A ''Babcock'' for PTG.

[Dale Probst]

Phillip,

I know that Jack is too modest to tell this story...so I will. 

You remember that Jack formerly Jacques Y'ette) met Otto Wissner in the
Franco Prussian war when they were fighting on opposite sides. Then how
they later met again in the United States of America. What was not told
was that this was not Jacques first trip the land that would become the
good old USA. It seems that there is more to the story of Jacques
Y'ette.
As you recall before the states became united we were a colony of the
British and many other nations as well as home to many indigenous
people. Unsatisfied with the rule of King George III, the colonies on
the eastern seaboard began a revolt that became a revolution. Soon word
of this development reached the court of the King Louis XVI of France .
One of his nobleman, a Marquis de Lafayette embarked to help the rebels
who were battling for a nation struggling to be born. Lafayette
recruited some worthy lads, including our own, Jacques Y'ette who was
quoted as saying: "Dang that King George anyhow!"
After he won the war, Jacques stayed with his cousin Alpheus Babcock and
shared many of the ideas he had been thinking of regarding piano
construction. 
"Cross them strings Alphy," he said, "that dog will hunt!" 
(Being a Frenchman at the time, Jacques always spoke in exclamatory
sentences.)

Of course, then he showed Cousin Alphy how to make a hammer out of felt
instead of leather. 
"Ya gotta kill a cow to get leather," he said, "but you only got to give
a sheep a haircut!"
I believe this was during his vegetarian period.

Why you ask, did he come up the iron plate? 
"Alphy, any fool can fix a broke wooden frame but when they break this
iron plate, they gotta get us to fix it!"

And so Jacques after got his cousin going in the piano business and then
went home to France and his beloved Babette and children. His job was
done here......for the moment.

Best,
Dale Probst, FOJ

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Phillip Ford
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 6:07 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: A ''Babcock'' for PTG.




On Sun, 14 Jul 2002 15:10:26 EDT JWyatt1492@AOL.COM wrote:

  
    For the record  It was  Babock,  NOT  Chickering,
who invented the full iron plate,  It was  Babcock, 
NOT  Steinway,  who invented the overstrung scale.
 and it was Babcock who invented the, all felt hammer.
   
  
Regards, to All
Jack Wyatt ---  a happy camper

Jack,
I've been curious about who really invented the overstrung scale.  I've
seen a few references to it but nothing that I considered definitive.
I've seen some references that credit Pape.  May I ask what your source
is?

Phil Ford



Phillip Ford
Piano Service & Restoration
1777 Yosemite Ave - 215
San Francisco, CA  94124