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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
39
THE GROWTH OF THE PIANO SOUNDING BOARD INDUSTRY.
The Great Accomplishments of Julius Breckwoldt in This and Other Departments of
Supplies the Subject of an Interesting Editorial in the Dolgeville Republican.
A vcrj interesting article relating to the Breck-
woldt industry appeared in the Dolgeville, N. Y.,
Republican of recent date. It tells of the great
enterprise founded by Julius Breckwoldt in that
village some nineteen years ago, and the persistent
application on the part of the founder to the ideal
of building piano sounding boards and other piano
parts of a degree that should be recognized for
quality and establish a standard of excellence. To
this basic principle, this ideal, coupled with effective
organization, aggressive policies and sound business
management, is due the development of the Breck-
woldt interests and the commanding position they
occupy in the trade to-day.
In the development of the enterprise Julius
Breckwoldt is assisted by his son William, who was
taken into the business in 1905, and who now holds
the important position of secretary, treasurer and
financial manager. Like his father he is a young
man of sterling qualities who is "making good" in
tiie fullest sense of the word.
To-day the annual sales of the Breckwoldt Co.
approach the million dollar mark and have by no
means stopped growing. Their trade covers the
whole of the United States, all parts of Canada and
Europe. Their domestic trade is marketed large-
ly through New York and Chicago, those cities
being the largest piano manufacturing centers in
the world. Their export trade is now an important
section of the business, England, France and Ger-
many until the present war complications inter-
fered taking a constantly increasing portion of
their product.
An important branch of the Breckwoldt business
Piano
is the steel piano wire trade. They control the
entire product of the Giese Wire Co. of Westig,
Germany, consumed in the United States, Canada
and Mexico, which is imported as a finished prod-
uct and carries a high rate of duty.
The Breckwoldt factories cover about fifty acres
of ground, including their extensive lumber yards,
roads and railroad trackage, connecting with the
local branch of the New York Central and as high
as twenty million feet of lumber is carried in stock
at one time. This consists of spruce, beech, birch
and maple principally, of varying thicknesses sawed
at the various mills and delivered by carload and
wagon. Hundreds of the latter are still employed
in haulings from the company's mills at Salisbury,
Gray and other points in t-he Adirondacks more
conveniently reached by team than by railroad.
At Fulton Chain and Tupper Lake other large
mills are owned and operated by the Breckwoldt
company employing in the neighborhood of 100
men when a full force is engaged, these mills alone
supplying from six to ten carloads of lumber
daily. The company consumes from twelve to
fifteen million feet of lumber a year and employs
a force of nearly 250 men in all departments.
"Slack" business has rarely been experienced with
the company, their plant being one of the most
steadily operated of any industry in the State and
a well paid, substantial class of workmen comprise
the big payroll, practically all citizens of Dolge-
ville and property owners. A strike or labor diffi-
culty has never been experienced in the Breck-
woldt factories in their history which speaks
volumes for the just and liberal policies of the
company, and the satisfactory relations existing
between the administrative and producing depart-
ments.
Spruce wood is used exclusively in the manu-
facture of piano sounding boards, its peculiar grain
formation and texture of fibre making it adapt-
able for the purpose and providing the only wood
known that gives the necessary tone qualities.
Furthermore, it must be absolutely sound, free
'rom knots or other defects and another qualifica-
tion of the finished sounding board, reducing the
available footage of the log and adding to the ex-
pense of manufacture—the wood must be quarter-
sawed.
The consumption of spruce in this industry is
enormous and available stocks are growing scantier
and more difficult to secure every year. Great
areas of standing timber are controlled by Julius
Breckwoldt & Co. and practically all of the
"fiddle butt" stock, as sounding board timber is
known to the initiated, in the Adirondack and Cats-
The Ohio Veneer Co.
CINCINNATI, O.
Importers a n d Manufacturers of
Figured Mahogany, Circassian Wal-
nut and Foreign Woods for high-
grade piano cases and cabinets.
Afterwards if you want or
come to us first in the mat-
ter of supplies. Ultimate-
ly you'll decide to follow
the course of the least re-
sistance. Why not now ?
C.F GDEPELACD
137 E A S T I3 T -* ST.
NEW YORK.
kill ranges are owned or optioned by this concern
as well as large tracts in Canada and elsewhere in
the hardwood timbered sections of the country.
Scientific methods of forestry are employed in
all their field operations, the necessity of intelligent
conservation being recognized early in the business
and practiced skilfully; they employ a practical
forester in their various tracts who has full charge
of all their cuttings.
THE METALS MARKET.
Price of Electrolytic Copper Now at 20 Cents
a Pound—How Other Metals Range in Price.
Twenty cents a pound was established as the
price for electrolytic copper on Monday. There
was no more pretense on the part of producers
that the market was either 2(P/4 or 20 1 /2 cents, for
these figures became purely nominal some time
ago. With business done at 20 cents by factors
in the trade, the market was readjusted to the
lower level.
There were inquiries from abroad and they were
for the most pa'rt accompanied by bids of from
19% to 20 cents a pound. That the week will de-
velop some good business seemed to be a quite
general opinion in the trade.
Spelter held strong, with spot sales at about 23
cents a pound. Brass specials sold at 20 cents.
The top level reached to date by Horsehead—the
king of all spelter brands—was reported Tues-
day to have been 43 cents a pound, against 12
cents early in the year.
Lead demand was fair, with prices steady. The
American Smelting and Refining Co.'s price held
at 5% cents. Competitors made sales at St. Louis
on an equivalent higher than the New York quo-
tation of 5.75 cents a pound.
Nmw York OfKcm and Samplm Room
Grand Central Palace Building
Lexington Ave. and 46th St.
G. H. VAUGHAN, Eastern Representative
HINGES
INVISI
Piano Manufacturers £ £ £ 3
"OUT OF SIGHT
EVER IN MIND"
•oft yellow poplar for cross band-j
Ing Is unapproached in this country.
A large supply always on hand.
GRUBB & KOSEGARTEN BROS.
Manufacturers of HIGH GRADE
The e«ntral Veneer Co., Huntington, W. Va.'
PIANO-FORTE ACTIONS
OFFMAN BROS. CO.
FORT WAYNE, IND.
NASSAU. Rensselaer County. N. Y.
(Est. 1807)
(Inc. 1904)
Specialties, Hardwood. Veaeen, u d
Lumber for Muakal Iaatrnmenta.
WHITE, SON COMPANY
Il*nufaotur*ra
ORGAN AND PLAYER-PIANO LEATHERS
990-940 AtUntle Avtnu*. Boston. Mass.
When you fail
to see an un-
sightly hinge
protruding
you know
SOSS is the
answer.
REO.US PAT O F '
VENEERS
Write to-day.
SOSS MFG.
O •J
4 3 5 Atlantic Ave.
BROOKLYN, N. Y.