The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-08-30
MYSTERIOUS MUSIC.
Morris Street Haunted by
Cornet Solos and French
Horn Duos.
THE GREAT MARINE BANDS SPIRIT
Where the Musical spooks Come
From and How They Are
Produced.
THE GREAT MARINE BANDS SPIRIT

Few people are aware, perhaps, that Ia
| a way Jersey City is becoming as much
of a musical mecca as Bayreuth, only the
pilgrims journey to Bayreuth to worship
at the shrine of the great prophet OF the
music of the future, while they visis DER
sey City to bow the knee to Mammon. a
gentleman who makes his home at Tay-
lcr's Hotel has noticed OF late large
number of musicians coming across the
ferry from New YORK. They were not
the members Of little German or ether
itinerate bands, but eminent vocalists,
soloists and members Of bands famous
throughout the country for their musical
accomplishments.
The gentlemen watched them go up
Exchange place and turn down Hudson
street where they disappeared from view.
Finally one day when he saw q number
of Cappa's Seventh Regiment band d s.
appear down Hudson street his curiosity
got the better OF him and he followed at
a discreet distance. He saw the musi-
clans turn down Morris street and enter
the building occupied by Cushing's
boiler works. Soon after there foated out
from the top floor of the building the
strains of lively march, such as Cappa
produces when he marches his band
down Broadway at the head of New
York's crack regiment. A solo on the
cornes followed the band, and then came
duos on the French horn and all sorts of
such delightful music as the claronet,
trombone and other instruments can pro-
duce.
THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
When the music had ceased aud the
artists had come down from their airy
band stand by way OF a crude and some
what shaky elevator. the gentleman
climbed mp i've weary flights of stairs to
ascertain what sort of music hall it was
that was eoncealing itself in this out-of-
the-way and almost inaccessible section
of the city.
He finally found himself in the office of
the North American Photograph Com
Dany. and, as he mopped the perspira5ion
from his face, he stated the object OF his
search to Mr.. r. Il Thomas, superintend-
ent Of the WORKS. Mr.. Thomas smiled and
informed the searcher after knowledge
that the musicians he saw had been
charging monographs with the music he
had heard. He then took the gentleman
into large room and showed him NUM-
Der of chairs arranged in a circle
about a large funnel. This. MIR. Thomas
explained, was where the musicians sat
and played into the phonograph. and that,
be declared. was all there was of it.
HOW RECORDS ARE PRODUCED
4 little questioning, however, revealed
the fact that that was not all there was OF
it, by any means. The music which the
musicians play into the funnel when
taken out Of the monograph. is called a
record. Tie record" Is on the wax
| cyciinder. which every one who mas seen
i photograph has seen the operator insert
and take out of the machine.
A little stylus of saphera. or 'gouger,'
as the experts call it, just beneath the
glass diaphram of the machine in obedi-
ence to the vibrations CAUSED by the
sound waves records them upon the wax
| cylinder, which reyolves upon the lathe,
! in spiral thread of more or less depth,
| according to the volume of the sound.
! These indentations are SO minute as to
| be scarcely perceptible to the naked eye.
When the sounds are to be reproduced
for the liberalization OF an astonished
public, the arm which regulates the
gouger is thrown off and a minute me-
tallie ball traverses the indentures
neither marring or destroying the record
and the music, speech or song which has
been confined to the monograph is repro
duced sound for sound
After arecordis taken in this city it isseni
to another and fired into other phono
kEEpHSs duu SOuttlI1tS tuOSc LAkeu IL
other cities are reproduced here. Al
Washington, for instance, the famous
Marine band has produced several ex
ceptionally fine records which have beer
duplicated IN the Jersey City works. The
company is producing about 500 records
a daY, four hundred of which are shipped
to Canada. Most of these are for the
nickle-in-the-slot machines, which are
seen IN public places.
A GREAT sCITRTOaITY
AS each record is made it is taken tt
what is called the testing room aud there
| it is tested to see whether it is perfect, al
some slight defect in wax cylinder or il
the machine itself may make the repro
duction sound like q cross grain saw on
the war path, instead of q solo by some
noted artist.
This testing room is a quiet apartment
in one corner of the building, where one
can listen to more diversified music than
he can hear in months travel. A cornet
duo by the celebrated coruetists of the
Marine Band, prefaced by this announce
ment by pompous gentleman OF color
delivered staccato: Ladies' am genmen
--Foah de benef' OBJ de aujence an' by
| special rayqist Misters A. Tres
colt an G. Campanna, OBJ de Marine
| band will play cornet duet, entitled
| De Erliance Pokah, record token foat
! de Columbia monograph Comply OF
| Wash'ton, d. CT: a march by Voss
| band of Newark. which makes you think
| that you are with the Fourth Regiment
| at Sea Grit; vocal selections by the Col
umbia Quartette; and curiosity the du
| plicate of which You will probably
never hear again. This is
record which contains two. distinct
airs-the Little Fisher Maiden and
"Headley's Gallop." How this ever hap
pened no one can positively tell, although
Mr.. Thomas and other experts have theil
theories.
In addition to the charging Of the pho
nographs the wizard instruments are re
paired and overhanled in this place, anc
treated as tenderly as are the vocal or
gans which they SO faithfully reproduce