The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-02
Concerning Its Auto Fire Truck
Negotiations
AFTER AN EXCITING TIME
Aldermen Brown Dawson Entered
into Sharp rs and Mayor
ThurstoES Y. .tter to Order and
sN Mo Call the Police.

y ssS.other chapter in the succession Of
events which have marked the purchase
of Barre's new motor fire truck was
added at the regular meeting of the city
council last night, when Chairman Rossi
Of the fire committee submitted CORE
spondence relative to the transaction to
be read by the council, and in the agita.
tion that followed the reading of the
letters and that led up to resolution
endorsing the record of the fire com.
mittee in the affair, Alderman Dawson
gave the lie to Alderman Brown, and
/ Mayor Thuston threatened to call the
/ police if such parliamentary breach
occurred in session again. 1t was spir-
! tied ten minutes, and it took grueling
half hours discussion of the proposed
amendments to the city charter to effect
partial subsistence OF feeling aroused.
The deliberations over the fire truck
purchase were revived when City Clerk
Mackay read the latest batch of CORE
spondence from the American-La France
Co. of Elmira. n. r.. relative to the
date mark of "4-26-l2." which appears
on the order The motor company evil
IDENTIFY persists in confusing the digts
20 with contract numbered 2G and the
latest letter read by the clerk threw lit
tie light on the matter. The correspond
ence, however dwelt upon the agreement
covering improvements to the hood of
the machine, and an amicable settle
ment in this instance is assured by the
company.
At this jlncture. Alderman Rossi pro-
duced a number Of letters purporting to
include the correspondence which passed
between the fire committee and the COM
panies interested in the fire truck nego-
tiations. The bulk of the letters seemed
to come from the American La France
Co., and it may be said that they showed
quite conclusiyely that the final transac-
ton took place long after April 26, and
that any agreements reached between
the Elmira firm and the aldermanic com
mittee We're entirely tentative.
Letters from the American LaFranee
Co.. dated April II and IL, indicated
that one of the firms department heads
was to take up the matter of furnishing
a machine for competitive demonstra-
tion with the president. April % came
a letter offering to build machine suit
able for the conditions in Barre and to
have ii ready for demonstration by July
Is. AT the reading of the letter. the
major nterjected his opinion that the
sense of its contents alone seemed to
indicate that the machine had not been
purchased at that time. Around May .
came letter from Elmira, asking what
other machines were to be entered i'm
the competition and promising that the
American LaFrance ear would be ready
Tor the demonstration on July "a. At
his point, Alderman Rossi stated that
he committee had thought best to with
lold information as to the names of
rncks entered in the test and added that
10 other machines had been secured
hen.
Notice of the shipment of the Elmira
ar was received by the aldermanc COM
nittee Near July 81 the chairman re-
eived a letter saving that the company
would furnish, gratis, extra tires, chains,
tc.. equipment which represented an
utlay of $500. A letter from the Rob-
nson Co. of st. Louis. Mo-. claiming to
e the oldest firm in the business. stated
rhy its machine could not be repre-
ented in the test and adding that it
fould be glad 10 furnish satisfactory
A letter from the Webb
o., addressed to +. A. Drown. accepted
n invitation TO participate in the dem
and promised that its car
'ould be present on the day set for the
est An exhaustive letter from thr
.nox Co. of Springfield, Mass, stated
hat it could not entertain the plan of
anding a Knox truck to Barre and Mont
plier and giving the opinion of its man
gers that the public demonstrations
ere not always satisfactory. The Knox
,neern held that the vast majority of
sople did not know the difference be-
yeen the steering gear and the trans
ission and claimed that n test before
en- with automobile experience was
uch more preferable.
The Discussion Started.
The letters read. Chairman Rossi firel
e gun that unloosed an avalanche Of
ated words The chairman stated that
G fire committee had followed the in
ructions of the council first and last.
timatcd that the alderman from ward
had needed the rimors of the street
lstive to an early purchase of the
machine and asked
m for his opinion now that the CORE
ondcnce had been laid before the eoun-
The fireworks had started. Alderman
wson stated that other aldermen had
ard the same rumors. As for himself.
was still in a dilemma over the whole
liter. AMI il was his opinon that ths
bile was Just as much in cloud as
sT. Alderman Dawson's reply to the
lirmau OF the fire committee was in
Tupted when Alderman Brown took
little ling at the vocal .pyrotechnics.
herman hown averred that Alderman
wson had scized upon the order ~"
ident 20 fresh in the minds of an
aldermen and had associated il with
reports he had received on the street.
rthermore. he intimated. Alderman
wson had laid much stress on such
ding motives a. conscience" duty
i. when it really seemed a. though
had been trying 20 lift himself up
The eye> of the people, OF words
that elect