The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-01-24
PRICE 8 CENTS.
Hand Organs.
How They are Made and What They
Cost.
New York Times.l

New York Times.j
"How many organs are there in the city7
1t is impossible to say. We have made nearly
1000 here in this factory, but they go all over
the country, though they were nearly all made
for New York men. The organ-grinders have
regular routes, many of them just like theat-
rical company. But there is this difference,
instead of going East and West, they trayel
North and South, so as to be in the North in
the summer and South In winter. They do
all their travelling on foot, of course, SO it is
slow work. But they play all along the road
whenever they come to house, and are sure
of making their travelling expenses at least.
1t has been so warm this winter that a great
many Of the travellers have not started SOUTH
ward but take their chances in the city.
What an organ-grinder can make in the city
streets is just as uncertain as what merchant
can make He may take in IS in single day
it he has good place and strikes streak OF
luck. On the other hand, he may not get half
a dollar, work as hard as he will.
81 tell you," said the enthusiastic organ
maker, "the hand-organ is the most maligned
musical instrument in the world. Because
there are great many bad ones all hand-or-
gans are declared a nuisance. The instru-
ment can be made with as fine tone as the
best piano. Drum away on piano for 25 or
80 years, and what would be left of the tune?
But hand-organs last longer than that, often
without any repairs. have put new tunes In
organs that were made in Florence 40 years
before and that were still in good order.
That is one of the drawbacks of the business;
Organs last too long. Listen to this one and
then tell me whether you think there is any
music in a hand-organ."
The organ-maker, as he spoke, adjusted the
stops of new instrument that had apparently
lust been completed, and turned the handle
The result was as sweet music almost as
could have been extracted from piano.
"That is not an unusually fine instrument,
he continued, though it is good one; and 10
Just shows that there is as much music in an
organ as in any instrument when 1t is proper
ly made and in good order. That was made
to order, like all our organs, and is worth SloO
1t plays 10 tunes, and is good for at least 10
years steady use, with occasional changes OF
tunes. We do great deal OF tune-changing.
Two or three popular airs will coax out more
pennies than dozen stale tunes. The tunes
are very easily changed when you know how
to do it. Do you know anything about the
construction of hand-organ?'
The reporter was compelled to confess that
beyond a general idea of pair of bellows with
cold being hidden somewhere inside the case,
he knew very little of organ anatomy.
'A hand-organ,' the guide continued, lis
Just like any church organ, with few points
of difference. 1t has bellows and pipes and
keys When you want to play on church or
gan you depress the keys; when you play
hand organ you elevate them. You use your
fingers on the keys of the big organ; but these
little brass pins are the fingers that operate
the hand-organ. Here is one OF the cylinders
for an ordinary size organ. 1t is 10 inches
long and inches in diameter. 1t Is, you see,
first covered with a sheet of clean, stih paper,
and then stuck full of little brass pins. Some
of them, you will notice, are no more than tiny
brass pegs, while others are nearly half an inch
long, with pin at each end, thus The
barrel is put in the organ and connected with
the crank. When it Is turned the brass pins
are brought against the keys, and the keys are
raised. If it is one of the small ones 1t raises
the key only for an instant, and makes short
note If it is one of the half-inch ones, 1t
makes long note. 1t is very simple, you see,
when it is explained. When the cylinder IS
marked for the tunes it is easy enough to drive
in the pins, as you say; but 1T IS not an easy
matter to mark the tunes on the cylinder.
have the honor (as well as the profit ii there is
aDy) of being one of the three men in America
who can mark an organ barrel for the tunes.
The gentleman who imports organs from Italy
is another; and there is one more. will show
you how it is done, but you must promise me
that you won't go off and made hand-organ
as soon as 1 show you how"
The promise was given without mental res
ervation. ~
"When the barrel is properly prepared for
marking" he explained, "by being smoothly
covered With piece Of tough paper, hang IL
in position in the organ directly under the keys
| Suppose want to mark 1t for The Muihgan
| Guards A man with asteady hand turns the
| crank and play the tune on the keys, pu-h-
| ing each key down upon the cylinder instead
| of raising it up. They do not, of course, make
| any sound, but they make slight impression
| upon the paper wherever the key strikes. BY
ofino fun ha nllVad mut8lV in
this way as well as if the players heard the
sounds When it is all marked off take out
the cylinder and go carefully over all the IN
dentations with pen, and there Is tne tune;
When the tunes are all marked, skillfnl
workman puts in the pegs as you call them,
and the barrel is completed. Every organ
piays from seven to ten tunes. This one here
plays nine. You see these little grooves at the
end of the cylinder? When the grinder wants
to change the tune he lifts spring that keeps
the cylinder in place and shoves 1t along q
groove. Each groove controls one OF the
| tunes. A man can put in about three tunes a
day." n....
| big fellow in the corner?, That is a saloon
| gan, and belongs in Houston street. They got
| tired of the old tunes and wanted new set 1
made that organ five years ago and got S22OO
| for IT. Prices have come down about 10 per
| cent since then, and could make the same
| organ now for a trife less than $1,000. 1t is
| Just as good to-day as when 1t was made. In
| ordinary barrel organs we charge "a a tune Tor
| putting in new tunes. And we have had
great deal of changing to do in the last year,
| getting rid of the 'Pinafore' airs. There was q
| great run on them at one time, but they are no
use now and have to come out. common
organ weighs about twenty-five pounds, and IS
worth to make, from 800 to $1S5, according
to the number of tunes it plays. A parlor or
gan, with from % to As keys, costs $50 to 500.
What we call 'side-show organ,' to initiate
brass band, has 60 keys, SO brass trumpets,
large and small drums, and triangles, and gen.
orally plays nine tunes. 1t is worth S25OO