The Portland daily press., 1866-08-22


looked after by those in authority.
land while they are about this business, will
the Health Committee just examine the prem
ises in the rear Of the Press Office, and take
good sniff, if it happens to be warm day.1
erff 4 -
The Portland and Manchester Fire En-
gines.- .1
We publish below Mr.. Hollands reply to
Mr. Leavitt's communication of the 18th inst,
and take leave at the same time to suggest
to the parties that there must be some method
of testing the relative merits of the machines,
more direct and conclusive than newspaper
controversy: hge sf s-1
Mr.. EDrToR:-In the Press of the 10th no
ticed an article addressed "to the property
owners of Portland" signed 8. r. Leavitt, in
which he calls their attention to "a most false
and malicious article" written by me and pub
lished Aug. II.
in that article there was nota word or thought
written in malice and Furthermore that the ar
ticle in question is in the main, strictly true,
as shah shortly show. should like to ask
Mr.. Leavitt if he thinks the property owners
of Portland" cannot see as well as himself A
great many of them were at that fire at its
commencement, who saw and knew that both
Machigonne and Cumberland did fail at that
point to be of service as fire engines, and main
ly as I stated it. I have it from those in au-
water through her hose, perhaps hogshead
full" Would Mr.. Leavitt have the property
owners of Portland" believe that the Machi-
gonne was thirty minutes playing "hogshead!
Of water" through her hose? Great heavens!
what was a hogshead of water for first-class
engine to play in thirty minutes upon such
fire as that? Again, if her hose was as well
filed as Mr.. i. would have us believe, will
kl~1H u<.f
how it came to burn off? Is it not difficult to
burn hose when well filed with water? Per-
haps in this connection it may be pertinent
question to ask Mr.. Leayitt, if he had obeyed
the repeated orders of his superior officer at
that point, If he thinks his hose would have
been burned at all; perhaps some of the prop
erty owners of Portland" may like to know.
Mr.. Leavitt complains because speak of
the Falmouth" as the "old Falmouth" for
called her BY By the name she Is known by, name name
given her by himself, his friends and few 9TH
ers who are apparently agents for the sale of
Manchester engines in this CITY, presume if
Mr.. Leavitt desired it, most Of our citizens and
property owners" would be willing to call the
Machigonne the old Machigonne, although it
would be msnomer for she has been once re-
built and repaired to the amount of nearly
$500, without taking into account new set
OF tubes recently put in at an expense OF 800
Mr.. Leavitt asks if it ''is not strange that the
Machigonne should be able to play upon the
fire, when she coutd not find any water in the
dock" say it is, and passing strange. Hon
estly now,c Mr.. Leavitt, did the, Old Machi-
gonne play more than "hogshead fulI' upon
the FIRE at that point? Mr.. Leavitt answers
the paragraph in which I said the Chief Engi-
neer wisely sent Portland built machine ups
on the wharf to do the long draughtng, by
card from three past chief engineers who say,
that so far as they are concerned they consid-
er one of the chief excellences of the Manches-
ter machines is in taking water from the great
baspe bdsp playing hTorgn the thee ae
can draught water, or which kind Of Manches-
ter machines they mean. Many of our citizens
and property owners" well know that when
Messrs. Leavitt and Smith were Chief Engi-
peers there were no Portland machines in the
Smiths time when the Grey Honpd Was ID usedj saf
to send upon the wharf. When Messrs. Leav-
lit and Smith were Chief Engineers the now
"Old Machigonne" was new, and could, as is
the case with all new rotary pumps, draught
very well. She is now old, but still can, or
does generally draught better than the Cum
berland In speaking of Manchester engines
referred to the style Of the Cumberland such as
they build now, not to the "Old Machigonne"
whose style has become obsolete at the manu-
tacturer's. ,,ff,.t,.. .s.l l,ReEf tr.t 7"
Mr.. Leavitt, speaks of the fire on the night
and Cumberland were used,S both Manchester
machines, (why? Because the fire was out of
town, and unless ordered to they could not 20,
without disobeying rules or orders), and both
draughting from the bridge through the whole
length Of their suction, and playing through
Thousand feet Of hose &C., &C. Well, sir, some
OF the citizens of Portland know that draught-
ing through twenty feet of suction, does not
mean lifting or draughting twenty feet. All
lowing it to be dead low water where the "Old
Machigenne" was stationed, her draught could
not have been more than fourteen feet, while
the Cumberiand's was much less, as she took
water from the mill dam side IF I have been
correctly informed). saw few evenings
since, the Portland" Portland built machine,
draughting water over twehty-six feet from
surface of water to centre of pump, r Can the
Cumberland or the "Old Machigonne" do it?
By long draught mean from twenty to twen-
ty-six or twenty-seven feet which the Portland
built machines can readily draught; which, also
contend, the Manchester machines cannot
So far as my observation has been it often puz-
zles M them to draught from fourteen tosixteen
Mr.. Leavitt says the fling about "engines
that cannot work at long draught, and the
statement that the Manchester machines COM
pletely and utterly failed at the commencement
of the fire is after the above statement of facts
unworthy OF notice and pass it by." Mr. L.
may pass it by, if he chooses, but it is neverthe
less fact do not agree with Mr.. l.. when he
says that the whole scope of my article (Which
he terms ungenerous) was to abuse the public
enHghten the public mind, to answer an m
article signed s. w. e, part of which be-
ieved to be untrue, by an article which knew
was true / have been assured by members of
the board of Engineers, that my article was
correct in every particular, except that perhaps
the "Old Machigonne did get q little water
through her hose, but not enough to be of, any
service at the commencement Of the fire. MI.
L. again says, How contemptible in the eyes
Of other cities such writing presents our
citizens, our city government and our
fire organization; with not skill or generosity
sufficient to provide the means of protection
even for the beautiful city they had builded
with so much care and TASTE That thoueht.
sir, is yours, not mine Honi sol qui NAL
pense. - =.
In conclusion, Mr.. Leavitt, allow me to saw.
that the sum and substance of this controyer,,
sy (Which is not new by any means) lies all in
nutshell. Inc Portland Company build Steam
Fire Engines; so also, does the AInoskeag Com
pany. Disinterested mechanics and those &C
quainted with the laws of mechanics do saw
that the pump upon the Portland engines IS
the most perfect and best pump in existence
chastr Ghersny snsy can dra% deeper than the Man
city any day. The Portland Company employ
many mechanics, myself among the rest Now
do you not think it contemplate in other me-
chanics Of our city, to take the bread out of
our mouths by sending out of town to get other
mechanics to do our city work, while our own
are to lie still. This sir is my "mercenary mo-
tive" which you so freely comment upon, how
ever contemplate 1t may look in your eyes. If
of town to purchase I would cheerful1y say go,
but, to 60 abroad and get an inferior article
while our workshops are lying still and work
men idle, as some other mechanics of our city
would have them, deserves name which Tcon-
temptble" fails to express. Whatever YOU. Sir
think of my motives in writing my former ar,
ticle and in answering yours, 80 long as I am
conscious of having spoken the truth and not
abused the public mind, nor led them astray 1
care not. Whatever your motive has been
ers of Portland" many of whom are well
enough acquainted with you and your preju-
dices to judge for themselves, Should you
again, sir, feel called upon "by sense Of duty
iect / advise Won to Keen constantly in view