Show ONE OF THE FIRST PIANOS MADE interesting history of an old in that has traveled in a music store on third street between marion and columbia there is an old piano which attracts much attention the old musical instrument is of the upright style and is in a fair state of preservation though it is nearly one hundred years old it has a keyboard with white keys for the regular notes and black keys for the sharps and flats just like the pianos of today these when deftly ton ched cause the ancient instrument to discourse most eloquently no one could fc ellita great age by hearing it played on its tones are still harmonious and tuneful though of course it cannot be compared with the best pianos of today when volume or modulation of tone is considered its front is ornamented with wooden scrollwork behind which is a crimson cloth of fine texture the frame on which the strings are stretched is of wood while the frame of the modem piano is of iron the double row of keys is followed to this day and the interior construction is anch the same as in vogue at present the fact that the ancient instrument is in such a good state of preservation is a high tribute to the old time piano makers they built their instruments to last this is said not to be the case with many of the present piano manufacturers the superannuated instrument has an interesting history the nineteenth century had counted off but three years when it was bought by an english gentleman for his family of the makers J J hopkinson of regent street london it was made in the year 1802 and sold in 1803 it passed as an heirloom from one member of the family to another until it came into the possession of a branch that left london for america in the year L the voyage was mada in the celebrated ship robert lowe during the voyage a heavy gale was encountered and the piano was washed overboard with other things but was finally fished out of the briny ocean the family that brought the instrument to america settled at victoria B C and they passed away one by one until only two sisters were left finally one of these died and the other became insane with grief then it became necessary to administer on the estate of the sisters and the piano was sold by order of the probate court the instrument then fell into the hands of a gentleman named johnson who resided in victoria in 1869 mr johnson sold the instrument to a gentleman who had it in his possession for the past twenty two years during that period it has been at port ludlow olympia whidby island and seattle once it was in a fire in which damage was done and it was saved it was moved from seattle to victoria twice finally the last owner traded it off for an instrument of modem make giving good boot seattle telegraph |