The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-04
A NIGHT OF VETOES.
The Contract for Fire Boat Service
Not Approved
EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY ORDER
VETOED ALSO.

Both yetoes sustained-EIectric Lighting
The Aims Householder Matters.
Last evenings me citing of the City Gov
eminent was marked by two important
vetoes. AS soon as the Board of sAldermen
had assembled and the reading of the
records had been disposed of, Mayor Baxter,
addressing the Board. announced that he
returned without his approval an order
passed at previous meeting. He said:
VETO OF FIRE BOAT ORDER.
Gentlemen of the Board of Aldermen:
return the following order without my
approval: Portland, July 3oth, 1891. Oh
partment be, and are hereby authorized to
contract with the owners of the steamer
Mary W. Libby, for term of i've years for
fire, boat service subject to the conditions
and restrictions enumerated in their pro-
posal tor fre-boat service hereunto annexed,
and also such other restrictions and comb,
tions as may be deemed expedlent by SAID
committee, such sum as may be necessary to
provide for the continuance OF this contract
during the present municipal year when
expended to be charged to the approprla-
ton for Fire Department..
The price proposed forsthe city toTpay for
this service is stated to-be S25o a month and
1t is but proper that |, should state the
reasons for my action. The City of Port
land has been under contract MIRA with the
years at cost of S1o0 month and SIS an
hour for the use of their boat when en-
ployed at fires.
and machinery are old and inadequate for
the service, and the pump too small. So
pressing were these complaints from mer-
chants, property owners, and underwriters
that.at.fhe beginning of the present NUM-
cipal year, a committee was appointed to
consider the feasibility of the city owning a
boat of it's own. A plan of d boat large
enough and strong enough for every emer-
gency was made and the cost of the pumps,
boilers and engines and everything requisite
for first class fire-boat obtained. The
lowest bid, including everything ready for
service, was SIS, 500.
1t was proposed to build the prov OF this
boat so that she w Juld keep the docks clear
of ice, matter of great Importance to- the
city, as it would enable the fire-boat to have
ready access to the docks in case of fire,
and would. moreover. afford better FACILITIES
than We now possess inswinter for the re-
ception and delivery of freight. 1t was also
proposed to have the captain of the city,'s
salary of that officer would be saved.
Careful estimates were made, and the net
cost to the .city for such service, as, has
described it, was found would not much ex-
coed $4,000. Such boat would not only
afford protection to the water front but
property as far away as Middle street.
finances of the city the committee con-
cluded not to recomend the building of the
boat this year though | believe that all felt
that it would be Well for the city 70 own
such boat.
.By the present order it is proposed to
make contract for the same old boat that
owners sum aggregating $3.50 for five
years. service as well as Sio an hour while
the boat is in use.
Under the former contract which has been
80 seriously complained of the cost for five
years would be $4,000. Under this contract
nine thousand dollars additional is to be
paid or putting in pump which II first
class one will cost $4,000 la
OF course the owners of the Mary W.Libby
pay for putting in the pump and improving
their boilers, etc., but under the old con-
tract they are bound to have their boilers
and machinery in effective condition and
have always claimed that they were SO.
am satisfied after a careful examination
of the subject that not only is the service
proposed inadequate to meet the public de-
mand but.that the proposed cost is much
As / have said the cost of first class
pump is $1,000, and to put such pump into
a new hull with the best modern appliances
would be $4,000. Under the proposed con-
tract, as have already intimated, the. city
is practically to pay for the use simply of
$500, and probably less, the sum of $4,000
five are to make SO lage an expenditure it
would be better for she city to maintain a
first class ire-boat of its own and have the
entire use of it, thereby securing adyan-
tages which cannot be secured by any hired
But this am told is not now expedient,
and am asked, what then can be done?
The solution of the problem is not far to
seek. AS a property owner on Commercial
street, shall, myself, be satisfied with a
service equal to the present, if we car have
a sufficient number of hydIants on the
street. The pump on the Libby with an ex-
pendituYe of less than one hundred dollars
viii be as good as it it. has as been for years,
ia "a tharaf0ra 7 OaSf
that hydrants be placed as follows: At the
foot of Park street, head of Richardson
wharf, head .of Browns wharf, about 400
feet down Browns wharf. between Long
andsCommercial wharf and at the head Of
Widgery's wharf.
In closing / desire to say, that from an
intimate and fraternal intercourse with this
board, know that every member is. anxious
to do mis- utmost for the benefit of the city.
and would de e. hasty OF i'll advised
your consideration, l do so with the assur-
ance that they will receive candid, impartial
and friendly consideration.
After the Mayor had announced his
reasons for not approving the order, Alder
man Little explained the reasons which led
the committee to change the old contract,
That contract had allowed the boat to go to
Long Island and other islands, and did not
have an efficient pump. ss..It wass...thought
that these particulars should be amended.
Alderman Thompson said he did not be-
lieve the city should own "a boat; and he
thought that a contract similarto this was
the proper thing. But he believed that the
boat MARY W. Libby into which it was
proposed to put the new pump was totally
unfit, especially in boiler capacity. With
the additional hydrants and the present
pump sufficient protection could be given.
Alderman Little said that the committed
had amply protected the citys interests il
regard to boiler capacity of the steamer. HI
did not believe that the hydrants would
make up for the lack of a strong fire boat.
Alderman MCGOWAN strongly endorsedstht
~Thc analyses snow that Clevelands