492 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



imported and made in tliis country about the time they came into 

 use abroad. Timothy Gilbert, of Boston, introduced an improve- 

 ment in the upright and its action in 1841, but it amounted to 

 little. Jonas Chickering also paid some attention to the perfect- 

 ing of the instrument, and many excellent uprights of his pro- 

 duction may be found, but the public did not take kindly to them 

 at the time. In addition to many minor inventions in the ui:)right, 

 he is said to have applied overstringing to them in 1851. But it 

 was only after 1870 that the upright fcnind any favor in this 

 country. 



The late C. Frank Chickering introduced some remarkable 

 upright scales about 1870, having devoted much time and experi- 

 ment to the perfecting of the instrument, and these were gener- 

 ally copied by competitors of less originality or spirit. Fred- 

 erick Mathushek, previously mentioned, is also on record as 

 having made some- striking advances in the adaptation of the 

 upright form to the jiopular demand. I have in mind the years 

 preceding 187G. It would, however, be impossible to follow out 

 in detail all the minor contributions made to the upright up to 

 that year. 



Excellent uprights are now manufactured by the leading 

 firms, and in all may be found an average in the shape of im- 

 provements — the full iron plate in its most modernized form, 

 overstringing with imj^roved acoustic conditions, a good action 

 well regulated, and almost every other feature that existing in- 

 ventions warrant. But this is not to be interpreted as a declara- 

 tion that further evolution is impossible. Meanwhile there are 

 specialties in use in the instruments of some firms which I shall 

 try to point out in a brief way. One of the most peculiar of these 

 is the Mason & Hamlin system of tuning and stringing which 

 they have introduced in all their pianos. Notwithstanding a dis- 

 belief freely expressed at the outset, their innovation has been, 

 in fact, very successful. Instead of the conventional tuning-pin 

 driven in a pin-block (known as the wrest-plank), they use a 

 screw-headed blade, having a slot at one end for the string, and a 

 screw at the other end by which it can be tightened. The prin- 

 ciple is illustrated somewhat in a violin-bow. The blade runs in 

 another slot to keep it from twisting, and the tension of the string 

 is imposed upon a flange cast in the plate. This device is applied 

 to their grands and uprights with most satisfactory results. 

 Decker Brothers, Sohmer & Co., Steck & Co., Weber. Decker & 

 Son, of New York, Hallett & Davis, Emerson Co., Miller & Sons, 

 of Boston, and various other houses, also manufacture instru- 

 ments with patented improvements, but though most of them are 

 meritorious they are not revolutionary or striking. Behr Broth- 

 ers, of New York, have, however, attracted much attention with- 



