The Fire Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps files official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, alleging incompetence and corruption regarding the purchase of defective fire equipment.
Mayor Phelps filed with City Clerk Stewart the official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel. The charges state that on the 24th day of May, 1893, the city entered into a contract for fire hose warranted to resist 250 pounds of water pressure. Upon testing, the couplings blew off at 240 and 310 pounds, and the hose burst at 270 pounds. The mayor charges that Masel, knowing the hose was defective, insisted that the chief of the fire department put the hose into service, to the great damage of the city and in violation of his oath of office.
“That said hose was in all respects unfit to be used in the fire department, and if used, in case of fire, would be much more likely to burst at a less pressure when used at a fire than in the test.”
This scandal highlights the early struggles of Seattle's municipal government to manage public contracts and ensure the safety of essential services. The tension between political appointees and technical standards remains a relevant civic concern.
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