The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-13
ANOTHER PIANO CHAMPION,
Waterbury Claims to Have Won
Long-Distanoe Laurels.
He Challenges Schlusselburg, with a
Choice of Two Styles.

There Is a little gentleman up in West
Thirty sixth street-at 1902, to be more
accurate--who is all rolled up. He has
been In that state ever since last Tues
day afternoon. when he read In 1.-THE
Evening World" that Fred Schlussel-
burg. the endurance pianist" was in
training at Millss Hotel, on the Isle of
Coney, for a seventy-two-hour piano-key
dislocating contest, to take place on the
Pacific coast along about Christmas.
Now. the little gentleman In question,
whose name. by the way. Is J. NJ.
Waterbury, knows a thing or two about
endurance playing himself, and. to use
his own mode OF expression. when a
guy talks about playing for forty-eight
hours without taking a rest he's got
marbles IN his head"
after he had read THE Evening Worlds'
| story. and last night hied himself to a
| telegraph office and put down 81 cents,
! which Insured the transmission OF the
| following message to THE Evening
| World:'
! Kindly send a reporter to 500 West Thirty
sixth street before II A. NJ. Thursday. Matter
tsiEnedJ WATERBURY,
1t was inferred from the message that
Mr.. Waterbury would only talk on mat
tiers OF interest before II o'clock IN the
is on earth for the purpose OF placing
matters OF interest before the public, a
reporter was assigned to visit Mr.. Water
bury before time had fled beyond the II
O'Clock limit.
Mr.. Waterbury was found In a little
music shop. seated at piano. putting
fFils on ne latest rc competition, the
right In the middle of a staccato run TO
greet the reporter.
Much obliged to you for coming" he
began. II couldn't stand 1t any longer.
When a guy comes along and picks your
laurel wreath right off your top without
so much as giving you time to get your
hands TO your head It's time to lift up
your voice.
Nov, this man Schlusselburg. see.
claims the championship for endurance
piano-Playing. But he's no right, to any
continuous performance up to twenty
five hours, ana III wager all the way
from one cent to $500 that l can beat him
Il admit that schlusselburg is the
originator of endurance, playing, but
was only a week behind him. and have
surpassed his performances several
MIR. Waterbury waxed enthusiastic
as he got well into his subject.
81 want" he continued, ITO play
match with Schlusselburg, and will give
him the choice OF two styles IN play
him for week, the man who performs
for the greatest number Of hours dur
Ing that period to take the money. or ]
Will agree TO play continuously until
one or the other ~ us gives up.
II must insist, however, on his CON
forming to the rules which | have es-
tablished to govern such trials. The
principal one is that each player may
select his own music. which must be
continuous melody played with both
hands.
There must be no taking. but each
man must play good stif stuff.
IL am the champion, and am in posi-
ton to dictate, therefore | insist on the
observance of these rules"
Mr.. Waterbury, said that when he
started In TO play against time he
didn't let go with onS hand in order that
he might eat He keeps both hands on
the keyboard all the time.
Accomplishments don't go. either, ac-
cor1ing TO MIR. Waterbury. It's got to
be IA tune played so that a musical critic
can tell what i is at the first guess.
Y, glrdlng his right 10 the champion
ship, Mr. Waterbury, says that ne has
only suffered lefeat once, hut 1t was
at the hands Of beautiful woman, and
that softened the sting somewhat. The
Mrs. Retta NJ. Darrin. OF Elmira. In
1892; in trial OF endur1nce playing:
My thumb swelled up" explained the
pianist, after we had been going for
about ten hours, and in short time
was SO crippled in one hand that
couldn't keep to the terms of the agree
ll'Hl' manning II upllEdlOES 10 use botn
hands, I had to drop out, but II had
only had a tip as to Mrs. Darrins phys
ical condition, Ia have won the mon.
She couldn't have held out IN hour
longer and l could have managed to
somehow"
Waterways last match was with
Teddy SchornlOrf in Bridgeport. Conn ,
when hotn men keeled over at the end
OF twenty-four hours and forty-tive
| minutes. The match was declared tie.
Mr. Waterbury says he VIII meet
Schlusselhurg at the office OF "The
Evening World" any time, with his
money, ready to make match.
"I'll tell YOU something" he conclud-
| ed "If a guy thinks he can train for
show like this by sitting at a piano and
| practising until he is black In the face,
| he's wrong. | get pair of dumb bells
| and some Indian clubs, and when my
| forearm is as hari as iron, I'm ready.
! That's the secret OF endurance playing,
| but don't give IL away"