ORCHESTRAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 803 



gun about 1835, but the few bands then in the country constituted 

 the market to be relied upon. American bands, and the spread of 

 the cornet and other brass instruments among private parties 

 which increased after the war period, helped to maintain a few 

 small manufactories devoted to the cheaper variety, until about the 

 great Centennial Exhibition year, when Henry Distin, son of John 

 Distin spoken of above, removed from England and began to 

 manufacture the justly celebrated " Distin " instruments in the 

 United States. The Distins had been previously in business in 

 London for a great many years, and had won a leading place in 

 that sphere. Henry Distin's arrival here practically established 

 that industry in this country. 



A notable sign of the progress going forward in this art and 

 industrial channel is the town of Elkhart, Indiana, the mainstay of 

 which is a manufactory founded by C. G. Conn, devoted to mili- 

 tary band instruments of a high order, which are fast winning a 

 leading place. Mr. Conn established himself in business in 1883 

 upon an enlarged scale after being burned out ; he had been only 

 a few years in the field at the time. The Distin factory is situated 

 in Williamsport, Pa. Several other smaller makers of the cheaper 

 class of musical instruments are scattered throughout the country. 



Fio. 14. — Modern Valved Trumpet. 



In addition to the branch treated, Lyon & Healy, of Chicago, 

 Haynes & Co., of Boston, and Stratton & Co., of New York, main- 

 tain factories devoted to the production of guitars, mandolins, and 

 small instruments of that order, which give employment to a 

 large number of hands. These industries being of very recent 

 growth, it is impossible to give any comparative estimate of their 

 progress in the absence of the statistics for 1890, which has not 

 yet appeared. The table for 1880 would in itself be no guide, for 

 the above reason. 



Meanwhile it is a source of satisfaction to know that such 

 activity prevails in relation to musical art in America as the 

 articles throughout indicate. It also shows that Americans, as 

 a people, are wonderfully versatile, and capable of establishing 

 industries which are maintained as specialties in countries abroad, 

 while capable of improving almost everything which they under- 

 take to manufacture. That has been distinctly shown in the 

 music industries at least. 



