In the 170220 MMDigest, Kelly Goodman asks for information on an
early hand-cranked Blasius player piano.  Years ago the late Marion
Frazier of New York City had an ornate Blasius upright in his workshop.
The roll was positioned horizontally in a drawer under the keybed and
the paper traveled sideways (in other words, 90 degrees to the typical
setup such as an Ampico drawer).

Deeper inside the piano was a long rotating cylinder, and the mechanism
was akin to that of an electric typewriter: when a mechanical finger
dropped into a roll perforation, a linkage made contact with the
cylinder, which then spun the linkage off with enough power to sound
a note.

I recall this same piano, or one similar, listed in a Mechanical Music
Center catalog.  I'm less certain about the manufacturer of the player
mechanism; it may have been called a "Pianotist".

Richard Friedman
Upstate New York

 [ A history of Blasius & Sons piano company in New Jersey is at
 [ http://preservewoodbury.blogspot.com/2013/01/blasius-sons-piano-works.html 
 [ Power roller instruments including Pianotist are shown at
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Pictures/PwrRoller/index.html 
 [ -- Robbie