Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-07-17
HAND ORGAN.
The Grinding Music Boxes and how
they are Made.

Organs" a reporter saw the sign yes
terday and went in. Up two flights Of
stairs through the low door to the left,
and he stood in the only hand organ
manufactory in the United States.
Standing at benches, leaning over old
organ boxes, seated before little stands,
five men were at work. In the middle
of the room stood several old hand or
gans. On the walls hnng queer pat
terms, numbered and diagramed; in the
further corner stood machine seven or
eight feet high, looking for all the world
like thTeshing machine.
"Is the proprietor inY' asked the re-
porter of the workman nearest the
door.
The workman turned, pointed toward
the other end of the room, and went on
cutting out long strips from great sheet
of pastebeard.
Sitting on low chair, with low table
before him, was short, stout, jolly faced
man, evidently German. On the bench
in front OF him, mounted on two wooden
rests, hung q wooden cylinder fifteen
inches long, perhaps, and five inches in
diameter. Behind the cylinder was a
small case, Lilliputian type case, con-
tanning thirty.six little boxes, and every
box full of little brass pins.
"What do you charge for common
sized organ2" asked the reporter.
1T depends on the kind" answered
the proprietor. Il can make you
flute organ, with twenty-four keys, to
play nine tunes, with black walnut
case, for a hundred dollars. If you
want an organ to play ten tunes l can
make it for you for hundred and twenty
dollars. An organ of this size will
weigh about twenty. fve pounds A
parlor organ, with from twenty-five to
forty six keys, will cost you from a hun
dred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
dollars. A side show organ, to play
nine tunes, with sixty keys, thirty.fve
brass trumpets, large and small drums
and triangles, / can make you for two
thousand dollars"
NEW TUNES IN OLD INSTRUMENTS.
While he was talking the jolly little
man sat pegging away at the cylinder
before him, driving pin here and q. peg
there, Strengthening them with little
pair of pincers and hattening them with
a little light hammer,
"What are you driving those pegs in
there for2 asked the reporter.
"This is an old cylinder. 1t was
made twenty years ago" he answered;
"the tunes that we're all the go then
don't draw out the pennies worth a cent
now. ap putting new tunes IN 1t.
take the cylinder out and paste a sheet
of clean white paper around it. Then |
mark it for the tunes, and drive these
little pins in, and the thing is done. It's
very easy to do"
1t looked very easy. The cylinder
was covered with hundreds of little black
lines, some half an inch long, others
scarcely more than dot. The reporter
asked how he knew where to draw the
lines.
The little man took handful of the
little pins out of his apron on his lap,
took few dozen more out Of his mouth,
got up and began to turn the crank of a
dismantled organ that stood near.
HAND ORGANS AND CHURCH ORGANS.
"You see," said ne, " hand organ is
made like any common organ. 1t has
bellows and pipes and keys. When you
want 10 play on church organ you push
down the keys; when you want to play
on a hand organ, you lift the keys. You
use your fingers to play on church
organ; these little brass pins are the I'm
gers an a hand organ You see these
little wires that hang down from the ends
Of the keys? Well, every time one of
those wires strikes one of the brass pins
when the cylinder is going round the key
is raised and the note is sounded. Ii
the brass pin is one of those long, half
inch ones, the key stays up good while,
and the note is a long one. If the pin
is just little dot, the key falls right
back, and the note is short.
But how do you know where to mark
the cylinders for the tunes"
That's a secret of the trade," an
swered the little man; "but / guess XII
show you. You see the cylinder is COW
cred with clean paper, and all ready;
now hang it in by the iron rod that
sticks out at each end. The tune Iwant
to mark it for play on the keys, only
press the keys down instead of lifting
them, for | know what noise they would
make lust as we'll as if they did make it.
Every time one of those little wires
strikes the cylinder it makes a little dent
If l hold it down for long note it marks
with pen to make them plain. When
one tune is marked / go on with the
next. When the tunes are all marked |
put the pins in, as you see.
How do the organ grinders change
from one tune to another while they are
playing in the street, inquired the re-
porter. .
EVERY organ" responded the little
man, plays from seven to ten tunes.
This one am working at plays eight. !
Do YOU see these little grooves2' and he
pointed to one end Of the cylinder where !
a piece of the wood had been left, about
two inches long and an inch and half
in diameter. There we're eight little |
grooves around the projection. When
the organ grinder wants to change the
tune he lifts that little spring, shoves the !
cylinder in or out one groove, and the |
tune is thus changed" "
A CUSTOMER.
Is my organ done yetT
The proprietor turned round. The |
voice was from long, slim, hungry |
looking man, dressed in army blue, with |
a pair Of dark.green speetaeles hiding |
l.. ~r1nkfw- /