A Mark Of Success

Ala. D. F. Allinendinger was very proud to see his friends at the new factory of the Ann Arbor Organ Co. last night. His rniurt weut back in reminiscent mood to the year 1872, when a frame house stood where portions of t!ie faotory now stand. In this frame hotise Mr. Almendinger began his work, began oarnng ont his fortune by hard knocks and faithful work, by a steady plodding whose hours did nöt end with the sun's setting, nor were bounded by the blowing of whistles or clanging of bells. Long intothe night he often worked, and the secret of his success lay not so much in the faot that he pnt in these honra, but that this time spent in i olose application to his work passed too qnickly by for him, so interested was he in what he was acoomplisbing. "Tbose days were hard days," he 6aid last night. "I hal to work long for little ruoney and I had no time for. tbe boys." But he learned his tradé so well that that he can go into any part of the factory and know whether work is being properly done. The braiu that inakes the ear sensitivo to the least vibration in a sound wave, can make his hand cunning in., the art of wood carving, or of hamlling any of the mauy departme'nts iu the manufaoture of an organ. The piece work system will uever permit the young man of today to learn the business as he has learned it. He spoke ; of tbat fact last night half mourufully. "The big mauuf actures, " he said,"cut off the young fellows from learninj? trades from the ground up. I have had a nurnber of boys whom I have trained to men but to none of them conld I say, 'come, take charge, I will leave it to yon. ' In 1872 Mr Allmendinger lived in the frame house where the factory now stands. He manufactured an organ that year which he sold for $200 to the Bethlehem chnrch. The soholars in the Sunday school still hear its melody and the sounds from it ar? olear and firin seemingly as the day Mr. Allmöndinger finished it, all by haud. Laft uight the organ was shown his friends by its maker. Next it was a ruore stylish neighbor, dressed in mahogauy and resplendent with varnish and as smooth as a glove. Between these two organs was represented a quarter of a century of progress. To teil the whole story of a trip through the factory wuuld be impossible. It was Greek, a good deal of it, to the Argus reporter who deos not know the difference between A flat and Asia Minor. From tbe new dry kilus the timber ís taken at the rate of a carload a day. It never leaves the car on which it is from the moment it enters the factory at the dry kiln until it is taken piece by piece to be moalded into the shapes it may be needed for. One of the cntters on this floor, the first, is a man by the uaiiie of Harrisou, who every rnorniug comes to work froin Ypsilanti aud keeps a better average for promptness tban 601DQ of the workmen who live vvithin a couple of blooks irom the factory. A f tur the cutters and oarvers are throngb the wood goes on upstairs and through various stages uutil it has become combined into the fantastic and peouliar shapos that make upanorgau's interior. Tho oarvers are protected from dust by great pipes whioh have a suotion appliauce which beara away all dust and shavings. These are accumulated on vhe top floor and thence go into tbe furnace below. The entine is of the Allis make, 80 horse power, and is the latest ajiproved putt in. 1 ' ■ factors rs 1 000 pei though it is not expeoted that miraber of organs will be made thisyea.r. However men will be put on the road and those figures may bereached.. Heretofure there was no business done by oanvassers as the output was always ac great as the oapacity. The follovving figures show the additions to the factory 8ince it was begun : First building, 22x-t2, two stories, erected in 1880; addition, 29x36, two stories, erected in 1885, brick addition 32x40, four stories, erected in 1888; brick engine room, 18x40, erected in 1888; frame addition, 50x26, two stories, erented in 1892; new addition, 100x40, five storiea, ereoted in 1895; drykilns, 20x35, ereoted in 1895;luniber sheds, 50x60, two stories, erected 1895. In 1880 50 organs were made, last year there were 820. In 1880 there were five men eniployed, today there are 60 and that number will no doubt be greatly inoreased the present year. The pay rolJ last year was $20,000 and the sales $150,000. The Chequamegon orchestra f urnished music for the lrge reception last night and the big crowd was well taken oare of, Assistants showed visitors through and uiany citizens are today wiser concerning one of thejcity's widest kuown institutinus than they werp bef ore the organ company so kiudly gave the public au opportunity to seeandknow what a big concern there was in our midst.