a tendency of the public to get the
best money can buy.
Retail business opened very encouragingly at
the warerooms of the Hardman-Peck Co. this
week, and' the outlook for the remainder of the
I'AcinitV AND WAIlEIIOrSH ( K THE I 1 . A. STAUCK n A X O PH., CHICAfSO, 11,1,,
month is more cheering. A large demand is evi-
denced .for their well-known "Autotone" interior
scaling by means of an oil separator, an in- ing room. There is also a stock room always player, or what is sometimes called "The Ideal
genious device which extracts the oil from both full of pianos.
Piano," and the dealers who handle this beauti-
the live and exhaust steam, and which Superin-
After the pianos graduate from the top floor ful instrument are unanimous in their praise of
dent Bartholomee says is more efficient than all they go down to the first, where they visit the its selling merits. A new style has just been
the feed water purifiers in the world. The plant, oiling off department, undergo fine tuning and brought out by Hardman, Peck & Co. One of the
-it may be said, parenthetically here, has its own tone regulation, and thence to the shipping room. new features involved being the well-known and
switch from the Northwestern Railroad. Several Here on the first floor also is a stockroom where popular "Boston Fall." The case is made in light
cars were being loaded with Starck pianos at are kept 100,000 feet of walnut butts, fancy mot- and dark mahogany, constructed along semi-Co-
the time your representative visited the plant. tled mahogany and quartered sawed oak at all lonial lines, and when closed cannot be told from
Reverting to the engine room, there is a large times.
a regular upright without the player attachment.
electric dynamo, which furnishes the power for
West of the main building is a large building A much longer treatise, however, would be
motors operating several of the special machines of modern construction used exclusively for stor- needed.
and also supplies electric lights for the building. age purposes.
"Busy as busy can be," was the word passed to
Also on the first floor is the veneer room,
It should be said that the progress of Starck The Review representative at the warerooms of
where all veneer work lays for from 4 to 6 pianos through the factory is absolutely consecu- the Freeborn G. Smith Co., 774 Fulton street, this
weeks, and until it is perfectly dried. There are tive. They never double back on their tracks, city. Preparations are now under way for the
two large back presses capable of doing their and the economy in time is therefore great. The welcoming home of F. G. Smith, Jr., who since
part of the work for twenty pianos a day. There factory is now running at the rate of 15 pianos the death of his mother has been staying in
are two large dry rooms, "hot boxes," as they are a day.
Redlands, Cal., for his health. On his way back
aptly called in the veneer room. All veneers re-
So much for the factory and the method of pro- he is calling on the various Smith Co.'s branches,
ceive a patent treatment on the back, which ducing Starck pianos. Now for the personnel of and so far reports trade booming in the North
keeps them from checking. Shelves of veneers the company—men who really need no introduc- and Southwest.
were noticed all with backs covered with gauze, tion to the trade: Phil. A. Starck is a man who
which forms the vehicle for the chemical com- has been known to the piano trade for many
J. L. Adams, the manager of the retail depart-
pound used in the anti-checking treatment.
years, and one who has accomplished large ment of Jacob Bros., 21 West 14th street, is con-
The splendidly equipped cabinet room and the things. His son, P. T. Starck, the secretary and fined to his home by a severe illness.
(Special to The Review.)
Chicago, 111., April 16, 1907.
The manufacturing business of the P. A. Starck
Piano Co., Chicago, has made wonderful progress
since they occupied their new factory at West
l.rake street and 49th avenue, a little over a year
ago.
Talk about mill rooms! It would be difficult
to find a finer one in the country than that, where
the Starck cases are made. Tt occupies a large
portion of the first floor, is splendidly lighted
naturally, as well as artificially, when occasion
requires, and is equipped throughout with the
latest and most improved machinery. There is a
big back shaping machine of the latest type, an
improved sander, a new endless joiner, which
joins each piece exactly the same, without any
hand work, a double trim saw, which also cuts
every piece of each individual style exactly the
same, and various other machines of equal excel-
lence.
Outside the building and adjoining the mill
room are two dry kilns of a capacity each of
100,000 feet of lumber, while 600,000 feet are
kept in the yards at all times.
In the boiler and engine room is a magnifi-
cent 250-horse-power Corliss engine, with two
large tubular boilers. The boilers are kept from