Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-04-30
City Council Adopts Bid of Game
we'll Company for a 40
Box System.
EFFORT TO DELAY A SELECTION
Aldermen Spend Two Hours in
Debate Railroad Commit
tee Named.

II
of system, the city council last
night accepted the bid of the Game
we'll Fire Alarm and Telegraph COM
pany. of Chicago, which proposes to
install 40-box system for 50. 9S7,
adopting by vote of s to 5 the fol-
lowing resolution offered by Aid. I.
A. Fender:
Resolved, That the bid of the Game
well company for the installation of
40 box fire alarm system to meet the
requirements of our call for bids, be
accepted, as its system is universally
ackno wledged to be the very best,
and that the mayor, city clerk and
city attorney be instructed to execute
as soon as the same can be legally
done. a proper contract with the said
Gamewell company for the purchase
and installation of a system such as
required in our call" The vote on
the resolution was: Ayes-Wilkins,
Heidemann, Snyder. Freed, Andrews.
Willis, Moeller. Pender-S; nays
Robbins, Gall. Kennedy, Soderstrom,
Anderson -5.
There were propositions also from
L
bpany, of Newton, Iowa; the National
Autophone company, of New York,
through the Rock sland Construction
company; and F. C. Slower, of Chica-
go, the last named gentleman, who is
the western representative of the
Gamewell company making two in
dividual bids fo- the purpose, as he
put it, of meeting cheap competition.
Test of Apparatus.
+ f. Salisbury superintendent of
equip nent of the National Autophone
| com panv, wa. before the council with
his apparatus, and gave it test 1t
worked 10 perfection and the alder
men seemed impressed with its good
points of which it apparently has
many, the only objection to it being
that it was an experiment and the
aldermen felt that Rock Island had
been experimenting long enough now
and wanted something that had stood
the test of years.
Aids. Anderson and Kennedy favor
ed referring the bids to the fire and
light and health and police commit
tees for further consideration, con-
tending that the present council could
not legally contract an expenditure as
long as provis. Il had not been made
by appropriation to meet it. Aid.
| Robbins said the financial question
was trivial in a matter of such great
Importance to the city and it's people
| but he believed that all systems
should be thoroughly Investigated be-
fore any one was adopted Aids
Andrews, Willis and Fender were out
spoken in favor OF the Gamewell.
They had learned by personal visits
to cities where it was 10 operation
that it was giving perfect salts
faction. 1t was nign priced but it
was the real article.
Chairmen Refuse to Act.
After the council had been in COM
mittee of the whole for nearly an
hour discussing the merits of the diff
ferent systems and the ACCESSIBILITY of
making an immediate selection, Aid.
Pender moved that the matter be re-
ferred to the fire and light and health
and police committees to report III a
half an hour. Aid. Kennedy, chair
man of the police committee, and Aid.
Soderstrom, chairman of the fire and
light committee, refused to act. Aid.
Kennedy was opposed to what he
termed hasty action.
You have been dallying with this
question for three months. said aid.
Fender, land you ought to know
what you want by this time if you
ever intend making up your mind. y
At the expiration of the half hour
Aid. Fender announced that the COM
mittees failed to formulate report
and instead he submitted the resolu-
tion given above.
Aid. Gall moved that the committee
be given further time. The motion
was defeated 9 to 4. Another motion
by AID. Gall for adjournment was
voted down to 6, and finally Aid.
Pender's resolution was adopted.
The new fire alarms will barring
unforeseen obstacles, be in place with
in the next few months. The system
adopted is believed to be the best the
market offered, and will insure TO
Rock Island, with the cooperation of
it's excellently equipped fire depart
ment, that protection from the flames
that inspires security.
To Interview Railroads.
The following offered by Aid. f. Z.
Robbins was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the mayor appoint
committee of four to include the
mayor, the mayor-elect and two al
dermen, to act in conjunction with
the committees of the Rock IS
land Club and Retail Merchants asso-
citation, in respect to the running of
the c., M. 81 st. p. railway COM
pany's Kansas City trains via Rock
Island and any other railway business
that may in any way affect the inter-
ests of Rock Island. !" The mayor nam
ed Aids. Anderson and Andrews, who
with Mayor McConochie and Mayor
elect b. 4. Knox. comnnsa the COM