The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-29
COMMISSION TO TEST
! MERITS OF STEAMERS
Fire Board Spends Four Fruit
less Hours Trying to
Choose One

The board of fire commissioners yes
terday opened bids for three new
steamers, but after celebrating four
hours failed to award contract. The
figures submitted by the American-La
France Engine company and the Mott
Fire Engine company were so close
and the opinions of the members of
the board so divided on the merits of
the different engines that the, board
decided to ask the companies to sub
NIT to competitive test
After the meeting adjourned, An
drew Jersey, representative of the
American-La France company, de-
clared that his bid had been unfairly
treated, as the Mott company's figures
would have been higher than his if it
had not been credited with $500 which
was offered in lieu of a new boiler
which the Mott people offered to place
in an engine which was sold to the de-
partment last year..
Second Class Engines
The Mott company's bid on second
class engines, which the board decided
to purchase, was $5,125 each. The COM
pany offered as part of the bid to al
low $1,000 on an old chemical which
the board wished to dispose of, the
chemical having been mentioned in the
advertisement. Another offer made by
the Mott people was that if the con-
tract for the three engines was award
ed to them they would place new
spiral water tube in an engine which
they sold to the department a year ago.
E. p. Browning, representing the Mott
company said that the spiral boiler
would cost $500, and after the bids
were opened, said that, if the board
preferred, it could subtract $500 from
its figures in lieu of the new boiler.
The company's total for the three
steamers amounted to $12,S25, after
1900 had been deducted from its reg
ular bid.
The American-LaFrance company's
bid On Metropolitan type engines which
were given preference by the board
over the LaF'rance and Clapp & Jones
styles, which were also offered by the
observation-disclosures company, amount
ed to $12,700, after $500 had been al
lowed for the chemical
Boiler Not Mentioned
Mr.. Jersey contended that as the
boiler had not been specified in the adj
vertisement the $500 which had been
offered by the Mott company Should
not be counted against his figure,
which would have been lower if the
Mott company had not been credited
with that amount. He did not call the
attention of the board to the matter,
however but mentioned it after the
meeting had adjourned.
The board called for bids on second
and third class engines and three COM
panies responded. The board decided,
after considering the capacity of the
different classes, to purchase three of
the second class, and finally narrowed
down to the question. as to the merits
of the Mott and Metropolitan types
A bid submitted by the Manchester
Locomotive works for Amoskeag en-
gines was rejected as too high, the
total amounting to $15,750. Commis-
sioners Schweizer and Freeman, bas-
ing their opinion on the service rem
dered by Mott engine which the de-
partment possesses, favored the Met
ropolitan type. Commissioner -Clarkin
was inclined to favor the Mott engine.
Failing to arrive at a conclusion the
board asked the representatives of the
two companies to furnish engines for
a test and action was deferred pending
arrangements for the trial.