Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-01

in the county court house has been a
source OF general comment of late, and
the taxpayers OF Los Angeles are becom-
ing curious as to the character OF the
time. piece which is causing so much
trouble. The San Francisco firm which
put the clock into the court house tower,
together with the electric appliances on
which the control of the other court
house clocks has been based, has been
making uninterrupted efforts to obtain
work from the machinery, but appar-
emily in vain. Their purpose now must
be to secure some kind of showing for
their time-piece, go as to obtain for Con-
tractor Brady an approval of his de-
mand. The board of supervisors sever al
weeks ago themselves grew, or seemed
to grow, somewhat skeptical as to the
virtues of the clock, and required, while
in session, some explanation from Mr..
Hansel of San Francisco, who furnish ed
the balky machine. By him the
fault was attributed to the leaky
condition of one of the walls
of the dome, which resulted in perco-
lation OF moisture, interfering with the
transmission of the electric currents.
The point was then made, that if the
wires were perfectly insulated as they
should be no moisture would have any
effect on them, any more than sea-
water does on submarine cable. Mr..
Hansel declared, in reply, that he had
used the very best wire and the very
best insulating material, and that the
leakage was so great as to make the
best insulation useless. Since that
time, it is said, the wet wall has be-
come thoroughly dry, the electric con-
nections are thoroughly desiccated-
but the clock-system still does not work.
An expert, who has looked at the plant,
declares that the clock can only do the
work that is expected of it with the aid
of 1000-cell galvanic battery, which
would need constant attention and con-
stant replenishing Of the chemical ele..
ments. That would mean an annual
danger OF the cells becoming polarized
be left out of account. In other words,
the clock, during its guaranteed life OF
ten years, would cost the county SIC, 900
in addition to the purchase price. The
latter, it is understood, is to be $500,
while experts, who have examined the
machinery. declare that all the parts of
it could be purchased for $1100.
In order to obtain some more detailed
information about the manner in which
the clock job was perpetrated. HERALD
reporter yesterday called on G. u. Platt,
ha 1ono1 oil OBJ h0 ho. haa,, .,,
terested in the matter and is thoroughly
conversant with the facts. Mr.. Platt
said:
I'm the first place there was no con-
tract made for placing clock in the
court house nor were any bids advertised
for. 1t was an understood fact that
the placing of the clock in the
court house was part the original con-
tract made with Mr.. Brady of San Fran
cisco. Mr.. Brady came to Los Angeles
and turned the clock business over to
me. examined the specifications and
offered to place in the dome of the
court house clock made by the Justly
celebrated E. Howard Clock company of
Boston, with full guarantee for ten
years for the sum of $4,000. including
bell and the appliances for striking
hours, halves and quarters. was anx-
'ious to furnish good piece OF work,
and called on Supervisor Perry to ascer-
tain what amount was to be expended
for clock. The supervisor referred me
back to Mr.. Brady, and that gentleman
surprised me by saying that he himself
had set aside only $l100 for the work.
He did not say, however, what he in
tended to charge the county. re-
monstrated, and tried to convince him
that the price was absurd, and that
first-class clock and bell which would be
worthy to hang in the dome could not
be furnished for less than my bid. l
would not join in with the $1100 job,
and of course was promptly let out.
Mr.. Perry called on me soon after and
got from me the original specifications
on which had based my offer.
"The next thing heard was that the
dummy which now disgraces the court
house had been ordered in San Francisco
for $500. Mr.. Perry, who ordered it at
that enormous price, must have gone
into the matter stone blind as to the
merits of tower clocks. Anything at all
to cost $110O, but charge to the county
of $3S00' seemed to be the right thing.
"As soon as heard of this piece of
business handed Mr.. Brady's letter to
me, together with complete statement
of the situation, to the late grand jury.
l never heard of any definite action be-
ing taken on my report. only obtained
statement from the foreman of said
jury that sixty days had been granted
(probably as a whitewash) to the maker
OF the clock to see if ne could not make
it run long enough to authorize the ap-
proval of the $500 demand.
The taxpayers may plainly see that
if this toy in the dome could he made to
run, whether accurately or not, it would
cost the county the sum of $500, with
out the electric supplies and attendance,
which during the next ten years would
amount to $4,000 more. That means
an expense of $16,800, as against the
price Of first-class clock with full
guarantee for the same length of time
for any sum from $250O to $4,000.
''I mention the smaller figure of $2500
because that sum would buy first
class clock without the striking appli-
ances. I understood from the speci6ca-
tions that striking clock was to be put
in the dome, and put in bid for such
clock, in good faith, with guarantee
that it would 60 within ten seconds of
the correct time per month for ten years.
Nothing was ever said or implied that