The Fire Commission Rejects a Faulty Engine
Seattle fire commissioners break ranks with the city council, condemning a new engine as cheap and unreliable.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The board of fire commissioners came out flat-footed last night in condemnation of the Waterous fire engine and decided that, although they had not been consulted in the purchase of the engine, it was their duty not to remain silent and permit its purchase without a protest. They declare that it is faulty in construction, that parts of the machinery which should be of hard metal are of iron, which will soon rust; it is too heavy, and that its power is insufficient. Mayor Kloeber presided over the meeting, with members Foster, Kahaley, and Masel present. The commissioners argued that it was not a private matter, but one of very great public importance. Commissioner Kahaley noted the engine showed poor workmanship and, on test, had failed to come up to the requirements. The resolution was adopted and ordered to be transmitted to the city council.
“It was not a private matter, but one of very great public importance.”
Municipal procurement battles are as old as the city itself. In 1893, the fight was over heavy, rusted iron; today, it’s often over the ballooning costs of public transit or software systems, but the underlying friction—commissioners fighting for standards versus a council often driven by contract politics—remains a core feature of Seattle’s civic life.
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