St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-05
ROLLINS AND PUMP.
They Will Begin to Struggle
for the Underhold
To-Day.
Some New Points for the In
vestigating Committee to
Examine.
Progress Of a Close Billiard
Tournament at the Mic
ollet House.
After Williams Horse Races
in EarneSt--Another New
Bridge.

According to the signs of the zodiac,
the typewritist engaged by Aid. Rol
Inns will begin to make the keys of her
machine rattle to-day as she transfers
to paper the testimony in the investiga-
ton of the affairs at the North side
pumping station. The statement has
been made. and has been reiterated,
that the manner in which the pumps
in that station were purchased,
and the manner in which they
have served the city, will
bear full investigation. So much has
been said on this head that the public
has become really interested in the
case. 1t has become so interested that
it wants to know just what there was
Of truth in the charges made against the
efficiency of the pumps now doing duty
in that station. If there is anything a
great city is interested in it is the ques
ton of the water supply and the eff
cheney of that supply in case of fire.
There has been a good deal said
through the papers and otherwise dur
ing the past week or so concerning the
pumps owned and operated by the city
of Minneapolis. 1t has been said that
the WOrthingtOn pump, the one that is
used in the North side station, is the
best pump on earth. 1t has also been
said that the WOrthingtOn is about the
poorest excuse eXtant for high-duty
pump. 1t has been said that there
never was and never will be pump
that would do the work and do it as
well as The Jumbo pump. Then
the statement has been made, with
offers of proof, that if there is one pump
OH earth that does not deserve as much
consideration as the gyrations of fly
on top of the great pyramid, that pump
is the Jumbo. When all these state
ments are made at the same time it is
hard 10 strike an average. That is the
work that is cut out for the committee
OF which Aid. Rollins is the chairman.
Mr.. Rollins says that the investigation
will last all winter. If his committee
settles this pump question it will prob
ably DO it only after working until next
summer AT the very least.
There is one that has been made and
that has not been published. although
it merits consideration and serious in
vestigation. That is that there was
some monkey work. when the contract
WOrthingtOn pump. Some of the men
who were closely identified with the
city government, and especially with
the water department, at that time, say
that the contract under which the
WOrthington pump was constructed
was not i'll accordance with the specifi-
cations.
1T came about this way" said one of
these men who does not care TO be
quoted: when it had been decided to
build that North side pumping station,
specifications were drawn up under
which the pump men we're ask to bid.
The first specification had to be
changed. Under them the Worthing
ton people would have been barred
from bidding at all. Well, the speciti-
cations were changed so as to let the
WorthingtOn company in. Those spe-
cificatiOnS, if my memory serve
me highland it is not in
the habit of displaying unre-
liability at important points
did not specify what pressure the pumps
would be required to maintain. That
point was left out on purpose. 1t was
intended TO provide for any possible
pressure that the city might require.
Under those specifications the bids were
opened and the contract was ordered
But when the contract came to be
drawn, the pressure point was covered.
Without any sort of authority the men
who drew the contract Oh behalf of the
city allowed the " OrthingtOn peo-
pie to set the limit to the
pressure to be maintained. Now those
men set up the claim that the WOrthing-
ton pumps have been running at great
er pressure than the contract called for
This is all true enough, but the city did
not intend to have a contract limiting
the pressure. And there you are. The
Warrington people escape condemna-
ton for their pump by little fine
work that was done by the men who
drew the contract. l hope this inveStI-
cation Will bring all that matter I'D to
the light. There will be some interest
ing matter dug up if the committee does
its duty"
What this gentleman says the GLOBE
has been unable to verify as yet. The
investigating committee-will have bet
ter opportunity to DO it, The contract
can be found in the city offices, but dill
ligeht search has failed to disclose the
specifications that were drawn at tina
ime. t
There is another little matter that the
adherentS of the Jumbo pump will be
called upon 10 explain away. 1t Is said
that it will be learned that there is now
on file in the water office, ready for pres
entatiOn, bill Tor no less than 5000 for
repairs on the Jumbo pumps. The
JumpO's opponents admit that the Jum-
DO is good pump but not the best in
the world. If it is such a good pump.
they ask, why the necessity for SO much
repairs?
Thomas Cowan, the engineer at the
West side pumping station, has been
sent to the North side station to help
reconstruct the injured Worthington
pump. The friends of the Jumbo say
that this is an attempt to work against
the Jumbo by leaving them in incOm-
petent hands. The water Office people
say that COwan was sent up to Single
creek because he understands pumping
machinery So well. They would have
been forced to hire an expert had he
not been sent there.
All in all, this pump investigation
promises to be interesting. The chances
are. according to the outlook, that it
will develop into fight between the
rival pump concerns before it is finished
that is, that the pump concerns will
be able to fight out an old battle at the
expense of the people OF Minneapolis.