The Great Seattle Fire Hose Scandal of 1891
A fiery Board of Public Works meeting uncovers allegations of bribery, price-fixing, and backroom deals in the city's quest to equip its fire department.
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 Public Works held a heated session yesterday regarding the procurement of fire hose for the Seattle Fire Department. The investigation follows allegations that 'ulterior motives' influenced the selection of 'Paragon' brand hose. Fire commissioners and Chief Kellogg were grilled by hardware suppliers and concerned citizens. Commissioners argued the city was desperately under-equipped and in danger of a fire beyond control, asserting that Paragon was the best on the market, citing its use in New York and Minneapolis. Critics, however, pointed out that the price for Paragon had been raised by 10 cents per foot once it became known that the city was exclusively targeting that brand. Furthermore, evidence was presented of telegrams from agents offering the same hose at lower prices, only to have those bids revoked. Mayor Rinehart suggested that if the city had not been locked into one specific brand, they could have secured the equipment at a significantly lower cost. The Board ultimately decided to take the matter under further consideration, while ordering an inquiry into whether any city officials were being offered commissions or bribes to secure the contract.
“No man could say that he, Kellogg, had ever accepted the thinnest consideration from anyone.”
This 1891 procurement battle—complete with allegations of price-fixing and kickbacks—mirrors modern-day debates over Seattle’s civic contracts and public infrastructure spending. The frustration of citizens watching city officials potentially overpay for proprietary goods while public safety hangs in the balance remains a persistent feature of municipal politics.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.