New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-18
MR.. PURROY IS MEEkER.
QUESTIONED BY THE FAsSETT COMMITTEE.
HE ANSWERS THEN swEETLY AND TELLS ABOUT
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

HE ANSWERS THEN SWEETLY AND TELLS ABOUT
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
After n vacation Of several weeks the Subcommittee
NJ the State senate Committee Cities, OF wiz"
senator Fas,ett is chairman. met yesterday morh"e
and continued the Investigation OF the Guy u'P''
ments There was apparently little lntcreN' III ''o
committees proceedings because there vert o.N
few people present when Senator Fasscu rdPpc" w
order The committee took up the Fire Department
where ii was dropped when adjournment ""S "a
had Commissioner Henry ID. PrrrOy was AGAIN o''iOu
10 the witness stand. lie not tbs same man ~
manners that he was when he Wac laSI Deioio '"0
committee. For reason or other therc Ia" w
an almost entire change in his dencahor' III pi"o
Of being impairment. he was qWe'' oiuoi'' w."
attentive and answered the questions WHICH "o'0 P"'
to him by senator Fasseu or NIl"iAh - -'' 80
respectful manner. ,...
The commissioner carried with him a small pocKe'
diary. which In the course OF the day sho"ea IN"
il was pretty generously filled ehcycioPao"'" u
Fir, Department statistics. To THIS he feleHCu l''
information upon all sorts of subjects Inc Oo"F
miasinDer first put in evidence table showing eA
ueuditures Of the department from January l. 1901
10 october l. 1880 1t was As follows
For coal. s15l.425 forage, S226,322; hose
S1s4 900; new apparatus ard repairs OF apparatus
Sls6,726; new passenger elevator IN ne" Hire He'
quarters 81 $50; additional fire alarm system floi
AL steam heating apparatus in new fire headquarters
$1,000, BluSn '>''
pairs to floating engines, slo4334. erection Oh anu
repslrs TO buildings S437 .O5e : total. 81 465,592
These we're all expenditures upon contracts anu
the witness said that there frequently Only ohe
bidder on a specification advertised by the uep"iV
ment This was due. he explained, 10 the I"c' 'l''
most of the articles and materials which are used OS
the department patented articles, owned pS o''o
firm alone Under such condition there would De-
materially only one bidder, the owner OF the pa'en'
under II. Mr. PurrON Iiu great
stress upon The payment by the department oI
SotQl6 for English coal, and the fact thaV '"o
tariff made the price higher than the price OF American
coal He thought that the English coal WAS 'no
best for Quick stcaDng work.
II frequently happened that there were Only wv"
bidders for the contract for supplying the department
horses with food This account oi TIC "'"
bility of other films supply it as it was necdcu
Mr. Plrroy detailed with much glee the experience
which he had with Mayor Hewitt regarding the nose
purchasing question. This threw little Ash' "p'N
the subject Senator Fassett then took the "the's
In hano and questioned him about the purchase u
apparatus The Commissioner admitted that mas
much as the great majority OF articles "hi'h 'i'e
department used patented articles, the advertise
ments for bids were merely literal comrllance' WIN
the law This the department could not help' IL
merely followed the advice OF the Corporation 'o'''oi
After the recess the witness asked 10 explain
how the fire alarm boxes were purchased lic Iis"
10 do this had never been questioned he SAd. lnc
Commissioners thought they had the right TO no II
and they went right ahead and exercised it, ne"
company called the lertzOg releseme Company "ho'
Is trying TO put sort Of pressthc button anu can "
policeman or fire company apparatus in each house
had been endcavoring lately 20 do something win Inc
Fire Commissioners in the direction OF getting tue
scheme adopted generally. Roln NJ. squire e&- on.
missioner of Public Works, had bee to zee MN ABOUT
H. The department paid about $500 elC iOf ioi'e''
somctimes more was paid but not generally IL costs
from thirty 10 thirty five cents da\ 10 Keep ihc
horses, This he did think at all large, considering
me amount work the fire hO>cs do lie theIi Weut
into comparison of the fire in London and thls cE
and the causes for the large increase IN New YORK ne
laid il 10 the wooden buildings and the density OF te
population In certain districts. The damages had dc-
creased on an average by some 5000 a nlc.
William p Finley the attorney for the Fire epart
mont made long but absolutely urinteN~tnC eA
nanation OF why this department should have special
lawyer by Itself. ,c,,
chief Bonner was the next witness called. Inc Only
Interesting statement which he made was Ia detail the
troublcs which he had with oscar Iianmer>t"n. the
svnor Of the Columbus Theatre. for which license Wa'
refused and hv calling him ." a blachsuad
The committee will meet this morning and take up
the Ruilding bureau Of the Fire Department. After
Nh, department has been fully examined tie street
COnmS siOner will be caI'cl