The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-26
CITY GOVERNMENT.
Special Meeting of the Board of Mayor
and AldePmen-A Hearing Given 10
TwitchelI, ChanspIin g. Go. and John
COnleY & SON.

and Aldermen-A Hearing Given 10
TwitChelI, ChampIin g. Go. and John
COnley 81 SON.
A special meeting of the Board of Mayor and
Aldermen was called Saturday afternoon to
take further action upon the postponed hear
ing on the petition of Twitchell Champlin q
Co. and John Conley & Son, in regard to tho
appointment Of an inspector OF oil. Hon.
Josiah Fl Drummond apr cared as counsel for
the petitioners, and Mr.. Woodbury.. of the firm
OF Woodbury. q Latham, together with Hon.
Charles Mclaughlin, for those opposed to such
an appointment. About dozen of the Lead
ing grocers of the city were present.
The meeting was called to order at about 3.45
O'Clock by the Mayor. The full board of alder
men were present.
Hon. j. Ii. Drummond, counsel of Twitchel,
Champlin & Co. began his opening by read
ing the Maine statute bearing upon the APP
poiDtment of oil inspectors. He said that the
statute IN Its terms required that every vessel
containing oil shall be inspected, though there
have been instances where in lot of 100 bar
rels only five or six have been inspected, while
the rest were allowed to pass. Messrs. Twitch.
ell, Champlin q Co. were especially interested
| in this line OF business, and they had consider
| able taxable property in the city. They were
| obliged to have an inspector of their own for
| their own benefit, for such an agent prevented
| the sale OF explosive for non-explosive oils 1t
| had been necessary for these gentlemen to en-
| ploy clerk, Mr.. Greenough, to inspect each
barrel OF oil as it was taken from the car, SO
| that they might know that every barrel had
undergone an inspection, for the city inspec-
| tor, who looked at only five or six barrels out
| OF one hundred, was obliged to rely great
deal upon those persons who put the oil up.
There might be two objections against APP
| pointing this man. He may not be honest or
he may be incapable. Mr.. Drummond was
aware that there was an oil establishment at
Cape Elizabeth where private inspector was
employed.
Counsel then called upon Mr.. Champlin,
who in brief said that he had been engaged in
| the oil business since the summer of 1881. The
| firm had taken pains to reft their old building
| thoroughly, and had several large tanks made,
] one of which held 1000 barrels. Each one
| contained different grade of oil, which was
| first heated and then tested by application of
| an electrical apparatus. They neither manu-
| comes in tanks by rail direct to their house,
| when, upon arrival of the OIL bottle full is
| taken from each tank by Mr.. Greenough and
| thoroughly tested before it is put into the
barrels. IA sample fromseach tank is preserved
| The oil is closely watched by their inspector
from its arrival by rail, through the tanks, I'M
| til put into barrels each barrel being sienciled
| by Mr.. Greenough. The usual method pursued
| by the official inspector, Mr.. +. FL. Cloves is,
when tank of 100 barrels arrives to inspect
| it in the same way as above described, but sci.
| dom reported the result to the firm. Mr.
Champlin's firm handled about 1900 barrels
annually, and to his knowledge nobody had
| ever complained.
Mr.. Hawkes. asked Mr.. Champlin at what
| time OF the year he employed Mr.. f. III.
| Cloyes as inspector. He replied, quite late in
| the summer, but did not fix any definite time.
Mr.. Cloyes, on being asked when he was en-
ployed BY the firm, replied about Nov GOTH
Mr.. Hawkes. then asked Mr.. Champlin what
| inspector he employed from April up to the
| 10th of November. He replied, Mr.. Green
ough.
Upon being asked if Mr.. Greenough was an
authorized inspector, Mr.. Champlin replied he
| was not.
Mr.. Gallagher asked Mr.. Cloyes if he called
upon Messrs. Twitchell, Champlin & Co. and Of
fered his serviceE as a public inspector and
that gentleman replied that he did SO to all
| parties selling oil.
Mr.. Woodbury. questioned Mr. Champlin,
who, in reply, said that since April 9th to Nov
10th, 1888, they had employed Mr.. Greenough
| as their sole inspector, though he never has
stencied the barrels with an official signature.
| The city inspector had presented himself sew
eral times between April and November and
they had been willing that he should look at
| the oil. Mr.. Woodbury. remarked that he
thought Mr.. Champlin's firm had sent great
deal OF koil over the whole country without
Mr.. 7. e. Twitchell, employed by the firm,
was called up by Mr.. Drummond. He made
substantially the same statement as Mr..
Champlin.
Mr.. Woodbury. spoke again. He said that
he appeared there not especially for himself
but for many of his brethren in the same bust
ness. 1t seemed almost absurd to him that
such question should come before the board.
There were fish, flour and oil inspectors, and
none of them assumed such responsibility as
/ the latter The ms who huvc oil md oil Il
without inspection endangers the lives of all
in the community. The gentlemen who ap.
peared there were sellers, not refiners of oil,
and If the board appointed a private inspector
for one they could not refuse this right to 9TH
ers. The oil business is one of much COMPETE
ton, and man who puts mark on his barrel
III degrees higher than it can stand can COM
pete much easier with the others. The board
had seen tit to appoint city public inspector,
and they ought to keep him. What would
| Mr.. Cloyes do if the Board appointed clerk
| for each firm as private inspector? The Board
must not do this, for if they appointed pri-
vate inspector for these gentlemen, twenty
five other dealers would each demand one, 1t
was only matter OF expense, and if private
clerks were appointed as inspectors in the bus
mess they would be making all the oil first
rate, and every firm be making money. 1t
seemed to him from Mr.. Champhn's story, that
the official inspector had been hluffed. The
yearly business of TWitchell, Champlin & Co.
was at least IL, 600 barrels, and if they hired
clerk as an inspector they must pay him very
little, for the price OF the city inspector would
be of itself small at the price per barrel for in
spection.
Mr.. F. Fl. Cloyes, the city inspector, was
called and upon being questioned by Mr..
| Woodbury. said that upon assuming office, he
had notified all the merchants of the city en-
| gagged in the oil business and among those no.
titled by him were Twitchell Champlin & Co.
who told him that they were not obliged to pay
inspectors. He called upon them at least
once month. but on the Goth of November
insisted that he should inspect their oil as the
board were finding fault. Twitchell, Champ
lin & Co. did not like it and he told them that
he knew they were poor, land said 81 will do
it for d cents BARREL" but Twitchell said,
mo, do it for one cent. x Laughter.
Twitchell, Champlin & Co., told him lately
that if he would not inspect this year for %
cents per barrel, they would either appeal to
the Aldermen or move their works ont of
town. He wanted them to continue at his
own rate until the first of June; then he would
make discount. They had paid him $75 for
his work from November, 1888, till May,
1884.
Mr.. Cloyes was questioned by Mr.. MeLaugh-
lin and he said that he did not use electrical
instruments in an inspection, but he had no
ticed that in all Mr.. Greenough's inspections
they varied five to seven degrees from his. He,
lMr Cloyes0 spent time under Mr.. Means, the
Massachusetts inspector, learning his business
Upon being questioned again by Mr. Wood.
bury, Mr.. Cloyes said that he had told witch
ell, Champlin & Co. that their oil had the
least backbone of any oil he ever saw, and he
had to tease them to get it up to the test. No
explosion had taken place in this city, where
he had not been on the spot of the accident in
less than twelve hours after the occurrence,
and he had always got a sample of the oil, and
traced it to its source.
Mr.. Woodbury. said that he thought the
course of the inspector had been right. The
grocers had come to the hearing only to be
treated as equals of the other gentlemen in the
business. The grocers asked for what was
right, and it seemed that the Aldermen, if
they did away with the impartial city inspec-
tor for one firm, they should do the same for
all firms.
In reply to question from Alderman Gala
CHER, Mr.. Cloyes Paid that he had not reported
to the Aldermen that he had been refused the
inspection of Twitchell, Champin & Co. 3 oil,
but Mayor Deering had taken him in his room
together with Mr.. Champlin, and it was de-
cided that Twitchell, lChamplin & Co. should
employ him as public inspector.
Mr.. Drummond, in closing, said that he I'M
derstood Mr.. Cloyes did not put mark above
120 on barrel, and low test oil might be sold
for high test oil, never mind who was in
spector. other grocers could have private
incnnntnr If fhau did tho eama oponupt of huoi.