Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/503

 splendid record as an inventor, while his most artistic labors have been performed in the region of acoustics, or tone development. He was born in Boston, June 26, 1827, where he received his education and professional training. He lived in New York for many years, attaining an influential position in social and artistic circles, and died here March 23, 1891. George H. Chickering was born in Boston, April 18, 1830. Trained under his father's eye in all departments of the art, he was eminently fitted for the province in which he labored up to the time of his brother's death, while time and experience have amply qualified him for the responsible position he now occupies.



Chickering's "circular scale" for squares followed the full metal plate, and this became in later years a direct key to the development of the system of "overstringing" now in general use in this country. Previous to the "circular scale" the hammer heads struck upon an almost straight line throughout, and having, meanwhile, to conform to a standard law which regulates the part of the string on which the hammer is to strike, piano-makers were restricted from bringing forward further improvements in stringing and case structure. Jonas Chickering, however, helped to remove the barriers which impeded progress by running his hammer-heads on a curve. This permitted the introduction of many original features in the general constitution of the instrument, leading up to still greater developments. The improvement was suggested to Chickering by the perfecting of the plate idea, for, having found the latter to be a most satisfactory means of strengthening his cases so as to withstand all extra tension imposed by heavier stringing and an extension of the keyboard, he was placed in a position to move forward, and the "circular scale" for squares was the outcome. This system, however,