The herald., 1897-09-30

been submitted by their firms.
The apartments loked more like hose
supply house than committee room,
for the table in the center was literally
covered with samples Of the different
brands, while ranged along the wall were
several fifty-foot sections ready for USE
It was distinctly a hose meeting, that
subject being considered almost to the
exclusion Of other business. OF which
there was a great deal at hand. The rep
resentatives Of the different companies
were given all the time they desired 20
make speeches ard point out the alleged
superiority of the different brands. Un-
like former similar occasions, there
were no wrangles or threatened fights.
OF course, each man convinced CD the
board that his particular hose was per-
feet and that all other makes were not
worth purchasing. and there was 30
much of this conviction that at the close
of the speeches the board took the mat
ter under advisement, and will award
the contract after consultation with the
supply committee of the city council.
The bids that had, been submitted for
supplying the needed hose were opened at
the last meeting of the council, and were
published at the time, and the exam
lnation of them by the commission was
merely for the purpose Of giving the
members an opportunity to examine the
different samples. If any commissioner
was wiser as the result Of that examina-
ton he did not admit it, for to them
there was a marked similarity In all of
the samples. To the remarks of the
representatives Of the bidding companies
the commission paid the most respectful
attention, and those gentlemen did not
lose the opportunity to make the best
presentation possible.
OUT IN THE FIRST ROUND
The proceedings We're enlivened early
in the session by the discovery of mis-
take in one of the bids and its consequent
withdrawal from the field. 1t was
while the representative of the para
gon" brand was delivering his little
speech on the subject of hose generally
and on the excellence Of that brand in
particular. He was making a gooS i'm
preston when the mayor asked the very
natural question: What is the price OF
your hose?" This, perhaps, led to the
belief that he was about to get the con-
tract then and there, and he replied
that the price was 80 cents per foot.
But" quoth the mayor, "this bid
makes it 80 cents"
Sure enough, there 1t was on paper, in
black and white, "90 cents" The young
lady typewriter who had copied the pro-
posal had struck the key instead Of the
8 and the prospects Of that company Sc
curing the contract went glimm ering.
1t was admitted that that brand Of hose
Is one of the best on the market and some
Of it would doubtless have been pur-
chased, for the commission looked upon
it with favor, but the mistake could not
then be rectified In spite Of the pleadings
of the agent, who offered to have let
ter of explanation written at once. He
departed, while the other bidders offered
their condolences and she'd alligator
tears and laughed in their sleeves over
the defeat of one OF their most dangerous
competitors, which gave all Of the others
better chances.
The secretary Of the Merchants and
Manufacturers association evidenced
an interest in the letting of the contract
for he presented communication
signed by himself as secretary, calling
the attention Of the board to section
3247 of the political code which directs
all such bodies In letting contracts for
public supplies 10 favor California prod
ucts, all other things being equal. This
communication was filed. For nearly
an hour the hose matter engaged the at
tention of the board. The agents then
withdrew leaving their samples.
ROUTINE BUSINESS
In Chief Moore's weekly report he
gave the result of the recent examina-
ton at the No. 8 engine house which has
been already published. The repor: was
approved. The chief called attention to
the fact that the contract for furnishing
feed to the department had expired and
asked that a new contract be entered
into. He was instructed TO prepare the
necessary document and submit 1t to
the board. Several accidents had hap
penAd In the department during the last
month. One was the injury OF horse