Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-10-18
The Fire Alarm Telegraph.
LETTER PROM THE BIDDERS TO THE BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS

LETTER PROM THE BIDDERS TO THE BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS.
AS is known TO most OF our citizens, our pres
ent fire alarm telegraph is very defective, being
not only clumsy and antiquated, but so worn
out by long use as to be unreliable. At the last
session of the District Legislature the matter
was brought to the attention of that body, who
passed an act sppropriating 1000 for the con-
structiOn of new and improved system, the
money to be expended by the Board of Public
Works. That board advertised in this city and
elsewhere for proposals. The only bidders were
Messrs. Gamewell Il Co., of New York. but the
amount bid by them for the whole work (S75, O00)
being in excess of the sum appropriated by the
Legislature, the board declined to award the
contract, and so informed the bidders. Messrs.
Gamewell & Co, under the date of New York
october 10th, reply to the notice of the board as
follows:
g Gentlemen We thank you for your proposal
TO contract with US for the construction of our
improved sire telegraph in the cities Of Wash
ington and Georgetown IN accordance with the
act of your Legislative Assembly" and regret
that the terms and restrictions of that act pre-
clude the possibility of our acceptng YOUR offer.
The bid we had the honor of submitting for
your consideration was carefully considered by
US and in consequence of our earnest desire to
establish within the metropolis of the country
the best municipal telegraph in the world, we
were led to place the cost at a much lower
figure than the average cost to other cities, and
lar below its cost in this city, where the total
cost averages q ,12j per station, while in our
bid for your city the total cost makes an aver
age of only $50 per station.
ing for moment the construction of complete
telegraph TO the extent desired for the made
quate sum authorized by the act, we would not,
in justice to ourselves, consent to its provisions
Tor Withholding twenty per cent. of the amount
Tor two years as guarantee for the proper
operation OF the telegraph.
We have built our telegraph in some sixty of
the leading cities of this country and Canada
during the twenty years last past In no gle
instance have we ever been called upon for
guarantee OF that nature. Nor could we consent
to yield it, as we are neither adventurers nor
experimenters, but well known as the origi-
majors, perfectors, and builders of this wonder
ful American institution, now keeping faithful
watch and ward over millions of property and
thousands of lives; and we confidently refer to
any of those cities, from Maine to California, as
to the character of our work or our responsibility
as contractors. Improvements, perfected at
great cost to us since its introduction into this
city, and not embodied in the New York tele-
graph, were embraced in our proposal to you,
although at a reduced cost.
, Trusting that some plan may be devised in
the future by which your city can secure the
great advantages our perfected system offers,
and respectfully assuring you of our heartiest
cooperation to that end, we are, wi til great re-
spect, GAMRWELL & Co.