530 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



finished in oil. They are also made in rosewood, highly ornamented and 

 polished. The lower part of the case is devoted exclusively to tlie bellows 

 and sub-base, forming a large resonance or vibratory chamber for the base 

 reeds, to which fact, in a degree, is attributable their deep, full, sonorous 

 tones. The upright part contains the reeds, valves, stops and swell, which 

 are only separated from the external atmosphere by a silk covered fret- 

 work panel and a perpendicular organ swell, it will be obvious that a 

 greater amount of power may be obtained (when desired) than could pos- 

 sibly be had were the reeds enclosed beneath the box of the old style 

 square case. 



Each instrument is provided with a lever or "blow-handle," so that a 

 second person may supply the bellows if desired. A " tell-tale," or indica- 

 tor, is placed above the " blow-handle," indicating the amount of air 

 exhausted and replaced, by observing which the person supplying the bel- 

 lows will be enabled to do so with ease and uniformity. 



Mr. Carhart intends to make still greater improvements in relation to 

 increasing the number of stops. He finds room behind the representation 

 of the pipes of tlie church organ to place any number of sets of reeds 

 desired. In this manner an instrument resembing, in every essential par- 

 ticular relating to sound, the church organ, has been made which has the 

 advantage of remaining in tune for a long time. 



Not long since the Scientific American contained an interesting explana- 

 tion of the essential parts of the melodeon, of which the following is a 

 condensed account. 



THE REED. 



A melodeon is in all essential points an accordeon upon legs. The sound 

 is produced in the same way and by the same agents, namely, a current of 

 air, driven with greater or less velocity through a brass block, having a 

 brass tongue fitting an opening in the same, as in fig. 2. The reed itself 

 is a, or the small tongue of brass, and this is set in a block, h, called the 

 reed-block. 



The reed or the tongue in former times was punclied out. Experience 

 has proved, however, that punched reeds are not durable. The metal is 

 condensed so much about the base of the reed (where the square shoulder 

 is) that the cohesion of the particles is destroyed, and the reed breaks at 

 the place designated. The improved practice is to saw them out by means 

 of a series of delicate cutters set in a wheel. This process takes more 

 time than punching, but a much better piece of work is produced. 



When the reed is sawed out it is riveted on to the block by another ma- 

 chine, which, although insignificant in its appearance, has worked a com- 

 plete revolution in this branch of making melodeons. The appearance of 

 the rivet head can be noticed by referring to fig. 2. It will be seen 

 that there are two raised heads, d, crossed with lines. These heads are 

 portions of metal pushed up out of the reed-block, as at e, in fig. 1 ; there 

 is no pin or solid rivet in the reed or its block, and the saving of time in 

 punching holes, cutting off the pins, putting them in and closing them, as 

 practiced in the old method, is apparent. 



After the reed is in its place in the block it is planed on top. The thick- 

 ness of the reed is less at the base than at the free end, and the tone of the 



