The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-11
MAYOR WINS OUT.
He Saves More Mon.
ey for the
City.
CONTRACT SIGNED.
Gamewell Fire Alarm Tel
egraph Co., to Install
Signal Service.

Mayor Dodge scored another decided
victory for himself as well as for the
city yesterday, and added another to
the already large number of instances
in which he has had the welfare of the
city first at heart.
Yesterday afternoon representatives
of the Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph
Company of Boston were in this city
in consultation with the mayor and the
chief of police, James M. brennan, in
regard to closing a contract Tor the
installation Of a new police signal SER
vice.
Some time ago an order was passed
by the city government authorizing the
mayor to sign a contract for such a
service at price not to exceed 1000
In the board of aldermen the order was
amended by the addition Of a. clause
to the effect that before any contract
should be signed, the mayor should re-
quire from the contracting company A
bond for the successful working Of the
equipment for term of 10 years. but
this amendment was killed and the
original order passed.
AS result of the contract entered
ferday, the Gamewell Fire Alarm Tele-
graph Company is to install an entirely
new equipment to the satisfaction of
The city electrician, for the sum of
$4,000, a sum a full thousand dollars
within the sum specified by the order.
By the terms of the contract. it is
also stipulated that the equipment now
in use in this city shall become the
property of the company. The origi-
nal bid of the Gamewell company was
$9850, so that it will be seen that by
the contract entered into yesterday. the
old system was in reality sold to the
Gamewell company for $3.50.
Some of the members of the common
council said during the passage OF the
order, that the old system could not be
sold for much more than the same
amount of old iron or about $50, so that
it will be readily seen that the mayor
won double victory by yesterdays
deal. The city is to have the best sig
nal system to be obtained; has OBJ
tanned it at a reasonable figure and is
about 1880 ahead of the game
After the conference. yesterday, Alden
d. Wheeler, an electrical engineer, rep
resenting the Gamewell company, in
spected the proposed locations Of the
signal boxes and also looked over the
situation at station / relative to he
best place to install the switchboard
In place of the present grounded-vire
service, the new system is to be metal
lic circuited throughout.
The new system, 1t is claimed, will
be much more serviceable and less like
ly to get out of order. Police officials
and electricians have said from time to
Mime that the cause of the failure of
some of the boxes to work has been
from the fact that the patrolmen have
pounded the boxes with their clubs in
order to cause confusion, and not
oblige them to report at the central
office at stated intervals.
The company will begin to replace
the old system at once, and it is expect
ed that the new equipment will be in
working order within three months. Be-
fore the contract shall have been COM
pleted, it is stipulated that it shall be
to the satisfaction of the city electri-
clan. thus throwing any future liability
upon the city