Morning journal and courier., 1885-09-22
OWNERS OF HAND-ORGANs.
Interesting Facts About An Indus try Seldom Heard Of-A PIucky old

try Seldom Heard OfA PIuckY old
 Man.
 From the New York Mail and Express
 Up four flights of stairs in a building not far from Chatham Square, one comes into an odd-looking workshop. It i a triangular shaped room, containing number of benches, several boards of rosewood and black walnut and many heaps of shavings. The place is hand-organ manufactory. Grade is pretty dull just now," said it's pro- prietor to reporter.
 sfMy lively times are in the late winter and early spring. have been in the business here twenty-five years. It can't be said to be regular business-it's special. Some times we are overrun with work when we don't expect it, and at other times, when we have every reason to expect work, there ain't any. You can't force the market in the hand-organ business. The trade don't change much"
 "What is the largest sum hand-organ ever made in day?'
 '1 heard of one who, when there was racket in the gold room, cleared from $50 to S6O, But, of course, this was exceptional. The monkey part of the business is as good as ever; monkey is always 8 drawing card to the hand-organ player. 1 hear that d new trick IS to teach monkeys to steal from houses. The attraction of the business seems to be in the independent mode of life Many Italians not speaking English can get along much better this way than any other A curious thing about it is that they never think of the really hard work they are doing in carrying about all day load of from forty to fifty pounds. When the man begins the day with this weight on his back, it easily seems 100 pounds in weight before night comes. Some of them carry organs that weigh as much as seventy pounds, but they generally break down when they try that. A man can carry an organ weighing forty pounds without hurting himself"
 "What kind are most preferred?' ''The weight is the first consideration, the lightest always being the favorites. Next come those having the most popular street airs. The tunes of HarTigan's songs are the most sought after now, and have been good feature this summer. One song especially has taken well. It is Stick to Your Mother, Tom.' Some of the second hand organs that we have could tell most interesting histories, ] and have picked up small fortunes. Their | owners travel all over, and show wonderful amount of pluck and perseverance sometimes know of one remarkable instance num- l Der of years ago old fellow, over 50 years Of age, came in here and bought a thirty pound organ. He started from here with it on his back ,and for some time did not hear
 
 that he was in California making money. The plucky old fellow had walked the entire distance to California, climbing the Rocky l mountains and carrying his organ with him the entire distance. He got interested in speculating after he got there, beginning in a small way, and the last time I heard ot | him he was well off He was stubborn | old fellow, and what started him off on his l journey was lawsuit with church. The l last time l saw him his figure was bent fal | over, but it could be seen that he retained | the same old stubbornness of character" "What do hand-organs costs''
 l "A new one made to carry is worth iron l S100 to Ss50, but we sell good second hani ! organ for from $50 up. A fiute-organ ! weighing thirty pounds, with twenty-foul keys, and that plays nine tunes, costs $100 ! with black-walnut case with rosewood
 inlaid case, s125. fiute-organ of forty pounds, with twenty-six keys and two stoI | pipes, playing ten tunes, costs $50 in black walnut; extra cylinders cost $45 each Ar ' organ, with flute and picco1o, forty-ive 1 pounds and thirty-fYe keys, costs $190 il l black walnut. We sell what we call side | show organs. They come in three different | styles. No. is of thirty-two keys, ter I trumpets. nine tunes, with sub bass trumpet 1 and bells. It costs $2S6. No. 2 is of forty ! two keys, four stop pipes, nine tunes, with cymbals and square drum. It costs $500. No. 3 crowns the list It is an automatic | brass band, with sixty keys, four stop pipes, l thirty brass trumpets, large and small drums, triangles, etc. It plays nine tunes, and in a black-walnut case costs &, 200. So you see I we can get them up as big as a house, if such are wanted"
 'Do you make any hand-organs contain ing small dancing fgures?"
 "Not many nowadays. I had an order for one yesterday, but it is so long since I have made one that it comes hard. Such one with automatic figures costs about $50"