Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-14
RIVAL ENGINES
CAUSE DEADLOCK
FIRE BOARD AND COUNCIL
MAY SPLIT
AGENTS Of the Mott Apparatus Ask
for Immediate Test-"Trust"
Representatives Claim a
Previous Victory

Claiming that "trust" methods have
entered into the proposed fire engine
competition which was to be held here
today Mayor McAleer and two MEM
bers of the fire commission last night
practically decided to recommend to
the council the purchase of two Mott
fire engines.
Officials of the American-La France
Engine company. commonly known as
the "trust," yesterday got trace of
their lost engine and reported to the
mayor that it would be here by Janu-
ary 10. They asked that the test which
was set for this morning be postponed
until one week from today. But the
mayor and members of the fire COM
mission last night intimated that the
trust engine would not be eligible
to enter the competition even If 1t were
here. They say that the purpose of
the test was to select the best engines
for the fire department. The trust"
engine on the way here has already
been sold to Fresno. If 1t won in the
competition the city would not get it
but two other engines which would be
manufactured in the company's shops
in Elmira, N. Y, and delivered here
some time within the next sixty days.
Better faith has been kept by the
Mott company, they say. Two Mott
engines are now here in the machine
shops of the fire department. If they
win in the competition they are the
city's property. Allegations are also
made that the "trust" concern made
no attempt to carry out the specifica-
tions under which bids were asked for
engines for the local fire department.
These specifications provided for EN-
gines of special dimensions and equip
ment. 1t is claimed that the "trust'
engine is simply one of the second
size machines regularly manufactured
by that corporation.
Not entirely according to specifca-
tions are the two Mott engines now in
the department shops. But the discrep-
ancies are in the wheels and in minor
parts of the equipment, which can be
supplied here.
Mayor McAleer last night held a con-
ference with the commission of ma
chinists appointed to test the two en-
gines and with two members of the
fire commission. 1t was agreed that
if the other two members of the com.
mission were willing, the Mott engines
would be given the test provided for in
the specifications. If they are equal
to the test imposed on them the fire
commission will recommend their pur-
chase to the council.
But this recommendation may be
only the beginning of the real contro-
versy. r. S. Chapman, Pacific coast
agent of the trust machines, has been
selling fire engines to Los Angeles for
number of years. He knows that it
is the council and not the fire COM
mission that makes contracts. Mr.
Chapman has been in the city for sew
eral days warming over old friendships
and it is asserted four councilmen
favor the trust engines. Indica-
tions on the surface last night pointed
strongly to probability that the coun-
Gil would either come to a deadlock
on the question of purchasing fire en-
gines or would reject the recommends
tion of the fire commission to purchase
Mott engines and enter into contract
with the trust" concern. The osten-
sible reason for this flop would be fur
nished by the fact that in the last two
competitive tests held between the op-
posing companies the trust engines
have won.