Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-07-17
The Fire Alarm Extension Coutro-
NRr~Y.
Z STATEMENT OF GAMEwELL & CO., The sue
! CEssFUL RIDDEss.

WASHINGTON. july Is, ls-s
EdtfoF Sav The RsFW5!s-uH OF this dSte contains
sreport of the meeting Of the Board ~ Fire Con
missioners en Saturday evening, and their as,ir a
relative to the extension f tbs Fire Alarm Tsls-
graph 10 Georgetown. In this repsrt lie embodied a
,,hgtLy Wi ten statement. which was real 60 tba
McDeVitt statement Il is hardly uecesSary TO say.
are thoroughly ct PoT.s-one-sided and fuil 81 er
So far as the firm of GameweII & 60 Is concerned,
II Is Cny requisite that sho-ld refer long
Alarm and Police 7. leeraphs and to the nigh rep
aistlsn Se 10y " the y ode cities e The gntTy
t er %Ir esmRlets from The slsnser
Gsmevell & Co as business hIra Is OF. Of which
we may We feel proud. We hold recounnendstoss
the cities OF the Uni,ed states ana Csnas. a. et
cepiiIg W ashingtoni with whom W have had kusi
proved 10y the most able and prominent eecfricisss
q The country; not such men a. Messrs. holly and
their signal boN-men unknown outside sf the loo al
orees in which they perform their routr duties o:
world wide reputation. such as PROS Henry. Pss5
anu Nc the isthSr OF the Telegraph and such
MSJoT ark Pope and Juise Cation 4 Ilii1n.>
defective appa: stus to the city, al t5e, aH s
being given us of such defects. failed 10 furnish
TIE crank boxes he refers 10 we're furnished after
we had fully informed tie city officials tia, GREAT
longer RECOMMEND tuch apparatus while we poe
sessed sSmeihing Infinitely superior
but they Insisted on having them. becslse they
were eheso II they were defective 10 constituents,
,heE sh9nt9 have seeH ret1rned a and it any
s1,s' It 10 Gny ceargs sb!e 70 the incomPeteacy
Alarm Teeersph thst they haye LIT Ions siI- Ias
removed. We have always fulfilled our ohiicarioas
70 me CITY and can safely challenge estigai9n cu
gually false IS the assertion that we have s9i
Eong strikers 70 corporations for Ss5l aud 10 ndi
yidnas tcr ss5 lh.geh we see no ressSa why We
shonit not do 80; L IN the ons case the gong was
Hau'.c 10 DC worked IN COM ectiCn With system OF
n. a lar . =
ar1l ed TO some hCus hold use"
we have expended nearly SI5O.ooo in Patent
IttsFafhS. We have levied M ONE u the best
and have stolen the fruits Il 10 man tot ~,
have fairly and fully paid for all improvements
years, and which, together with lie appsratns
covered by the original patents Of Farmer aud Chan
Fire Tel, graph, and the only one M the world -
, ne great value OF This system In Its prot ction Of
ne ana property from fire is everywhere a-kn0wl
edged But it il only large cities which re 1nre e.
large pisi invested in the business We cs1nat az
toTd 10 furnish apparatus at price based upoa tie
citizens libe Mess:s. Miles & Holly may infrinee
our patents and undeIbid Cs ia Efforts secure
contracts, but they may find that there are sre RE,
holding responsible positions who cannot be wh,r-
died INTO joining hands with them Ia ai Illegal rad
upon rights and property Of others, though
ib f,irsing they may be accused Of giving "a blow
Tat this home enterprise. should re sncourageF
Now we cannot see the einerence between such
called upon to interfere with in hi capacitr u d.
tectiIe policeman. With right minded nlen a will
thief as he who stesls your pocket book.
Messrs. Miles a-d Holly, who claim 10 lie the in.
employ Of The District As su perisltt dents rasne
lively, Of the Fire Ala and Police Telegraphs or
ining the apparatus .: Gsmemse Coy 81 and %
the Patent Office handy, Of securing copies Of our
these patents they can, through their pSsiti5ns
naEe good thing out of the District. Do they
which supplies a want never before supplieIs d. |
they enter an uncuitivsted field to labyr fairly All
not even produce improvement" for We shaii
show that competent experts, after careful exanin
superior. But the soul Of the thing the, 10 orooce
belong; to us' and 10 fully covered by many pat
The called Holley signal box, a. FIST exhibited
70 tne bosa OF fire commissioners was ciumsey in
Hollev Mills confidently ertsl its sulerioritY
subject Of hs extension Of The tsiecrSp6 to GeopSs
t9wn was IN The hands Of the Board of Public
Comn.iss!oners, with the request that they should
examine into the subject and make recomnen Iation
Of haze e Gesi 20 be adopted By
Mr. McDevittl the Board of Fire Comnis sioners
Messrs RoeT t De s snsTsa IhtP With
works were immediately furnished with such ampie
pledges made to essTs aoey Cos Wit soaTt ,0 oil
vestigstion into the merits of the case and in Soma
hat P The BSar PuS Wofss dG q h
slider Ills reconmeBdati n Of much value, aud in
Of thorcughly competent expert they referred The
matter 70 Mr. Aiyi:: ciuss, Architect and Engineer.
tent scientists cor aected with the s. Coast saT-
vey, and gave the contestants fOr the contract a !
full and fair hearing. his report TO the Boagi Of
elusive SIS to the relative merits ~ the signal boxes
presented ~ the two parties In concluding his
- dHdiLs Gamstrti appard..,> 20 OFF, d-stdellg
most practical rala. IN relation 70 HarfliHg, re-
liability, security arI ntchaajcai ersrHtp. il is
therefore recommended that the proposal of Cana
heir mechanism to the required eIocity divide Oh
their cy nder in harmony with our alphabet and
And these alterations suggested By Mr.. Cluss,
he Clearly stated IL his report, Involved nothing
After such report, Il ON source u1iIn peashG-
be, IL is indeed nguizr that the Board Of Public
Work should have hesiiated to award the contract
to GaIneweil & Co. But or the appearance OF Mr..
y, r S Dm, lengthy state
Mr. Uius- and was reIurued GY BIN 10 tSe BoarI of
as follows Il have carefully read d2, Roiiy's
stats meDt and find IN II no reason for changing any
OF s Paseass 81 he Ro fP55 box s nd
and personal friend. apd would glad
teatly WITH ny views Of public duty,
The subsequent history Of this matter, up TO Sat
Brday last, when the contract awarded e. |
Gamewell Co, il Is not now necessary TO give liz
detail; but one fact, which has rather an important
bearing upon the merits OF the case, il rs proper
Holly Co had boldly asserted the perfection and
superiority Of their apparatus, aad Indignantly de-
MED that the defects pointed out by ad embodied
in Mr.. Ciuss' report really existed; and yet they
Immediately set to work 10 make improve nenis I
" hich would Obyate these defects, Icy adopting de- /
vices similar IL character - those shown by Mr. O
as POINTS Of superiority in the Gamewell box
Could any better evidence he afforded of the in |
ability of these parties to sustain themselves against
Us in any lair competitive contest!
G believe Mr.. McDevftt avows himself a friend i
of the Board al Public orks; but cannot resist
the ipret sion trst they will ask be saved from
such friends when they read tho following remarks
made ly him on saturday Night:
"lfthe Board Of Public Works had lot desired that
Mr.. HOlley should have this contract, they would
have given it out 10 the New York company. They (!
were evidently disappointed in the report oi Mr. |
Cluss, and evidences OF this IL found in the carefully
worded endorsement his report. They knew thst
il would rot be agreeable to ths wishes Of this
beard, and hence theY took that 10 relieve
themselves OF the possibility Of rejecting the
report of the man they had appealed to against
WI had Just told them that wished them 10
give the contract to Holley, ana cannot believe
that II ever entered their heads that would 20
ba on our votes, even though we might our
friends "
II this means anything IL is q direct charge ofdu
plicity and bad faith the part of the Rosrd OF
Public Works. We leave the matter, however, for
their attention.
Wenow propose to give as co3cisely possible
some of thu numerous reasons which VS. know iula-
enced the majority of the Board in their final action
awarding MS the contract.
We are fully Endorsed as business men cfiotegrity