Chickering & Sons piano factory in Boston burns to the ground. The total monetary loss is $250,000. Without any delay, Jonas Chickering begins to rebuild the factory. It is possible that the Steinwegs have recognized this disaster as an opportunity to capture at least part of Chickering’s niche in piano business.  One may speculate that Chickering & Sons fire has become a motivating factor for Steinweg family to launch their own pianomaking firm.