The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-12-02
HAND-ORGAN BUSINESS.
How the Olive-Complexioned Son of Italy
Keeps Up with the Times-The
Cost of an Instrument.

steep stairs that led to the factory of one
IF the most prominent manufacturers OF
street organs in this city, the other day.
SAYS the New York Star, and shifting
from his neck the greasy leathern strap
that supported an organ on his back.
he placed the instrument on the floor
with evident relief Taking his hat off.
he gave a nod of recognition to the
proprietor of the'estaSlishment and pro-
ceeded to mop the great beads of per-
spiration from his low forehead with a
very dirty and ragged silk handkerchief
that might in its PALMER days have been
orange-colored. This operation finish
ed, be said, pointing to the rusty-look-
ing-box before him with an expression
of the most absolute disgust and with a
voice full of feeling:
No goodr'
What is the matter with it?" asked
the proprietor of the place.
''Le INSTRUMENT no play good tune.
No make money. 1t is too Fad, too
zlow. Pull out re old tune. Make a
play quick muzika. Put in Eat new tune,
Pop Goes re Weasel. "
Having been assured that the instru-
ment would be enlivened forthwith, and
that he might call for it in few DAYS,
the Italian gave parting look at the
picture OF Genoa in the front panel, and
shambled of. When he had disappear
ed, a reporter who happened to be pres
ent during the above dialogue said to
the fat jovial-looking organ-maker and
amusing smile:
..Wbat iS ho Lott
organ music, or, in other words, what
are to be the tunes that will set all New
York crazy this fall?'
That is a pretty hard question to an
swer," be replied. las it depends very
largely upon the taste and fancy of the
respective musicians. Some of them
know what they want, and some don't.
But, as most of them leave it to me to
make the selections for them, why, OF
course, l have to keep up with ali the
latest music, and | put in such tunes as
L think Will be most popular. That
man who just went out of here is fair
Illustration OF how ignorant some of
these men are. His organ was too SEN
timental for his gay nature and he
wanted a lively air or two to substitute
for Old Hundred or The Heart bowed
Down Now someone has told him that
Pop Goes the Weasel is the right
thing. OF course, that is PLAYED out
long ago, and l shall have to give him
something of the same nature that is not
quite so ancient"
do they come in often to have new
tunes substituted"
80, yes; about every six months,
sometimes oftener. You see it costs
about "a or So to get a new tune put in
They generally have two done at once
An ordinary street organ plays six or
eight airs, and they keep changing them
until they get what they like, and then
very likely they Will run along on the
same barrel for quite a while. Some of
the latest songs that will probably run
this winter are Rocking the Baby
White Wings and the Cricket on
the Hearth Then there is the
Lullaby and When Love is Young
from that new comic opera 'Erminie.'
We get good many songs that are
popular from England. Sweet Dream
land Faces Going to Market Tit for
Tat have taken very well and will, no
doubt, run for sometime yet. Harrigan
hasn't got out anything new as yet, but
we will probably hear from him soon.
In the meantime Baxter Avenue Den
ny Grady's Hack, 1T Showered Again
and Put Oh Your Bridal Veil will still
remain on the barrels. Scanlan's new
songs, | expect, will take well, and ]
will probably put his Rose Song and
Gather the Myrtle with Mary into some
OF these organs you see here. The Mi
kado' is beginning to get played out,
and will have to take rest, We will
run the Gypsy Baron and Little Ty.
coon for some time vet"
"Do old tunes ever revive?'
''Yes, indeed. We generally give the
new tunes run for about year, and
then hang them up for while. Ii they
are very popular, they are sure to be
wanted again"
rs the hand-orgaD business on the
decline?n
No, sir. There are more street Or
gans about to-day than ever before, al
though you may not notice SO many
the city has grown so large. The bust
ness is too good not TO have plenty of
recruits. A good player can always
make money al it. He knows that if he
goes into a fashionable neighborhood
he will be regarded as public nuisance
and be paid to move on, while in the
tenement districts ne is welcome and
gets all the spare pennies about to re-
main. So, you see, in both cases he
makes money"
There are several establishments in
New York and vicinity that supply
hand-organs to the itinerant grinder,
and whether they are indictable or not
as public nuisances is question VIII ich
the suffering public has refrained from
testing. Most of the followers of this
profession own their organs, but many
of them rent them A street organ is
worth from $50 to 5000, and weighs
from twenty to seventy pounds. The
average weight. however, is about thir-
ty pounds. They will last, if properly
made and handled, in the neighborhOod
of twenty years, and can be repaired so
often in the meantime that very little OF
the original instrument will remain in
the end. There is the greatest differ
ence between PLAYERS, and it does not
follow that two men will, with the same
organ make the same amount of money.
A poor player will collect barely 90
or 20 cents for days work. while a
good, bright performer, with plenty of
expression, will gather In 81 or s. be-
tween sunrise and sunset. The bust
ness yields on an average $3.50 or So
day.
Che of the best-known organ-grinders
several years ago was young and
pretty Italian girl about 20 years of
age. She was strong and well built,
and considering the heavy load she car
ried, retained very plump and attract
i've figure. She did well in the business
and caught as many beaus as she did
pennies. Her dark eyes and gentle
music proved too much for susceptible
young German, whose blonde curly hair
attracted all the servant girls in the
neighborhood to his fathers Third ave-
nue. grocery. The fair organ-grinder
soon became aware of this attachment,
and managed to serenade the shop with