FIRE AND WATER ENGINEERING
The fire losses during July in the United States and Canada amount to $15,323,750. While these figures are nearly three million dollars less than the losses credited to July, 1907, they are unusually heavy for this season of the year. The largest fire occurred during the first part of the month, destroying $1,500,000 worth of railroad piers, docks and grain elevators at Boston, Mass. Otherwise the losses were well distributed throughout the country. The losses during the first seven months of 1908 now reach $141,481,500, considerably in excess of the same period of 1907. During July there were 309 fires where the loss reached or exceeded $10,000 each.
There does not seem to be anything irregular in the contract awarded by Commissioner O’Brien for the Valley Stream conduit with lockbar joints. The action taken by one Willis Holly is evidently that of a disappointed officeholder who was once secretary to the commissioner. He alleges that the specifications for the contract which is to aggregate about $2,000,000, were so drawn as to virtually describe a patented lockbar for connecting mains of which the lowest bidder had a monopoly, namely, the Thomas A. Gillespie company, whose figure maintains that the specifications violated section 1554 of the charter, which prohibits the use of patented articles by the city. No doubt the commissioner kept within his authority when advertising the bids and that he was advised by his engineer that the lockbar joint was best adapted for this particular work. As to its being a patented article and inadmissible for city use on that account is a foolish argument, as there is scarcely a waterworks appliance at present being handled by the water department that does not come under that head, from pumping engines to meters.
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