Music Trade Review

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10
.
THE 7VU7SIC TRKDE
. INDIVIDUALITY IN THE VOSE FACTORY.
. .
it is operated by electricity made on the
premises.
The New Vose Structure Most Unique in Many Kespects—No Point of Factory Betterment Was Over-
As the visitor goes over the building the
looked in the Planning of This Industrial Plant—Careful Investigation Ha* Brought About an Effec-
entire
absence of shafting is noted. Every
tive Result—The Abandonment of Old Methods in Factory Equipment —Vose in Letters of Fire.
machine is supplied with its own individual
The hall mark of quality has long been
A description of this new industrial plant motor, the electrical supply being generated
associated with the Vose product, and the hardly suffices to give one an adequate idea by an enormous dynamo in the engine room.
hall mark of quality is apparent in that colos- of its numerous systems, ingenious and in- The factory is supplied with two boilers of
sal structure wherein the Vose pianos of tricate, which have been the direct result of 250 horse power each. One 250 horse power
the future will be constructed.
months of investigatory work.
engine which is attached to the large dyna-
No one interested can approach that mag-
To begin with, there is that air of solid- mo, and a number of smaller engines are
nificent edifice, designed and reared by Vose ity and impressiveness which dawns upon the distributed in various parts of the building.
* * * * * * * * *
skill and enterprise, without a feeling of ad- beholder as the building is surveyed exte-
There are three elevators, all of the hydrau-
miration for the forces which planned its riorly.
development. Genius has been truly called
Its massive walls impart to one that idea lic type and which possess individual motors.
the capacity to take infinite pains. It is the of durability which is so well exemplified The lumber yards are in the rear adjoining
the railroad. A huge dry kiln adjoins the
splendid fruit that grows on the tree of in the product of the house.
hard work. Genius and hard work are ob-
There is, too, a quiet architectural dig- factory in which is placed an unique ar-
vious at each turn in this great structure, be- nity about the entire three hundred feet of rangement for the rapid drying of lumber.
cause there is on every hand indisputable frontage on Massachusetts avenue which The boards are placed on racks connected
evidence of the greatest care and pains gives one also a comprehensive idea of the with steam pipes, the racks being in the
usual form one above the other. After the
in the planning and execution of this productive greatness of this institution.
magnificent architectural work. It is occa-
As we enter the building, passing through boards are in place, the space between them
sionally that we find men who go into details the offices of Julian W. Vose and Irving and the racks above is closed by the drop-
in the minutest particular, and seek to profit Bond Vose on through the milling floor, the ping of the entire section of racks. The rais-
ing and lowering of the racks is controlled
in every way by careful investigation and newness of everything is apparent.
by
hydraulic pressure.
by experience of others. However, there are
But it is newness with an object, newness-
many who never devote much time to the of ideas, the discarding of old theories, the
The insurance of piano factories owing to
planning of factory details. They tell the adoption of new.
the vast amount of inflammable material
consulting architect what they desire and
The machinery, which means almost a which is carried therein, is becoming more
leave the matter of detail largely to him.
revolution when compared with the old and more an important item in the fixed ex-
school, has all been tested, for there are no penses of running a factory. In planning
Now, this new Vose plant is not the cre-
chances taken, no experiments with anything the Vose building this part was as carefully
ation of a factory building in the ordinary
to ,be found in the machinery department. considered as every item of mechanical ar-
sense, that is, orders were not given to
All the testing has been accomplished pre- rangement. All of the six floors are cement,
architects to prepare a structure to cost a
viously. The machines were built by ex- and every floor slopes from the wall, form-
certain sum, and include so many thousand
perts to accomplish certain definite results. ing a roof so that in case of fire on any
square feet of space. Every point in the
floor, it would be impossible for the water
Vose building was carefully considered by
As we go on from floor to floor through to run through the floor below, as the floors
the members of the corporation before the the entire six stories of this building, this gently incline towards the pipes and the ele-
plans even advanced to the draughtsmen. impression becomes more and more domi- vators, thus there could be no damage by
Every man occupying a position of author- nant. There is the elimination of slow meth- water. Fireproof partitions divide the vari-
ity in the Vose enterprise was asked to con- ods and the employment of new ideas which ous floors. The stairways and elevator walls
tribute some ideas or to express some views embody a saving of time in every particular. are so constructed as to act as a drain for
as to possible factory betterment.
All manufacturers are desirous of reduc- the water which might be used to extin-
The most thorough and minute investi- ing in every way the cost of production while guish a fire. Of course the sprinkler sys-
gation of great factories not only in this in- maintaining the highest possible standard of tem is in vogue over the entire building.
* * * * * * * *
•
dustry, but in all others, were carried on work without increased cost to the consumer.
The
more
one
analyzes
the
structure
of
for an extended time. Every argument was
It is evident that the Voses were imbued
carefully weighed, and some principles which with the object of obtaining the highest re- this Yose factory the more difficult it is to
were at first considered strong were after- sults by a diminution of time in handling discover inflammable material outside of the
wards rejected, so that nothing which is in each departmental branch of work expedi- window sashes and frames. As might be
supposed, the insurance rates on a building
operation to-day in the Vose plant is placed tiously.
of this kind reach a very low point, probably
there save for good reason, because every
The old stationary racks, so long in vogue, the lowest rates on any factory located in any
particle of debatable ground had not only
been threshed over once, but twice and have been discarded completely, and every- of the principal cities of America.
To one interested in factory adjustments
thrice. Thus we see what is rare in the in- thing in the Vose factory is portable, thus the
constant
moving
to
and
from
the
bench
the
Vose plant will form at once an educa-
dustrial world, and what is particularly ap-
to
the
old
stationary
rack
is
now
eliminated,
tional
study, and to the observing mind it
plicable to the piano world—a factory with
for
these
large
racks
are
easily
moved
across
will
show
how wonderful the advance has
definite individuality.
and
up
and
down
the
floor
to
the
various
been
made
in mechanical adjustments and
As the Vose piano requires a master hand
benches,
and
when
emptied
are
removed
and
arrangements
during the past decade.
in its treatment in the various departments,
others
rolled
on
to
take
their
place.
There
What a striking contrast between the crude
as it allows for scientific development, as
manufacturing methods employed a naif a
care is a necessity in its different stages of is no congestion anywhere.
manufacture in order to give it distinctive
The best light is obtainable on every floor, century ago and this twentieth century Bos-
individuality, why should not its factory and this light can never be excluded. The ton institution!
The little industrial acorn founded by
home, its birthplace, have individuality?
building fronts on a broad thoroughfare, on
And it may be said of the Vose plant that the other side the Vose concern owns the James W. Vose more than half a century
this one point — individuality — dominates entire property surrounding it, running back ago has developed into the magnificent oak
from the time of entering the factory, from to the N. Y., N. H. & H. R.R. track. Short- of industrial strength which we see illus-
the inspection of the offices of Julian W. ly there will be a siding extending to the trated in that almost imperishable factory
Vose at the left of the main entrance, to the factory so that material may be received and of stone and cement from the roof of which
in letters of electric fire the name of Vose
superb view from the roof around which shipments made without additional handling.
will blaze during the night hours when the
runs a high wall topped with a continuous
In power and lighting the new plant is hum of machinery is stilled within the great
line of granite.
entirely independent of outside sources, as structure.