Firebrand

A little time ago I declared that The Scorcher was back in the frame for an Aussie harmonica. The reason being, mind you it’s only a working theory of mine, is that The Scorcher Mouth Organ sold by sole agents Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co was so named after the 1890 Great Fire of Sydney that torched their premises. The original Scorcher mouth organ was manufactured by F A Rauner in Germany and trademarked in 1899.

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Ff Ff Ff Fire

The firm of Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co’s first premises in Moore street was scorched to earth in the 1890 Great Fire of Sydney. The fire had been reported as the worst conflagration in the southern hemisphere. The fire originated in the machine room of printing and lithographic establishment of Gibbs, Shallard & Co in Hosking Place, just off Pitt Street. The fire quickly spread to engulf other premises destroying the entire hectare block. Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co suffered the worst damages of any of the enterprises in regards to loss of stock and fittings estimated to be £170,000. The rebuilt block is now known as Martin Place – the heart of Sydney.

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New Premises

After two years of temporary accommodation in York street they purchased a site for their new building on the corner of Barrack street and Clarence street. Their new establishment would consist of six floors fitted with state of the art fireproof features. They included Australian inventor Edward Hope Kirkby’s (1908 patent) improved apparatus for conveying an alarm from the premises where sprinklers are installed to a distant fire station. This system operated completely automatically and also incorporated a very ingenious contrivance in the apparatus. It was a signal which indicated at once whether the alarm had been received at the Fire Station. Those new devices were officially tested in December 1911 when fireworks exploded while being unpacked. The subsequent fire was quickly extinguished thanks to the Kirby system.

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Gotthelf

Moritz Gotthelf was born in Burgdorf, Hanover Germany in 1840 and when just twenty years of age he arrived in the colonies for permanent settlement. Moving from Melbourne to Sydney he joined the firm of Isaac Jacobs and Company, who specialised in tobacco and cigars, fancy goods and jewellery. In 1881, on the retirement of Isaac Jacobs, they would morph into Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co, importers of hardware and general merchandise. Mr Isaac Feldheim services would shortly conclude when he retired in 1885. Moritz from all reports was a generous boss well loved by his employees.

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Advertising

I could only locate a couple of 1914 advertisements in the newspapers for The Scorcher brand mouth organ. A six pence model was sold by Daking Smith & Co of Charter Towers, Queensland.

I did come across this amusing advertisement by Feldheim, Gotthelf & Co for their tonic Salt Regal. Possibly inappropriate today.

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F A Rauner Tivoli’s

The Scorcher page from the catalogue indicates the existence of The Tivoli Scorcher model. There is no graphic of the model and I haven’t viewed one in the flesh. There is evidence, however of other F A Rauner models with the Tivoli moniker and including their Crackajack models.

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