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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DEATH OF JOHN A. WESER_WIDELY REGRETTED BY TRADE
Founder and Head of Weser Bros. Succumbs to Sudden Heart Attack—Had Not Been 111—Built
Up Large Enterprise From Small Beginning and Was Inventor of Note—Interment at Woodlawn
John A. Weser, founder and head of the firm modest tastes, Mr. Weser was always found the
of Weser Bros., 524 West Forty-third street, same—democratic and genial and more thought-
New York, passed away suddenly at his home, ful of others than he was of himself. Of a
861 West End avenue, on Friday morning last, cheerful disposition, he always displayed great
May 18. The news of his death was a distinct friendliness, and commanded the respect of
shock both to the members of the trade and all who knew him.
Besides perfecting many improvements in
his many friends, owing to the fact that Mr.
Weser had not been ill and was suddenly stricken pianos and player-pianos his latest achieve-
with a heart attack, just as he was leaving his ment was the inventing of a phonograph which
home for his office. Having reached the street plays a series of eight records and is controlled
and feeling depressed he quickly returned to electrically by buttons.
The funeral services were held at his late
the house, and a doctor, whose office is directly
home on Sunday, the interment taking place on
Monday at Woodlawn. The services at the
house were attended by many members of the
industry, including F. C. Decker, Theodore P.
Anderson, Henry Reisenbach, B. Meier, A. H.
Kayton, S. B. Eggleston, Max Levian, E. Leins,
John A. Weser
"across the street, was summoned, but he passed
away within a few minutes. On Thursday he
had been at his office as usual, and greeted
many members of the trade.
John A. Weser was a splendid type of self-
made man. He was born on a farm at Ulster
Heights, Ulster County, New York, March 23,
1853, and was brought up in modest surround-
ings. As a boy he showed remarkable ability and
considerable bent towards the mechanical, and
in his later life this genius became well known,
owing to his many inventions and improve-
ments, especially for use in the construction of
pianos and player-pianos. In 1872 he came to
New York and entered the piano factory of J.
P. Hale, where he commenced to learn piano
making. He also gained part of his education
in the factory of Cable & Sons, under the
schooling of the late Robert Cable. Having
spent seven years at the bench, in 1879 he
founded the firm of Weser Bros., having asso-
ciated with him at that time two of his brothers,
the late Nicholas M., and the late George W.
Weser. The first factory was a modest affair
at 550 W. Thirtieth street, New York. Here
the brothers worked patiently until their busi-
ness had grown to such an extent that they
acquired a new factory at 509 West Thirty-third
street. In 1882 the late Calvin L. Weser, an-
other brother, joined the firm, and in 1884 Win-
field S. W r eser, who was closely associated with
his late brother up to the present day, came
into the business. The site of the present fac-
tory was acquired in 1890, but in 1892 a fire
destroyed the plant and the first half of the
present factory was erected. This was added
to in 1900, completing the present structure.
The rapid growth of this business stands as a
monument to John A. Weser, who worked faith-
fully and patiently, and to whom work was more
of a pleasure than any other kind of amuse-
ment which he could find. A man of very
Carleton Chace and many friends and relatives.
Mr. Weser is survived by a widow, three
daughters, Mrs. Elsie Bauer, Gertrude and Ruth
Weser, two sons, John A. and Nicholas, and
two brothers, W. S. Weser, of the firm of Weser
Bros., and William A. Weser, who resides in
Ellenville, N. Y.
Many expressions of sympathy were received
by the firm and family, among them being a
telegram from Herbert W. Hill, assistant sec-
retary of the National Piano Manufacturers' As-
sociation, stating: "The National Piano Manu-
facturers' Association in convention assembled,
learn with great regret of the death of John
A. Weser, and desire to express their sym-
pathy at this time."
A large number of beautiful floral tributes
were sent to the home of the deceased, including
set pieces from the office staff and employes as
well as from many friends of the deceased in the
piano trade. The factory was closed all day
Monday.
SPECIAL TRAINj\ BIG SUCCESS
AUTOPIANO CO. GRANTED INJUNCTION
New Yorkers Have Fine Time on Way to Chi-
cago Conventions—Those Who Made the Trip
and What Happened en Route
Otto Higel Co. Temporarily Restrained From
Making Pneumatic Tracking Device—Otto
Higel Says Customers Will Be Protected and
Tells of New Mechanical Tracker
CHICAGO, III., May 18.—The Convention Spe-
cial of New York, which arrived here this morn-
ing, proved an unqualified success, for although
there were only about thirty piano men and
their wives aboard, they monopolized all but one
car of the special section of the Twentieth
Century Limited. In order to see that the party
was properly taken care of, Guy S. Harner, of
the General Passenger Agent's office of the
New York Central, accompanied the piano men
throughout the trip.
There were the usual poker games, which
lasted throughout the daylight hours and well
into the night, and with everybody bragging the
next morning how well they had played their
various hands. There was also a game or two
of pinochle on the five cents per hundred basis,
the delights of the game not being hampered
by the war situation.
Those who made up the party included: A.
Dalrymple, of the Estey Piano Co., with Mrs.
Dalrymple; Alex S. Shoninger, of the B. Shon-
inger Co., with Mrs. Shoninger; Herbert W.
Hill, assistant secretary of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association, with Mrs. Hill;
Miss A. Borchard, secretary of the Nationl
Bureau for the Advancement of Music; Geo. W.
Gittins, Estey Piano Co.; Richard W. Lawrence,
Kohler & Campbell, Inc.; Wm. J. Keeley, Auto
Pneumatic Action Co.; Ashley B. Cone and
Fred W. Lohr, of Hardman, Peck & Co.; Wm.
Tonk, of Wm. Tonk & Bro.; John H. Parnham,
Milton Piano Co.; Herbert Simpson, Kohler &
Campbell, Inc.; Wm. M. Plaisted, Hazelton
Bros., Inc.; Chas. Jacob, Jacob Bros.; Wm. J.
Behr, Behr Bros. & Co.; R. B. Aldcroftt, Dc-
Rivas & Harris, Inc.; Otto F. Mehlin, Paul G.
Mehlin & Sons; Geo. H. Bliss, Q R S Co.; A. R.
Farmer, Standard Pneumatic Action Co.; and
B. B. Wilson, of The Music Trade Review; C. I.
Phillips and W. E. Baldwin; Harry Stultz, of
Stultz Bros.; C. C. Conway, of Hallet & Davis
Piano Co., and A. A. Wessell, of Wessell, Nickel
& Gross, with Mrs. Wessell. E. N. Kimball,
president of the Hallet & Davis Piano Co., came
over from Boston and joined the party at
Albany.
H. W. Hess, of the American Piano Supply
Co., and Walter Goepel, of C. F. Goepel & Co.,
with their wives, proved bad guessers in mak-
ing reservations and found themselves all alone
on the first section of the same train. At sev-
eral stations they left just as the second section
came in and had a chance to wave greetings.
The party knew when they were getting near
Chicago because Platt P. Gibbs constituted him-
self a committee of one to board the train at
Englewood and extend the usual welcome. The
committee representing the Chicago trade also
met the party at the La Salle street station and
escorted them to the Congress Hotel. There
were more committee men than travelers.
A temporary injunction was granted by Judge
Augustus N. Hand in the Federal District Court,
New York, on Friday of last week in favor of
the Autopiano Co. against the Otto Higel Co.,
restraining the latter from using an automatic
tracking device on their player-pianos which, it
is alleged, infringes the O'Connor patent relating
to tracking devices.
This being the first preliminary injunction, the
court fixed a bond of $5,000 in the case which
was duly filed with the court. Regarding this
injunction Otto Higel, president of the Otto
Higel Co., stated to a representative of The
Review this week:
"We wish to assure the trade that we shall
protect their interests and we assume full re-
sponsibility. We stand behind our goods and
our customers and they need not have the slight-
est apprehension in this matter. The case will
be taken to the Supreme Court for final decision.
We have, however, perfected a mechanical auto-
matic tracking device which will do even more
than the device which we have used in the past,
and we are sure our trade will find it fully as
acceptable as our other tracking device."
BUYS CALIFORNIAJ)RGAN CO. PLANT
American Photo Player Co. Secures Additional
Factory Facilities in California
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., May 21.—The American
Photo Player Co. has purchased the plant of
the California Organ Co. in Van Nuys, Cal., to
provide the necessary facilities for handling its
steadily increasing business. For some time
the company has felt the need of a larger plant
in Berkeley, and had plans under consideration
for making extensive additions in that city, but
those plans have been abandoned now that
the fully equipped plant has been secured in
the southern part of the State. L. P. Grun-
baum, treasurer of the American Photo Player
Co., has gone East on a trip which will keep
him away for several weeks, as it is his inten-
tion to visit the company's interests in various
places before returning.
TO OPEN PIANO DEPARTMENT
May 21.—Burden, Smith & Co., of
this city, announce that on June 1 they will open
a piano department on a large scale. They have
engaged J. W. Oberry, a well-known music man
in this section, to manage the department. This
is another move in the recently inaugurated plan
of the Empire Store to expand. The reputation
and prestige of Burden, Smith & Co. and Mr.
Oberry, as well as his unusual ability, assures
the success of this department. A full line of
pianos, talking machines, records and all kinds
of musical instruments, as well as sheet music,
will be carried in stock.
MACON, GA.,