New-York tribune., 1908-01-15
HOSE INQUIRY BEGUN.
BY MAJORS OWN ORDERS
Needed No Prodding from Mer-
chants Association, He Says.


Mayor Mcclellan. upon his own initiative.
dereo the Commissioners OF Accounts yesterday 10
begin strict Investigation into the whole subject
Of fire hose. The specifications under which it has
been bought and every phase OF the situation.
which promises TO develop into scandal
that which resulted in the indictment OF John
J. Scsnaen when he Fire Commissioner
ordered the instance Of the Merchants Associa-
fon. and that that body not the only force
interested IN the welfare of the city The investi
cation began ar
There some talk in the City Hall Yesterday
euEsestinE the probability OF the resignation.
voluntary forced, Of Commissioner Lantry. and
this by silenced when il was learned
1hst the Commissioner had sent letter to the
Board of Aldermen asking for special approprta
Iiou Of s25o.cco for fire hose.
Commissioner Lantry is TaInmany district
leader. who may know something about the Fire
Department now. He knew a little about ii At
the time of his appointment the average Tam
many appointee. but he had deputy cornms-
sioner. Hugh Bonner. whose splendid record
chief OF the department must have invited the
fullest confidence
John H O'Bren. the present Water Commits
sioner. has said. IN defence against former at
tscks. that the specifications for hose bought dur
ing his administration were drawn up by Deputy
Commissioner Bonner. and the latter confirmed
this on Monday. lie added that he knew more
about what the department needed than did hose
manufacturers.
The Eureka Fire Hose Manufacturing Company,
or No Is Barclay street, has been referred TO IN
the reports OF the Board Of Underwriters On No
venber !. 1907, cotton hose supplied by this firm
in service in considerable amount. varying in
aEe from three thirteen years. SeYenty-six
lengths Of the newest Eureka hose bought in 1894.
during the year. of total Of 4s7 lengths
bought IN that year and in service on January l.
1907
The report Of the underwriters said specifically
that the older Eureka hose had stood service Wen
g different tale 10 tell Of the new
hose. The company explains this ns saying Iiat
The new hose made under speclhcatohs oi ui7
department making il almost Impossible 10 tui"
cut G proper product while the oo hoee - III
same sc that which for years has been sold as
standard hose 10 fire departments ana lnol'loNalS
u over the country
ofbe- manufacturers have said the same thing.
several have refused bid lately on the specihca-
tons prepared by Mr. Bonner. and II Is this that
induced the Board Of Underwriters TO report that
competition had been limited by the nature OF the
specifications
commissioner o'Brien ssid on Sunday that the
fsct that these specifications were drawn by ny
Bonner settled that phase Of the case.
Commissioners Lanrry and O'Brien spent a lot OF
time with the Mayor yesterday afternoon, after IT
became known that investigation had been or
5ered Runors were rife. and there were some
Who did rot hesitate 10 say that the end OF the
influence Of Mr.. oBrieu with the Mayor was IN
sight
n. Francis Loushr11a1 late secretary of the Park
Board nov deputy commissioner in the Water De-
parrrnent. was president Of the Windsor Fire Ap-
r,ianoe Company. This concern vas incorporated
n lels got Two contracts from the Fire Depart
-5err then under Nicholas J. Hayes, and promptly
vent out of existence There Is record ct all OF
since 1906: II never manufactures any hose act
ing as jobber in its bids 10 the department ana
the rottenness Of the hose sold by It TO the DE-
vartrnent has been phenomenal
f-s rao contracts aggregated 100 feet Of hose.
and Of this. 1nI5o had burst or otherwise been
put out Of commission by November /. 1881 Fire
men are not 70 be quoted in their remarks about
brand Of hose
John H O'Brien was the Mayors secretary when
Hayes was Fire Commissioner He was appointed
Fire Commissioner January l, 1905 and aI once
there vas talk Of the appointment OF NJ FRANCIS
Toughnan as his deputy. Such an appointment
however. was made. although Nj Loughrnan
7-zs not left out tn the cold
chief Croker came cut fatty about the condition
q The city's hose yesterday. He didn't mnce mat
fe-s st all SAVING the hose defective all Over
-be cf- He criticised the rule requiring the &C
ceptsnoe Of the lowest bids. I don't know what
we'd do" be said If q big blaze struck Us when
there vas a hish zinc- II there had been high |
Wind other night Il is hard 10 tel "heFe IHe
IRE would have stopped
We can't fight fires without the right apparatus
! ought to have si50oO for hose every year, and |
last year the allowance was half that We are |
surpoged 10 tes all the hose have in the de- |
rgrrrne1t with pressure Of from 80 to 24o pounds
As : matter OF fact for the last couple of years
w have been afraid 10 do that for fear that We |
might have no hose at all II is better 20 have /
poor hose than nc hose at all
chief Croker had nothing TO say 10 who was 1
s7orsibe for the rotten hose, but Il Is understood
that Re has expressed himself pretty freely TO /
friends OF the subject He is likely TO be an i'm |
-o-taa witness IN the investigation by the Com
ra.gsouers OF Accounts Chief Croker, Deputy Com
missioner Bonner and Deputy Chief Einns form a |
committee which passes hose now, but this is
recent move and these men are not responsible for
the last specifications
a1 -ba-
yesterday explaining further that all the hose /
ss.ac5ca-ions in his administration were those OF
y}o-ne- and expressing his fun confidence in his /
deputy. Nj Loughman said the hose furnished Dy /
n. Windsor company had met all tests but did not
.xrlzfn the figures showing that nearly half the
amount supplied had burst Nor did he explain /
.Vbv n. lls lengths which burst in 1917. when the
guarantee still ran. had not been replaced