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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
PIANO FACTORY SUPERINTENDENTS.
Henry W. Eschenbrenner.
ARTICLE III.
Henry W. Eschenbrenner, superintendent of the
factory of Krakauer Bros., in New York, was born
in Germany in 1863. After graduating from school
he became apprenticed to his father as cabinet-
maker for three years, and after becoming a jour-
Henry W. Eschenbrenner.
neyman he came to this country in 1881, and short-
ly thereafter commenced as upright finisher and
regulator with Steinway & Sons. From there he
went to the old firm of Dunham & Co., where he
was employed in various capacities. His next
move was to Norwalk, O., where he was engaged
in the factory of the A. B. Chase Co. for about one
year.
Upon his return to New York he commenced
with Krakauer Bros., by whom he was employed
for about two years and a half. Leaving them, he
served a number of years with Steinway & Sons
and in the Knabe Baltimore factory. He returned
to i\ew York in ltiDH, since whicn time he has held
his present position with Krakauer Bros.
BUSY TIMES JVITH H1QEL CO.
Plants in Toronto and Buffalo Not Seriously
Affected by the War—Introduces New Double
Valve Player Action Which Wins Praise.
And when you're satisfied
that we've the best punch-
ings on the market, cut
clean and accurately from
the best of material in cellu-
loid, cloth, felt, fibre,
leather, paper, rubber or
whatever you want, give
us credit and send your
orders to
A recent visitor to this city, in connection with a
number of important deals, was Utto Higel, presi-
dent of the Utto Higel Co., Ltd., Toronto, Canada,
and the Otto Higel Co., Inc., Buffalo, manufacturers
of the well-known Metalnola player actions and tne
Higel piano actions, who announced that the Higel
Co. has just brougiit oui an entirely new double-
valve player-action. Greatly simplified as to number
of working parts, it wih L>J a most important addi-
tion to the line of goods mnaufactured for the
trade by this concern.
"Ihe disturbed condition of business as a result
of the war has not affected seriously any part of
the plant," said Mr. Higel. ' We have held our own
well, and some departments are working overtime.
The 33 per cent, duty on all piano importations
into England naturally acted against us and all
other English piano makers, but we are well
equipped to meet the situation, as far as t.ie placer-
actions are concerned." Mr. Higel is greatly
pleased with the new simplified Metalnola, which
has just been perfected and offered to their cus-
tomers.
WHICH SIDE UPJN_CROSS=BANDINQ?
ENGLAND'S NEW IMPORT DUTIES.
Good, Substantial Reasons in Favor of the
Right Side Up, Says E. M. Mackay.
The new import duties on pianofortes and com-
ponent parts have not been looked upon with a
favorable eye by the French makers, says The
Music Trades Review of London, Eng., who could
hardly have expected a measure of such a nature
to go through under the existing condition of af-
fairs between the two countries. A meeting of the
French pianoforte manufacturers' association took
place in Paris last month, when it was decided to
petition the French Government to use its influence
with the British Government with a view to a
reduction of the duty to 10 per cent. It is pointed
out that every French piano imported releases a
British instrument for export.
THE RUBBERJITUATION.
Despite the increase in the price of rubber,
which seems to be mounting up in price week after
week, Consul John P. Bray, who is at Singapore,
writes to the Department of Commerce that in-
stead of there being a decrease in the output of
rubber on the Malay Peninsula this year, as was
estimated some time ago, there will be an increase
of at least 20,000 tons over the 1914 crop. This
impression was gained by Mr. Bray on interview-
ing most of the leading Singapore rubber merchants.
According to one firm, the total production for 1915
will probably be in the neighborhood of 70,000
tons.
BALSA IS THE_L]QHTEST WOOD.
The lightest of all woods is that of the balsa
tree, known in Porto Rico as goano or "cork-
wood ;" in Cuba as "lanero," and in Martinique as
"floating wood." A cubic foot of it weighs only
7.3 pounds, while a cubic foot of cork weighs 13.7
pounds; of white pine, 27.7 pounds; of maple, 43
pounds; of white oak, 46.88 pounds; of black iron-
wood, 81 pounds. Balso-wood is now being im-
ported and used for making life-preservers, rafts,
buoys and the interior linings of refrigerators.
C.F. GDEPELACO
137 E A S T I3 T -* ST.
N C.W YORK
"Where thick rotary-cut veneer is used for cross-
banding too much care cannot be exercised to see
that it is laid with the right side up," remarks E.
M. Mackay. "A great deal pi trouble is caused
through neglect of this very important thing. A
great deal of the checking that is found in face
veneer is caused by the wrong side of cross-band-
ing being put at the top. The wrong side of rotary-
cut one-eighth-inch stock is • always somewhat
shaky, and the thin face veneer checks along the
weak parts of the cross-banding, just the same as
face veneer will check along the line of a check
in core stock if no cross-banding has been used.
"I have heard men attempt to argue that it made
no difference which side of cross-banding was put
up, because the glue would fill up and hold to-
gether any defects. But as a matter of fact that
is not what takes place, as many who have looked
carefully into the matter can testify. I have seen
a number of pieces tried each way, and while no
defects developed in the lot that had the cross-
banding right side up, a large percentage of the
others gave considerable trouble from checks.
"But there is always a right way and a wrong
way to do everything, and the right way is just as
easy and much more safe. No person would con-
tend that the proper way to lay cross-banding
would be with the wrong side up, because no argu-
ment can be advanced to show where that side has
a preference over the other. But there are reasons,
and good, substantial ones, in favor of the right
side up. Let us then be on the side of safety and
put it on right side up."
INVISIBLE
HINGES
The Ohio Veneer Co.
San Franciieo
164 H«n.ford Bld(.
CINCINNATI, O.
Lot Angeles
224 Central Bide.
Importers a n d Manufacturers of
Figured Mahogany, Circassian Wal-
nut and Foreign Woods for high-
grade piano cases and cabinets.
Minneapolis
3416SccondAve.,So.
Detroit
David WhitnejBldt.
Nmw York OtRem and Sampl* Room
Grand Central Palace Building
Lexington Ave. and 46th St.
G. H. VAUGHAN, Eastern Representative
S O S S MANUFACTURING CO.
435 443 ATLANTIC AVE
BROOKLYN.N.Y