Walking Stick Fife

Place of business: Unknown.

Dates of Fife: 1888

This fife is marked: J. White 1888 W McQ

Other examples of walking stick fifes/flutes can be found in the Dayton Miller Flute Collection, and well as other museum and private collections.

Features:
Length of Instrument-the fife is 14 1/2 inches, between nickel silver “ferrules”. Full length of walking stick, 35 inches.

Wood-the instrument is made of, what looks to be, Rosewood.

Key of instrument-C.

Finger holes-The finger holes are not of the same size, they are more like a woodwind maker of the era would have used.

The spacing on the holes is as follows:
1-2=.627
2-3=.635
3-4=1.209
4-5=.511
5-6=.772

There is a 7th hole that is drilled off center of the rest. Works well with the pinky of the right hand.

This shows that the hole pattern is not even, and there is a very large space between the 3rd and 4th holes, and a small space between the 4th and 5th.

Swell-There is no swell. The instrument tapers from top to bottom.

Ferrules- Ferrules are made of nickel silver. The bottom seems to be seam stock, the top does not.