Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-06-11
chicago WEEKLY news Letter

I news LETTER /
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created and to which the cheap violin
has surrendered any claim to being
classed as a musical instrument. Not
only was Chicago the greatest piano
manufacturing center but it's output
of violins was large until the effects
were felt Of the fiddle factory where
instruments are produced by machin
cry for the American market. The
methods by which these inexpensive
but. inferior violins are made were
recently explained in a magazine ar
ticle by o. H. Bryant, Boston artist
craftsman, who has made and repair
ed violins for some of the most fam
Gus violinists living. The manufac,
turers of cheap instruments steam or
boil sheet of fir or pine until it is
soft and then apply metallic die to
it. A few minutes pressure accom-
plishes what resembles the result Of
days Of labor with chissels, planes
and scrapers. The effect of the press
ing, however, is to cause so many
minute breaks in the woods struc-
ture that the violin so produced
lacks brilliancy of tone. The ma
chine work literally breaks its spirit.
To show what violin should be and
to demonstrate that while European
fiddles tend to fall off in quality,
some Of the best modern violins are
being made in America, Mr.. Bryant
offers annually in competition to vio-
lin students of the New England Con-
servatory of Music one of his modern
Strads, cut from colonial spruce &C.
cording to the best traditions of the
efemona makers. An invasion of in
hand processes, to be almost the
equals in workmanship and tone of
those of the famous Italians of old
times would please Chicago better
than further importations of cracking
fiddles from the Fatherland. (
Car equipment orders, now looked
upon as an index of business condi-
tions, have poured into Chicago at a
great rate during recent months. but
reports show that most Of these are
orders for railroads in Canada, the
era of extension and new construc-
ton there having swamped the car
and locomotive shops of the Domin-
ion. To keep pace with the great ad-
dition Of new mileage the equipment
orders have furnished tremendous
business to the factories. The new
lines of the Grand Trunk Pacific in
western Canada increased by ten
miles per day during May and during
the summer months the construction
will be approximately 20 miles of new
track each week. The orders for
cars and locomotives have been in
wholesale quantities. car and foun-
dry company Of Chicago having been
called uuon for $50 refrigerator cars
and $50 automobile steel under-frame
cars in one order for 1000 freight
cars which are to be completed at
the rate Of rs per day. A train load
Of dump cars, work cars and other
equipment was sent out by Chica-
go railway contractor on the Nation
al Transcontinental and the second
train load is to include a large
crane, two powerful locomotives and
81 dump cars, all required by the
pressure for the completion of the
line to handle the bumper crop
which is expected this year in the
western provinces. The new con-
struction has meant business also for
manufacturers OF other equipment
than rolling stock. One order was
for 200 ton mechanical coaling plants
with sand houses and track approach
es. Enormous new car shops at
Transcona, Manitoba, have been COM
pleted by the Grand Trunk PacificJ
and other Canadian roads are making
extraordinary provisions for repairs
and building Of the equipment that
is in urgent demand.
First honors went to Cu1pepper
county. Virginia, and to Pettis and
Cape Girardeau counties, Missouri. in
the scramble. in which 100 counties
now are participants. for the $1,000
to each aid agriculture, which sum
the crop improvement committee OF
the National Council of Grain Ex-
changes has promised by virtue Of
the donation of 100000 by Julius Ro-
senwald of Chicago. The trio of
counties which were first to comply
with the requirements that they must
raise an equal sum of money and Sc
cure an expert approved by the state
agricultural college will get checks
at once. Peoria probably will be the
first Illinois county accredited and
three counties in Minnesota have
qualified. The work Of the county
demonstrators II looked uDOn as one