Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-10-31
IMMENSE FACTORY IMPROVEMENT.

The large addition TO the piano factory
of Messrs. VIM. knabe * Co, at the cor
ner Of Eutaw and West streets, is now
completed, and the factory IS at this time
the largest in the country. The entire
building has been remodeled for the bet
ter arrangement of the several depart
uents Of the work, 50 that as the anu
facture of an instrument progresses, il
passes regularly from floor to door until
it is ready for use. The factory has now
a front OF 30 feet on Eutaw street, and
I56 feet on West street, and covers, with
the lumber Houses and yards, an area OF
nearly two n a quarter acres. Rhe new
part Of the building has a front of 40 feet
on Eutaw street, with depth of 40 feet,
and is five stories high. The center front
is Of pressed brick. after the composite
style of architeetifre, with gable peak,
and on the roof IS q handsome cupola,
from which there is a magnificent
view of the water aud land for
miles around, the floor of the
cupOla having an altitude of one hundred
feet. IN the interior construction of the
building The greatest precautions have
been taken to guard against damage by
with iron doors leading from one part Of a
floor to another, and so thorough are the
arrangements that water may at any time
be opened in any part OF the structure.
In the new building the first floor is Oc-
cupied as an office, stOrc-rOOm, wareroOm.
and packing room, while in the old build
ing the first floor has been devoted 20 the
use of machinery entirely, where all the
rougher portions of the work are done.
Here all the frames for the pianos and the
k~eyboards are prepared for the hands Of
the workmen who give the finishing
touch. At the extreme end of his floor,
and to the rear Of West street, is the dry
ing room, which has capacity for two
hundred and fifty thousand feet of thor
oughly air-seasoned lumber, the whole of
which is subjected 10 a high degree of
temperature for three months before it is
worked n pianos. The second hoor
of this building, Two hundred feet
long and fifty feet wide, is en-
tirelv occupied by case-makers for
grand. square and upright pianos. The
third floor. OF the same Dimensions, is Oc-
cupied by top makers, whore all the tops
OF pianos are made ready for the finishing
rOom. Here also the sounding boards are
made, and the key makers perform their
delicate work on this floor. A small
apartment is here ~partitioned of, where
one man is constantly engaged with a ma
chine in wrapping the bass wires, the ma
chine making about fou thousand reVO-
lutiOnS per minute. The fourth hOor will
in future he used 10y fly finisheTs, case
makers, and for putting legs under the
instruments. Tins, from the first floor
the instruments have gone through the
regular stages OF manufacture. and carried
from one flOor to another by means OF an
elevator, until they are ready for the I'm
ishing department, which is in the new
portion of the factory, whittier they are
conveyed on trucks made expressly for
the purpose. The vanishing department
occupies the entire tilth floor Of the old
and new buildings. where there are now
from six 10 seven hundred pianos in the
finishing process. Descending as gradu-
ally in the new building as the ascent was
in the old, after l~eavingthe vanishing de-
partment the instruments are transferred
10 the 4th floor, where strings n actions
are put into the eases. Thence they are
taken to the third floor, where the actions
are regulated, tie Instruments put in
tune, the tops put on and the cases pol
ished. On the second floor the pianos,
having passed entirely from the hands of
the w~orkmen, are here examined and
tuned before they can be sent to the
gareroom, on the first floor, or to the
salesroom. The capacity of The factory
has, by these improvements, been in
creased from twenty-five TO fOrty-nve
pianos per week, giving employment to
four hundred men. All parts Of the
building are thoroughly lighted and ven
tilated, and III the front center OF the new
building there is ar e~levator of the most
costly and perfect description, so con-
strufted that it cannot fan, and large
enough to take in a piano standing on its
legs. The well hole for this elevator is a
perfect ventilator to each of the floors.
Every part OF the factory is supplied with
water and all the modern conveniences.
The entire area OF the five floors of the
building, as now constructed, covers two
and Gne-balf acres. The improvements
have cost ON forty thousand dollars,
but the demand for a much larger supply
of pianos required that they should be
made, and the enterprise of the proprie-
tors determined them that Baltimore. in
this department of industry at least,
shall not DO behind any other city of the
land-N. Y. Times,