The San Francisco call., 1905-05-30
These Are Not Human
Beings That Perished in
the Flames, but Pianos,
And What We Propose to Do
Tomorrow to the Seventy
One That Escaped Is Some
thing Awful.
Only One Chance
in Five Thousand
MISCELLANEOUS.

III lt6 luOuSduu
This is the ratio Of the $4,000 people
in this city to the II pianos saved from
the recent fire that destroyed our entire
workshops. and portion of our whole
sale storage warerooms. just across the
alley. and back Of our main retail store
-931 Market ,street-and in our great
tre sale tomorrow, what we propose
TO do TO these II pianos that escaped is
a caution; and IL you're interested read
on for we'll come to that in minute
While our repair shops on the top
noor OF this wholesale storage ware
house-including % upright pianos;
two srands. and seven plano players
! were totally destroyed by fire on the
18th, there were II splendid newsup-
right pianos on the lower floor of the
wholesale warehouse. which were nei-
ther touched by fire or water, but which
through the efforts of the FIRE and in
surance patrol in hurriedly massing
them together in groups. in order to
cover them with tarpaulins and water
! proof covers. many of the pianos-in fact
i most all Of them-got more or less
bumped into. scratched. and varnish
| damaged, through the hurried effort to
protect them from their greater foes
fire and water.
Not single piano Of the II we pro-
pose to offer in this sale-for practical
| ~ nothing, as compared to their real
worth and actual vaIue-has had it's
| keys, action, or any portion Of it's inte-
r1or or working parts touched by either
hre or water; and we guarantee each of
the Il pianos offered here. to be in
every way a perfect piano OF it's class,
| outside or what may appear upon the
surface in the way OF slight bumps and
varnish friction.-But as our repair
rooms. and workshop on the top floor
1 wi al -@ro
totally destroyed, we are not in posi-
tion to- and shall make no effort to re-
pair or cover up even the slightest
scratch or mar, on any OF these pianos
but will dispose Of them Just as they
Standard at a fearful sacrihce-in
accordance with the prompt and liberal
adjustment OF the insurance underwrit-
ers, who treated us handsomely. and i'm
medtately settled our claims in full
Now what we propose TO do is Just
thfs:-Throw our doors open at 931 Mar
/ ket street tomorrow morning prompt
ly at nine o'clock, and offer these sew
enty-one pianos to the three hundred
and fifty thousand residents OF San
Francisco. at exactly their factory cost
to us-less the amount the Insurance.
companies have allowed US on each OF
the various pianosHwhich is a consid
| erable sum-and so reduces the actual
cost to US as they stand now, and at
which to cent we propose to sell them.
that IL seems almost reckIessness in
fact II we were obliged to publish the
prices at which they are to go, it would
not only be reckless" but ruinous. for
they are all with one or two exceptions
from our regular fine line of high grade
pianos, brand new, and for all practical
purposes just as fine ais when they left
the factory, and to publish a price far
below their factory cost, and less than
half their actual value, would prove
disastrous TO our outside agencies, and
so handicap US here at home In getting
fair retail price for these makes in
the future. that it would be better to
throw the entire II in the ocean to be-
gin with.
Therefore as much as we should
like to quote here the various
prices at which these pianos are to go
(and. which we feel almost confident
would sell the entire II in single
day) we are obliged to withhold the
figures from publication at this time
for the reasons above stated. But we
hope and believe 1t will prove sufficient.
when the Wiley B. Allen Co. (who has
never yet INDUCED in any extravagant
language or wildcat advertising to
sell piano. addresses this statement
to his friends and people OF his own
home city, it viii be accepted fully for
all that 1t implies. And we here wish
to affirm that we not only believe but
we know, that this Is the erandest on
portunity people OF this city have ever
had to buy a piano and take choice OF
II splendid uprights. from more than a
dozen different high grade makes. for
less money than they would ordinarily
have to pay for the mere pretense OF a
piano.
We have never before in all our busi-
ness experience been in a position to
offer piano bargains that could anv-
where approach this, and which is only
made possible by the liberal adjust
ment, and large lump sum In cash al
lowed us by the insurance companies-
every dollar of which will be applied
pro rata. and deducted from the f1rSr
cost OF the various instruments offered
in this sale, and at which prices thev
can be had tomorrow from our re-
tail warer00ms-931 Market street
on terms or go down. and ten a month
II you are In the least interested re-
member there is nothing to be gained
by waiting, and much may be Iost-for
there's but seventy-one of these pianos,
while there are three hundred and fiftv
thousand people in this city, and Should
one-half OF them get their eve on This
announcement (and It's in all the San
stand less than onc-ha1f a chance in a
thousand to get one Of these barxafnS-
even to-morrow-71 pianos for 350.O00
people is a very small per cent-just
one in five thousand-and as these bar
gains can never be duplicated IL you
are the mead or the house. and have no
piano in 1T. it's your move" Come to US
early tomorrow, at 931 Market street
and Wen furnish you for your home
such piano bargain as you may have
dreamed of but never seen; and you
may select il from such celebrated
makes as the Everett. Steck. Ludwig
Hardman. Packard. Smith q Barnes
Harrington. Kingsbury, Hamilton, Le-
land. Harvard and Rembrandt-aIl
standard, WELL known makes. many of
which are of international reputation
But don't delay, for choice means much
in case like this. besides we hope TO
sell the entire lot OF II pianos to-mor-
row, and believe il is possible to do so.