Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-05-15
SINGS FOX PHoNoGRAPHs.
4 Chicago Nan with voice Makes $50 a
Day Preparing Cylinders.

Chicago Man WITH fo ice -Alii>o9 CO" ."
Day Preparing Cylinders.
Away out in the extreme northwest
ern part OF the city, near the Milwau-
kee railroad tracks. Silas Leachman
puts In four or I'VE hours every day
singing at the top Of his lungs, though
not q soul is in hearing but his wife.
When he gets tired Of singing, he
varies the proceedings by preaching q
ncgro sermon, or gives an imitation Of
an Irish wake. and altogether conducts
himself in way that would lead the
neiglbOrs to consider him Q hJ subject
Tor a lunatic asylum-if there were any
ncighbors. but there are not.
This is the very reason Mr.. Leach
man chose the lonely spot for his res
iLeucc. No enc ever gees out there 10
hear him sing, and yet he IS getting
rich at it. lie earns something over
$50 every day, though he never sees one
OF his auditors. MIR. Leachman sings
for monographs, and, Gs he hos mo-
nopoly of the business in the West, he
c0nUives TO keep busy, and has even
been heard to express q wish that ne
were twins. He has better protection
I'm his monopoly than copyright or
an Injunction. or unlimited legal talent
could afford. Nature gave him the Pc
culiar qualities that enable him 10 re
produce his voice perfectly on the WaZ
cylinders. Hundreds of persons have
ATTEMPTED to break in on his profitable
monopoly. but the results of their e.
forts uut an eiIectual stop to their at
temuts. And so Mr. LeachmGn goes ON
enjoying the monopoly and reapinS the
proits thereof.
There are four other men i'm the East
that also do work for the phOnOgraDh;
but while they have to have q man TO
play the piano while they sing, another
To- make the announcement another to
change the cylinders, and q fourth to
keep the machines in order, Mr.. Leach
man is the entire show in himself.
furthermore. he can give an unlimit-
ed number of representations. while the
other four men are limited to few spe-
cia ties each. Mir. Leachman is q
natural mimic and therein lies the Sc
cret of his success. lie sings ballads,
negro melodies. and Irish, Chinese and
Dutch dialect songs. He plays his own
accompaniment on the piano and takes
care Of the machines. he prepares
three records" as the wax cylinders
are called. ct one time.
10 do this three monographs are
placed near the piano, with the horns
az one side pointing away from the
keyboard at on angle Of forty-hve de-
erees. The horns have TO be placed
very carefully. Tor q fifth Of an inch
makes @ great difference in the tone
the cylinders viii reproduce.
When the horns have been adjusted
exactly right. Mr.. Leachman seats HIM
self at the piano, and turning his head
away over his right shoulder. begins
90 sing as loud as he can, and that is
pretty loud. for he is q man OF power
ful physique, and has been practieing
loud singing for years. He has been
doing this work until his throat has
become cail0used so that he no longer
becomes exhausted after singing a
short time
AS soon as he has finished one song,
he slips Off the wax cylinders, puts on
three fresh ones without leaving his
seat. and goes right on singing until q
passing train c0mpels him to stop for
q short time. in the four years he has
been i'm the business he has made near
ly 250O00 records. So great is the de-
uand for them that he cannot fill his
orders. It is such exceedingly hard
work that he cannot sing more than
four hours q day He gets thirty-fve
cents for every cylinder he prepares.
Fe has q repertoire of four hundred
and twenty pieces, and his work is put
ON the market under q score OF names
He has a remarkable memory, and.
after once hearing q song, can not only
repea, the words and music correctly.
but can initiate eXcellently the voice
and expression Of the sirger.-Chicago