The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-23
FIRE hose NOT As SPVGVTVOY
MORT STAPLE COTTON USED
INSTEAD or SEA ISLAND.

According TO the Opinion Of I've ENpsrts
called by the Cty-BOnght Not From
Manufactures but From Frank LOugh-
man, Now . water Department Deputy.
In the investigation Of the Fire Depart
rent begun before the Commissioners Of
Accounts yesterday two cotton goods ex-
rerts gave 1t as their opinion that hose
bought from the Windsor Fire Appliance
Company was not up 10 the specifications
provided by the department. A good
deal Of this Windsor hose burst at the dis
sstrous Parker building FIRE, In the opin-
ion Of the experts the cotton in the hose Is
ordinary Southern cotton, whereas the
specihcations called for Sea Island cotton 4,
which IL long staple, makes stronger hose
and, il was said, costs about twice al much
as the other. The city bought all told
1850 feet Of hose from the Windsor COM
pany at a cost Of about S2s 900,
The Windsor company Is no longer In
existence, but II used 30 consist Of Frank
~Loughman, who was formerly secretary
10 the Park Board and who is now a deputy
IN the Water Supply Department under
commissioner John H. 0'Brien.
Mr.. Loughman testified yesterday that
he had nothing whatever to do with the
manufacture Of the hose, that his company
merely did a commission business and
that the hose was actually made by the
United Globe and Rubber Manufacturing
Company Of Trenton. Mr.. LOughman
4. -. ,-ith thta oomnany whan he
vas purchasing agent for the Plant railroad
system and he was well acquainted with
two or three Of the officers.
The Windsor hose was purchased in 1904
when Nicholas ]. Hayes, the present Fire
Commissioner, was at the head Of the de-
nartment. Commissioner Hayes testified
Yesterday that John Leonard, chief Of
the repair shops, now dead, had prepared
all the specifications for purchases in 1904
and 1905. Chief Leonard also, according
10 the Commissioner, was responsible for
the testing OF all apparatus,
Commissioner Mitchell brought out the
fact that the specifications under which the
Windsor contracts were awarded contained
m requirement for a testing Of the cotton
duck in the hose. Such a requirement is
10 he found, II is said, in all specifications
except these since about 1907,
commissioner Hayes said ne had had
the greatest confidence in Chief Leonard.
Did you over ask him why the clause
vas left out?'
4 don't recall
Q There IL a provision that the chief shall
report on all tests made. That provision has
stood for som years, Did you receive such
reports? A. ! did not.
o. Has he attended those tests? 4 | be-
ipve not,
.. Did you ask him to make such reports
A | did not, and ] may add that | did not care
TO impose additional work upon the chief.
Ey-Fire Commissioner John H. O'Brien
testified that no hose had been purchased
from the Windsor company under his adj
m%inistration. The late Deputy Commits
sioner Bonner had first called his attention
TO some fifty lengths Of defective hose and
he learned then that the Windsor company
had gone out Of business. He saw Lough-
man for the first time when he went TO
confer with him about this poor hose. He
got to know Loughman better when there
we're some primary hghts in their Assembly
district and Loughman joined "our club. y
After that Mr.. 0'Brien appointed him a
deputy in the Department of Water Supply.
Loughman himself said he had no backing
In the Windsor concern. His company
was Incorporated with 500 shares author
lied, par value $50. Only $1,000 was paid
10. He held all the stock issued except
two shares which he had pat in the names
Of David c. Meyers, his lawyer. and Julius
Burkhard, a clerk, to qualify them as in
corporators. He had finally quit because
he was disguised with the business,
He testified that he had been called upon
10 replace 1877 lengths Of the hose which the
city had got through his company. He
sent the hose on 10 Trenton and the Trenton
people said they couldn't be held RESPONSE
HE. There was no defect in the material,
they said; the hose had been misused.
The Trenton people did, however, repair
the hose.
why should they have done this il there
was no defect In the material?' asked Com
missioner Mitchell.
They shouldn't replied the witness,
but l urged them to do that rather than
have any kick
Loughman said he made no payments
N the Globe company until he got his pay
from the Comptroller, and the Globe com
pany. didn't require any security other
than his word.
Loughman said the Trenton company
had assured him the hose was made ac-
cording TO specifications, and he believed
" was.
Loughman said he made a pleasure trip
to Cuba with Chief Croker in the spring
Of 1905 or 1905. He declared that he
had never paid commissions to or Dor
rowed money from anybody in the Fire
Department.
The experts who testified we're Richard
p. Eagle Of the commission house Of Catlin
4 Co. and Philip A. Smith Of the j, Spencer
Turner Company. They both said that
the staple Of Sea Island cotton would be
from III inches 10 ~ inches in length.
The staple Of the ordinary cotton Ia shorter,
and that Is what they based their opinions
on. To be at all certain, however, the
rubber would have TO be soaked, they said
The investigation will go on this morning