Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-23
FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT

iSracou ny mucn larger dspay OF pianos than hereto
FORE nearly half Of tier of the noble gallery of Castle
Garden being entirely occupied by them The instruments
lon exhibition from twenty different manufac
tories and are, and all most credtable to the me-
chancal and artistic skill and Of those engaged in
this now very important American business though
cognse in neither Of the particular pianos at the Fair
noteworthy superiority host of instruments sale
and in the workshops of New York
The progress of this branch Of American industry is
perhaps more than that any other typical Of the pro-
gress Of our whole country for within the last quarter of
century, from being of little public Importance it has
become of the leading manufactures Of the land
strange as the assertion may appear
AS well as have been able to learn, old Mr.. GIELE |
first commenced the business in this city land country
some fifty years ago. since which time member rl
members of the family have always been init though now
lone never piano wearing the family upon
it At present great grandson Of the old gentleman
member Of the house of Stoddart Co., is, if not
Mistaken the only piano forte maker who bears the
of Geile Chickering of Boston, who first became emf
pent as builder of pianos in Boston, learned his busi
ness with Osborn who previous to the rise of the fame of
the house of Chickerng had the leading establishment
in that city Chckering commenced business on his own
account In Boston about the time that Nunns Clark
began here, that is in 1922 when not than ave-
rage Of three pianos were turned out weekly in New
York city Already there hundred and four houses
here making piano fores while almost every other city
and town north Of Mason and Dxons line, numbering
more than 10000 inhabitants possess less es
Establishments of the kind do of the villages of
this State and New England.
have data at hand from which to write reliable
estimate of the number Of hands employed throughout
the county in the trade, of the capital engaged n it
but from the hints above written the reader win at
/ -
Importance
We have not only progressed at unprecedented rate
il the number of pianos actually made annually in the
untry but in the short space of thirty years have
succeeded in bearing off the palm of superiority in our
Instruments those of all the of the world This
c has been amply demonstrated by the decision of the
Jury pianos the Worlds Fair in London, who
awarded to Nunns Clark of this city, Chckering, of
B.ston, and Myers of Philadelphia all the medals given
fol the best square pianos shown there their competitors
being the leading manufacturers of Great Britain the Eu
ropean continent, and the United States Of America
Knowing this fact visited the establishment Of Nunns
Clark yesterday in search of entertaining information
concerning the art of making the piano. passing agree
abb hour indeed in inspecting their very extensive pre-
miles They occupy whole block of twenty-our city
ot the Third avenue between 25th and 26th streets
psron Of which is devoted to houses for of their
orkmen the rest being covered with their two work.
Shops l40 by 40 feet each and otherwise used yards
for seasoning the wood Of all descriptions required in
theft trade. Their factories stand in shape and
FIVE stories high The first or basement story of one of
their factories is used for engine and boiler room and
depository for the coal required for the sixteen horse
power steam engine by which all their machinery is
driven The chambers of the lower story Of the second
building used for steam-drying their timber Of all
sorts, for apannng, japan polishing and ornamental
painting and gliding They wood in their instru-
which has not been at least four years their yards
undergoing or air seasoning, and their sounding
boards all made Of native spruce which has been in
their hands from to ten years. subjected in the
while to periodical inspections and tests to ascer
tain whether there be the least question to its fit
ness for the purpose required The steamdrying
which refer above is 100 feet long by 80 feet wide
and is kept constantly at temperature of about 1909
Fahrenheit by the application of many tubes running
through its length through which the steam
There are full 5000 feet of such tubing the
premises In the chamber above described all the timber
to 20 into the pianos is packed and kept for periods
rying from two weeks to four months shortly before
being worked up into the instruments and after being
rough shaped in the machine rooms. They each so
packed too that board Slip stick placed in
actual contact with any other by which the hot air
circulating in the drying has every portion
Of the surface Of every piece being thus dried believe
similar steam chamber is to be found in other
factory Of wooden work in New York IL adopted by
the propretors after realizing for long series Of years
the almost utter mpossiby Of otherwise seasoning
their timber to make it all climate proof any quar-
ter Of the globe BY resortng to its they have
tanly achieved the object sought be attained
give their instruments enviable reputation indeed in
this connexion
The apanning is steam oven in which the cast
iron plates manufactured to their order by Beebe and
Jones' Of this city, and imported boiler tubes undergo
the process of thorough apannng The liquid japannng
is flowed on in boiling state in another chamber
and being placed in this oven, they are SO heated by
Of steam pipes to make the composition boil up
each plate and tube. For Of the other fac
tories Of the city these parts Of the instrument
japanned by various parties who carry the business Of
japannng any thing and every thing for the public
large From this these parts Of the instrument
taken to another chamber where they are handubbed
with pumcestone until they exhibit polish equal to
that Of the finest plategsss after which they trans
fered to still another chamber wheredhe artists Of the
taking them in hand them with ella
borate and exquisite gliding and paintings Of scrolls,
birds, and flowers The second floor or, story Of
building is devoted wholly to the work Of planning and
piano. andthe same story Of the other building is used
for boring, morticng, shaping the sawed and planed
pieces &c previous putting them in the hands Of the
fnishers All the hard labor Of this work is Of
done by machinery there being particular machine to