The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-11-08
WOULD HARMONIC
WARNING BIDDERS
Board of Works Requests East
ern and Local Men to Agree
on Rules of Fight
Contest of Auxiliary Water Sys-
TEN Contracts Is Put Upon
Basis of Equality

The contentious of the metal trades
association in regard to the specifica-
lions laid down by the city engineers
Office for the bids on the steam tur
bines and pumps to be supplied the
fireboats and stations of the proposed
auxiliary fire protection system were
considered by the board of works yes
terday. An agreement was reached
that the local men, the representa-
tives of eastern firms and the city en-
gineer's force should talk over the
matter and try to reach some common
basis by next Tuesday The board will
hold a special session Friday to re-
ceive this report and to decide its own
action.
The fact was stated by Assistant
Engineer Conniek that 5000 men will
be employed for two years installing
the auxiliary fire protection system in
San Francisco whether the pump con-
tracts go to local or eastern men,
Yesterdays hearing was devoid of
incident, save for Assistant Engineer
Connick's dressing down of the local
men for their dilatoriness. He said:
For months we have had half a
dozen representatives of eastern firms
constantly getting information at the
| city engineers Office, while about the
only sign of life locally has been the
ney and Nolan, to get results for home
manufacture. One New York firm Of
/ fered to send out and set up for our
inspection $4,000 worth of MIGRANTS,
gate valves, etc, just to give US an
idea of what they had. You fellows
have sat still and done nothing. ex-
cept to come in with big kick at the
last minute"
Both City Engineer Manson and his
assistant, Connick, insisted strongly on
one point-that the turbines and pumps
| to be put in the nreboatS must be sub
ljected to a test before being bolted in
place. The city would pay the expense
/ of the trial. but they said no INFESTED
machinery should go into the boats.
! President Casey also informed the
contractors. both the local and eastern
men Directing to double test" that
the board would back the engineers
in this demand.
I'VE don't want anything put into
the boats that may have TO be torn
out later" Casey said.
! Connick explained the reason why
the turbines and pumps were placed in
one group. "If the board contracted for
the turbines and pumps separately
he asked, where would we be when
it came to the test? That will have
to be a joint affair. If anything
should go wrong the pump man would
blame it on the turbine and the tur-
/ bine man on the pump. AS 1t Is, the
whole responsibility rests in one place,
and the board will know of whom to
demand the goods"
The fact that there are only four
manufacturers of standard turbines in
the United States led to the query
how the pump bidding could be eX
tensive if the two supplies were
spIiced. The city attorney. Connick
announced, had been asked whether
under the charter a turbine manufac-
turer could contract in the open mar
ket to supply others with his turbines
and then compete in the offer. While
no formal reply had been received,
Connick gave assurance that the opin-
ion would sanction such procedure and
the opinion itself would be available
Tuesday.
Casey announced that any turbine
manufactures or pump manufacturer
endeavoring to corner the contract in
any other way than by a straightout
bid for the work would have his offer
thrown out of consideration. The
hearing then adjourned.