Presto

P R E S T 0-T I M E S
May 1, 1929
THIRTY=FIVE YEARS AGO
(From Presto, April 26, 1894.)
A rumor, which started the Lord only knows where
or by whom, gained some currency, was that E. W.
Furbush had an interest in the Jewett Piano Company
of Leominster, Mass. We can say with authoritj
that Mr. Furbush has no interest in the Jewett busi-
ness beyond being a personal friend of the makers of
that excellent instrument and having an appreciation
of its merits.
The Chicago warerooms of Haines Bros, will be
removed on May 1 to the store now occupied by the
Thomson Music Co. Mr. Thomas Floyd-Jones, local
manager for Haines Bros., has, we understand, in
contemplation a considerable extension of the business
and it is not unlikely that he will carry other lines
of pianos beside the one with which he has so long
been identified.
The factory of the Wegman Piano Co., Auburn,
N. Y., is very active and for the past two months
orders have come in sufficient to keep it running at a
rate that is extremely gratifying to all connected
with the institution.
Mr. Herman Leonard—he of alabaster complexion
and spotless white laundry—has left for a western
tour, his sails trimmed with blue felt.. Mr. L. is a
very apt pupil and departs thoroughly charged with
inspiration by Messrs. Fink and Cavalli.
The new piano factory of Ludwig & Co., at 135th
street and Southern boulevard, New York, begun a
few weeks ago, is well nigh completed and will be
ready for occupancy May 1.
The Chicago daily papers are giving fine descrip-
tions of the new Lyon & Healy store. The citizens
will have their curiosity whetted by the elaborate set-
ting out of the beauty of the establishment.
Mr. E. A. Francis, traveler for Lyon, Potter & Co.,
is in the city this week. Mr. Francis is a good sales-
man—in fact, he is not backward in saying that he
is the best salesman in Iowa. At any rate Mr. Fran-
cis sold three parlor grand Steinway pianos last week
—two in Des Moines and one in Algona.
Henry J. Raymore, of Erie, Pa., the energetic sec-
retary of the Shaw Piano Co., today (Saturday)
closed a contract with C. C. Hileman, of the Stark
Block, for the sale of one hundred of the celebrated
Shaw pianos.
Foster & Waldo have just occupied their new ware-
rooms, corner of Nicollet avenue and Fifth street.
These are the best apportioned and most pleasant in
the city. They are exceedingly light and cheerful
and show off their large and elegant stock to excel-
lent advantage. The location is in the very heart of
the best retail district, and Foster & Waldo are to be
congratulated on securing this sightly corner.
Mr. Leo Heerwagen has just closed a contract for
a large two manual Farrand & Votey organ for the
Roman Catholic Cathedral in Leavenworth, Kas.
Mr. Philip Wirsching of the F. & V. forces is in
Chicago assisting Mr. Heerwagen.
We congratulate Messrs. Story & Clark upon the
production of their new show card. It is in size
about twenty by thirty inches, and is printed in the
highest form of American chromo-lithography.
There have been a number of retail sales in Chi-
cago of Conover pianos lately that have brought joy
to the hearts to the salesmen, for they have made
others come easy. As an instance: W. C. Lescher
sold a fine upright recently to Wm. Eisfeldt, Jr.,
elected North Town Supervisor at the last election,
and shortly after sold three—Messrs. Gaul, Wermich,
and Seibert of "The Banner of Gold"—and several
more are under way. All the Conover salesmen have
the same sort of story to tell. One Conover will
sell many.
I was fortunate in spending a share of the day with
Mr. Karl Fink, whose permanent apartments at the
Adams House are the scene of much hospitality and
always open to his friends. It is not a point at issue
to go into detail as to how long we sat at lunch, how
many and what grade of cigars we smoked and the
"dozen and one" little anecdotes that were related
back and forth, but when the subject drifted into
"Blue felt" and the maze of matter and general in-
formation which Mr. Fink imparted incidental to this
important article of industry, as well as sundry other
trade topics—of these things, I say, it is proper to
write.
Wh : le some of this conversation was going on Mr.
Fink was busy in the execution of a portrait—the fea-
tures of another Dolge man, one who is now headed
Chicagoward with "Blue felt" as his watchword.
Turn to another column of this issue of The Presto
and you will see that the phiz of Mr. Leonard has
been admirably set forth. As the work was done off-
hand and in a few moments' time without photo-
graph or likeness of the subject of the sketch I con-
sider it the work of one little less than a genius.
Naturally enough there has been more or less spec-
ulation as to the position the Hallet & Davis piano
will have with Lyon & Healy. The change in repre-
Heard Without a
Trace of Static
behind the partition when Wesley Barr, the rich
Crawford avenue brick manufacturer, saw the tuner's
sign, came in and left an order with Tubby for an
expert hammer wielder to call at once and fix the
piano at his residence on Douglas boulevard.
Tubby saw a predicament when he reported the
order to Butch. The hopeful gambler mind viewed
it differently.
"I guess you've got to oblige the old gent," he
advised. "We've got to make good on the sign
bluff."
Dealer Blow r was tempting fate
When he used as window bait
"But I ain't got the tools; nothing but a monkey
High grade grand at thumpbox rate.
wrench and a tack hammer."
He faw down and go boom!
"Then you're equipped. Go on and earn your five
Work so foolish, raw and lax
spot. That's the fee, remember. It's your graft,
Called for swift and potent whacks
Tubby," was the encouraging comeback.
Of Better Bus'ness Bureau axe,
Tubby called at the Barr residence and went
He faw down and go boom!
through the motions of tuning. On leaving he col-
* * *
lected his fee from Mr. Barr. Next day Barr was
"How did you know that woman had made up her passing by the store just as Tubby was coming out.
mind to buy Style G?"
The brick magnate looked at the fake tuner for a
"Because she began to ask questions about Style moment in a puzzled way.
X," said the piano wareroom philosopher.
"Why, yes, yes," he said, "now I remember.
"You're the man who tuned the piano yesterday.
Here's your fee. I'm a most forgetful old fellow."
"Say, whadya think," Tubby reported to Butch,
IWSINFSS
CONTINUED
"that old gink I tuned the piano for has a bum mem-
Tubby Wells was a handy man in a furniture store ory. 1 met him now and he gave me another five
on Roosevelt Road near Crawford avenue, Chicago. spot. Whadya think I oughta do?"
A few pianos, a limited stock of small instruments
"What a question! Why, get in his way again and
and a little sheet music gave the store an excuse to ask him for it," advised Butch. "It looks like a steady
add "music emporium" as a sub-title on the letter income for you."
head.
Fate is a humorist. By the time the police closed
But even the limited nature of the musical goods up the blind Tubby had developed into one of the
gave Tubby an opportunity to increase his value as most expert fake tuners outside of jail.
handy man. The pianos especially interested him
* * *
and soon he could slick up a repossessed piano or
"The
sooner
you
let
a woman customer have the
give the once-over suds bath and rub-down to an
ancient "taken in trade" one with with surprising last word, the sooner the deal will be closed," said
the piano wareroom cynic.
results.
* * *
But although the interiors of the pianos fascinated
him he had little opportunity to learn their mysteries.
His multifarious duties usually kept him busy else- PASS THE CRAPE, PEEASE
where. Once he delightedly watched a real 4uner and
A veteran of the Piano Club of New York who
piano repair man transform a tinny, discordant ex- has ridden a bicycle all over the United States, Can-
change piano into one of fairly pleasing sound. But ada, and Europe, makes a touching appeal for the
one day the store went out of business and Tubby leg-driven vehicle. It is his desire that it should
was jobless.
"come back." But in voicing his vain hope this week
It happened that Butch Moody was looking for a he recalled a vague fear and yellow terror in the
location in that part of the city just then. Butch's p : ano trade when every human being with legs rode
business wes providing opportunities for the opti- a bicycle.
mists who see easy ways to fortune in backing win-
"Let's see. Wasn't it about 1889 or 1890 when
ners. In one of Butch's places you could pick your every hookworm-affected piano dealer and salesmen
fancy and place your money on a pony scooting saw dire destruction to the paino industry in the
around a track anywhere. Butch's places were run bicycle craze? Later on it was the motor car that
discreetly, under the guise of cigar stores, laundries made the pessimistic folk see things. Now it is radio.
and other blinds. The real business was conducted
"Take this as a prophecy. I had a full portion of
back of the partition. Butch rented the vacated fur- New England boiled dinner for lunch and left my
niture store.
pepsin tablets at home, so feel like handing out a good
Tubby was cleaning out the rubbish when the new line of disaster propheting:
renter came to look at the store. Butch Moody no-
"Next year everybody will be flying all day and
ticed a lot of empty sheet music carriers in the dis- dancing in cabarets and road houses all night.
card. Also a sign reading: "Piano Tuning—Leave There will be no necessity for pianos or play-
Orders Here."
erpianos, or phonographs, or radios in the homes,
"You'd better not throw out those things," said for nobody will be at home night or day.
Butch, getting a bright idea. "I'm going to run a The prospects that should be "falling for" the piano
music store and tuner's flag station here."
salesmen's spiel will be falling out of airships and
On the strength of his experience, too, he hired getting killed. The live down now gladly handed over
Tubby Wells, ordered him to put the empty boxes by installment customers, will be expended for St.
on the shelves and hang the tuner's sign in the win- Jacob's Oil for limbering up the legs for state and
dow. Butch had hardly begun to prepare for patrons national fox-trotting tournaments.
I IF. FA W D O WN AND GO BOOM!
Very strange how Dealer Blow
Sells for high the cheap and low.
Risks his reputation so.
And faw down and go boom!
When a cautious prospect came
Expert tuner in his train,
Who spilled the beans, queered the game,
Sale faw down and go boom!
sentation has brought out many queries which can
be best answered by saying that the piano will have
its own position, that is, the one to which it is en-
titled.
Some little excitement was caused in the New York
trade by the report that the Sherman Bank, 18th
street and Broadway, where a number of tradesmen
have accounts, was in difficulties. A run on the bank
followed the report, but the directors, of whom Mr.
Peter Duffy is one, and who are all wealthy men,
offered to personally guarantee every dollar on the
bank's indebtedness.
EXPLANATORY
The following notes on the foregoing- Thirty-five Years
Ago items bring the incidents up to date:
Thirty-five years ago when the foregoing' items ap-
peared in the Presto there were comparatively few tele-
phones, the movies had not started, jazz was unknown,
the player-piano had not come into use. the reproducing
grands were entirely unknown and there was no radio.
But apparently the music trade was busy.
E. W. Furbush, mentioned in connection with the
Jewett Piano Co., is now a resident o t Chicago and in-
terested in piano sales today, as he was thirty-five years
ago.
The item relating to Thomas Floyd Jones, "local man-
ager for Haines Bros.." is a reminder that a son of this
gentleman is the president of the \Y. I'. Haines «fc Co.,
New York.
The Wegman pianos referred to are now manufactured
by the B. K. Settergren Company of Bluffton, lnd.
Herman 'Leonard, who now resides in New York, has
retired from business and is living on a snug income.
The new Ludwig factory referred to is a part of that
great plant now occupied by this important piano manu-
facturing industry.
New Lyon & Healy store occupied the building at Wa-
hash and Monroe streets before occupying the present
building at Wabash and Jackson.
C. A. Francis, mentioned as a Lyon & Healy traveler,
now is doing a retail piano business in Gnlesburg, 111.
Henry J. Raymore, mentioned, is still known as "Happy
Harry" and is now a resident of Long Island, about
twenty-five miles from City Hall Square in New York,
and often comes to visit his old friends in Manhattan.
Foster & Waldo is still the great music house of Min-
neapolis.
L,eo Heerwagen is still in the pipe organ field and is
connected with the organ manufacturing- concern of the
Marr & Colton Co. at Warsaw, N. Y.
The paragraph concerning "retail sales in Chicago" is a
reminder that Conover sales are still very great.
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