The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-07-09

In the nrSC place, WnaJ- clFcum-
stances forced" Camden to use about
| 20 feet more hose than the Others? ?
The Camden team knew that 288 feet
[ was the minimum amount of hose al
| lowed to be used in the contest. Why,
then, did they go to the starting point
of the race, when their time to run
came, with only 2S3 feet on their hose
wagons Why did they say the hose had
been measured and found all right,
when it had not been measured by the
starting Judge, the only person author
did they kick so vigorously against
in the case of ell other teams? Was it
circumstances, or premeditated
plan to make the race with short
measured hose that got the Camden
team into this predicament?:
In the second place; the run was not
made one second quicker than any
of the contestants made it. The
record is:
Delgar: to the hydrant, II seconds:
to the judges stand, 2111a seconds: wa
ter SO seconds.
Camden to the hydrant, l6 4-5 sec
onds; to the judges stand, 2215 sec
onds; water So %.
The Camden fremen may assert
positively that they did not have the
pressure. without the assertion being
true. Against the bare assertion of
interested parties is placed the state
ment of Mr.. E. E. White, Street Com
missioner of Sumter, sworn officer of
the city, who was stationed at the
hydrant by the Mayor to keep rec
ord of tbe pressure during the races.
Mr.. Whites record shows that Cam
den had 81 pounds pressure, neither
more nor less than the otter teams
had.
Mr.. II. &. Scarborough, County
Treasurer and Superintendent of the
Sumter Water Company, and Alderman
". H. Epperson, who has charge of
the pumping station, state that the
pumps were kept at work throughout
the hose wagon contest and that the
stand pipe was kept full OF water from
the beginning to the end of the races.
They say also that 81 to 55 pounds is
the maximum amount of pressure that
can be developed at the hydrant used
in this contest. These are the facts
supported by the record and reinforced
by the statements of men whose word
no one does or can question.
TIE tournament was conducted from
first to last with absolute fairness,
and the people of Sumter would not
have stood for any cheating. trickery
or injustice to any team. 1t was
fair, field and no favor, and of all the
judges but one was Sumter man, and
he was selected by the Newberry fire.
men. The only charge of unfairness
comes from Camden and it comes with
an i'll grace from the only team that
was detected and called down in an at
tempt to violate the rules governing
the contest. Sumter could afford to
ignore the vaporings of Camden's dis
gruntled and defeated hremen, but
when reckless charge is given public
ity and the endorsement of a reput-
able newspaper such as the Wateree
Messenger, a statement OF the facts
becomes necessary.
While explanations are being made
the Sumter fremen would be pleased
to have the Camden team explain how
it happened that when they went to
have their wagon weighed the after
noon before the race they did not strip
it of everything, movable as the rules
required, including upwards of 300
pounds of old iron which was conceal
ed in the box under the seat? The
wagon weighed so much morelthan the
other stripped hose wagons that some
of the fremen insisted that 1T be re-
weighed. When this was done the
boxes were opened and inspected and
the old iron discovered and removed.
An explanation of this Circumstance
will be quite interesting, to say the
least.