Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-27
SEAGRAVES TRUCK
HAS BEEN SELECTED.
UNANIMOUSLY OF ofiN-
ION THAT 1T HAS SUPERIOR
POINTS
OVER BAYcocK AERIAL TRUCK.
Representatives of Roth concerns
wer. BEFORE the Committee, and
Were Given Full Hearing as to
the Merits of Their rrucks-iro-
ceedings i'm Detail.

make of truck should be purchased.
Present: Fred Meyer, chairman; Capt,
Otto, Jos. weidener. II. Zwieker, Otto
Kalbitzer. w. Brown. Geo. Alderman
and John Beckett.
Mr.. Thomas r. Polglase of Chicago,
representing the Fire Extinguisher
! Manufacturing Company. was called be-
fore the committee and requested to adj
/ dress It in the interest of the Babeock
machine manufactured by his company.
| He had a complete working model,
/ about four feet long. of the ladder, and
proceeded to show the committee its
different parts and to explain and Illus
trate its working. He also described
/ the material used in the construction of
the different parts and methods of con-
/ struction.
Cant. Otto asked what the weight of
i the Babcock truck complete would be.
Mr.. Polglase replied $500 pounds. Mr..
Meyers. Mr.. Brown and other members
of the committee piled the gentlemen
with questions, which indicated that
they had been making close study OF
all the details OF the different aerial
trucks and were giving careful atten-
ton TO the interests of the city, in that,
if a truck should be purchased, the city
should secure the best one made FOR
practical use in this city, all the peeu-
liar conditions of grade, etc, being full
/ ly considered.
Mr.. Polgase was given every oppor-
tunity to.present the interests of his
companys truck, and met the continual
fire of quiries from the members OF
the committee in manner very credit
able to him.
1t was much like keen cross-ex-
animation by shrewd attorneys search
ing for every possible defect in wit
ness testimony. though the examiners
we're always courteous, even II persis-
tent.
Some one querying as to why the
city considered the purchase of an 80
: IOOI tfuth, tdpt. Otto Said t""e s'N
truck was to be bought With the grow
ing needs of Wheeling in mind; that
we already have buildings where such
truck would be of great value, and to
buy a smaller one now would simply
I mean the buying of higher one at a
later date at additional expense. Chief
Cline also favored the IS foot dimen =
sion.
A discussion arising as to the width
of the tread of the truck, Mr.. Polglaso
recommended that it be of such a
width that while one wheel ran on the
| street car track the other would run
UP on the rail, thus enabling quicker
turn to be made from the tracks. Mr..
| Polglase, after exhausting his subject,
thanked the committee for its courtesy
and retired.
Mr. Charles e. Johnson, representing
the Seagrave Company, of Columbus,
was then notified that the committee
would give him a hearing, and came
before It. While he was unable to ex-
| hibit a working model of the Seagraye
truck, he had with him detailed draw
ings of it which enabled him, with the
assistance of the members of the com
mttee who had seen the actual work
ings of the machine when at Columbus,
to give the entire committee a very
clear understanding of its workings.
Like the other gentlemen, Mr.. john
son was subjected TO a running fire OF
interrogatories by Capt Otto, Chair
man Myers and other members of the
committee to all of which he gave de-
tailed answers, often illustrating his
answers by off-hand drawings of the
different parts in question.
After the subject had been thorough
ly discussed Mr.. Johnson retired and
i the committee received the report of
it's subcommittee, consisting OF Capt.
! Otto. Councilman Meyers and Chief
Cline, who had visited Pittsburg to
| view the workings of different aerial
| trucks. Capt Otto said they had,
| through the Kindness OF ASSISTANT
Chief Stewart, of the Pittsburg. depart
| ment, seen the Babcock truck actully
| at work; that they also saw Hayes So
| foot aerial (similar to the Seagraves)
| in action and that the captain of that
company had said he considered it the
best truck in the world.
| The committee then discussed the
merits of the different trucks and Coun-
Gilman Brown moved that the city pur-
| chase the Seagraves apparatus. This
was seconded by Councilman Widener,
| and some discussion of the question fol-
| lowed, after which the roll was called
ER SAUCE.