The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-11-15
MUSIC FOR THE MASSES.
Where 1900 Organs Month are Made-Some Sur
prising Sights.

M OS1C FOE L HE MASSES.
Where 1900 Organs n Month are Made-Some Sur
prising Sights.
Special Correspondence National Tribune.
WASHINGTON, N. j., Nov. s. 1883.
"Tell us all about Beatty" With this part
ing injunction still ringing in his ears, your
correspondent this morning alighted from the
New York express, and proceeded to execute
his mission. Scarcely had he stepped upon the
platform when he was greeted with the sone-
rous hail, Beatty's factory and Offices and
Immediately perceived that it proceeded from
a colored gentleman Of magnificent girth, be-
ningant ceuntenance and gorgeous livery, who
forthwith handed him into an open barouche.
he was soon on his way to the great organ fac
tory, which its founders ability and enter
prise have made famous the country over. Ar
irving there he was pileted through the mazes
of this wonderful beehive where not drone
is anywhere to be seen, and, the inspection
completed, he was driven over to the city
where the business Offices and the salesreoms
are located. There he had an opportunity of
acquainting himself with the business methods
by which Mr.. Beatty has achieved success,
while, later in the day, he heard from Mr..
Beatty's own lips the story of his remarkable
career. 1t was an odd experience to find in
this remote little city the hustle and activity
of great manufacturing metropolis. and 1t
interested your correspondent greatly to &C
count for the phenomenon. How came such
prodigious enterprise to be established here2
HAD he a MAGIC WAND.
What was the magic wand with which Mr.
Beatty-but few years ago simply modest
country dealer in musical instruments-smet
this torpid spet and caused a palace of industry
to arise IN its midst? 1t was not until your
correspondent had completed his investigation
that he was able to solve the problem. And
the first thing which he discovered, as he passed
from one department of the factory to another
following the construction of the organ through
its various stages until what was at first heap
of rough, unsawn boards had become repesi-
tory of sweet sounds that needed but the
touch OF an amerou5 player to unboSoIa the
very soul Of music-was that through all those
processes definite purpose ran to create from
the materials at hand, with the greatest econ
omy, expedition, and convenience of labor, the
best instrument that skill eff hand, accuracy of
machinery, and ingenuity of invention csnla
devise, Sfhere, for instance, covering portion
of then STteen acres which this great estab-
hshment occupies, was the timber arranged in
towering plies along the sides of a narrow
down gauge railway, down which, by means Of
swiftly gliding trucks, it was quickly con-
veyed, with the least possible expenditure Of
labor, to the drying house, and thence, by SIM
liar trucks delivered to the factory to enter the
first stages Of its manipulation. l have an eye
for lumber, trained in the great forests Of Nor
thern Michigan, and / saw that this lumber
was sound, of beautiful grain, and well sea-
| soned. Watched the great saw cut it into the
required lengths with the swiftness and sure
ness of q paper enter. The sawdust that fell
from it, like grist of yellow corn, vanished
into the yoracious jaws of d funnel, through
which it was drawn by the power Of suction
TO the engine room below where it served
to feed the roaring fires under the boilers.
TIE MAKING sF THE ORGAN.
Following the newly sawn boards, came TO
where they were being deity joined together
in the size and proportions necessary for tie
cabinet work, and saw with what dizziness the
moulding machines did their work And now
these various parts of the organ case reached
the scrapers, and their face was shaven as
smoothly as the faces of the French Rarbersn
customers, and then the planers took them in
] their tight grip, and they came out with the
| luster and gloss Of silk. The natural beauty of
the black walnut in all its delicate hadings and
! sinuosities Of grain had been brought to view,
and it was now fit for the hand of the cabinet
maker. And now turned to watch the con-
! struction of the action of the organ, which was
/ proceeding through other departments of the
/ factory, and which, when completed, would
meet the finished parts of the cases on certain
floor Of tRe factory and there be put in its proper
| place among the other parts Of the organ by
the Fly hnisherS," as are termed the workmen
/
| visited the Wire-roon, where the myriad Of
! wires that open and shut the valves and exc
cute the viii of the player, are made, and, when
/ / reflected that seven thousand different pieces
are required in the construction of an organ it
seemed marvellous that perfection could ever be
| attained. [ took hasty glance, too, at the
room where the fine and Yari-colored felts used
In the action of the organ were stored-$10, 900
worth OF the finest quality were lying there
! But / must hasten on to the " fly fnishersn
department where the action is put into the
| case, and, what was before but an empty box
becomes complete organ.
It remains now but to give the organ its final
| finish of yarnish, and to regulate the action
1t viii then. go into the packing room, where
huge boxes, made especially for the purpose
| viii be waiting to receive it. Then it viii be
sent down On the elevator and loaded on the
| cars, which are standing on the private track of
the factory, and be whirled away-hew many
thousands miles nobody knows-to some dis
| tant home into which it is sure to bring de-
Light to the ear and joy to the heart.
SOME STATISTICS.
I might, if I chose, give the statistics
| of this vast establishment - of the factory
| which is two hundred and forty feet by eighty
feet, with numerous wings and extensions; of
| the workmen employed who number 5e0l; of
the soft aud mellow Edison lights which illu-
inmate the building; of the speaking tubes
magnificent 500 horsepower engine which gives
| 300 revolutions per minute and the long line
| Of shafting supported by an ingenious elbow
from very heavy iron uprights, insuring the
greatest possible regularity and uniformity of
motion.
might say something too, about the water
works and the system of pipes and hose by
| which, in case OF fire, the whole building could
be flooded with water in the twinkiing of an
eye; and another interesting chapter might be
written on the safeguards employed against
accidents, and the care taken to have the build
ing well-lighted and ventilated The elevator
hatchways open and shut automatically, and
there are many ingenious contrivances en-
ployed to save time and labor in handling ma
teral
La an organ, of course, the quality of the ac-
ton is the point of first consideration, but Mr.
Beatty has been shrewd enough to see that the
old styles of cases were, in the matter of
decoration, repugnant to modern taste.
and there Is perhaps, no more interesting
department in his factory than that where the
designs fer the ornamentation of cases are
drawn and carved. AS result of the work
done in this department, the organs which Mr.
Beatty turns out are distinguished by sim
plicity and at the same time beauty of design
that are not to be found in the organs of older
and less enterprising firms.
BEATTY HIS OWN MAGICIAN
From what I have said it will be seen that,
so far as the construction of the organ is
concerned, Mr.. Beatty has directed his efforts
"a urnaucff1o II will he