The daily gazette., 1883-07-03
CHFsrER's LUCK.
Roach 3 Son Got the Contracts for alI the
New Cruisers
dispatch TO Phila. Time

| dispatch TO Phila. Times.
/ WASHINGTON, July 2.-John Roach 4
Son, of Chester, Pa, to-day came Off victor
ious in the contest for the new steel cruisers
having been the lowest bidders for the thres
men-of-war and the dispatch boat. The bid
oers on each craft were as follows: The Chi.
cago-Delamater q Co., New York, 81, ,I63..
600; Harlan & Hollingsworth Company
| Wilmington, Del, 81, 100 900; Cramp & Sons
Philadelphia, 81 ,080 900, and John Roach &
Son, Chester, $3.50, 900. The Boston--Har.
Ian q Hollingsworth Company, SIT 600
Cramp q Son, $3.50 900; Harrison Loring, ,Bos.
ton, Mass. ,$64s ,0O0, and John Roach, sci 900.
| The AtlaDta-Harlan & Hollingsworth
Company, SITS, 900; Quinfard Iron Works,
New York, $763, 400; Cramp & Sons, $65O, :
600, and John Roach & Son, $617, 900. The
| Co., Baltimore, Md, $420.0O0; Allen &
Blaisdell, st. Louis, Mo-, $3.50, 900; Cramp
q Son, $S75, 900, and John Roach, $3l5, 900.
Mr.. Roach's total was 2,440, 200 against
S2,755,OO0 of Cramp g. Sons, the next low
est bidder. The contracts will probably be
awarded on Wednesday or as soon as the
proper bonds are fled with the Secretary of
the Navy.
The disgust of the unsuccessful bidders
is intense. All of them are q unit on the
statement that the ships cannot be built for
the money. Charles Cramp says 1t is ridicu-
lous to talk of building the Chicago for
$3.50 900 when the estimate of the Advisory
Board was 81 ,24S, 600. AS will be seen, the
Cramp bid was the next lowest, at 81, ,0SO 900.
Both Of these drms have extensive plants,
while the others have very little, the St,
Louis firm, Allen 81 Blaisdell, competing for
the first time for such construction. The
latter firm, however, only bid on the dis
patch boat, that being the only one which
could be got to sea from their yard, their
bid on the dispatch boat (S3S0, ,0O0) being
$65, 900 above that of the Roachs.
MT. Allen says: "Well Pennsylvauia
will lose her Navy Yard, but she gets the
Navy" He thinks with the rest that Roach
has taken the job with no profit, if not at a
dead loss all around. The only object, in
his opinion, is to prevent the Developments of
any other private yards In the country that
might compete with them In the future.
Mr.. Allen deplor the fact that Roach got
all the ships, because 1t will tend to defeat
appropriations to continue the work thus
begun. He thinks If he had got the dis
patch boat 1t would have exerted good
influence In rolitical way by securing the
iriencship OF Congressman In the interior
NOW It Will, he says, be matter of doubt
as to future appropriations for the Navy.
1t seems that the cause of the dissatisfaction
exists In the alleged mutual understanding
that the work was TO be divided, SO that all
might have a slice.
That story goes that each of the big con-
tractors was to bid very near the estimates,
with just variation enough to distribute the
work. Roach was to walk off with the big
cruiser, while Cramps and Harlan & Hoi-
lingsworth were to get the sister ships and
the dispatch boat was to go to the Missis-
sippi Valley
II 1t is true that any such mutual under
stading existed, which is somewhat doubt
full, Mr. Roach evidently didn't keep up to
1t, nor did anybody else, as may easily be
seen from the bids. Another and more rea-
sonable explanation of Roach's low bids is
that ne has the mills and can make his own
steel ami does not depend on a f1uctuating |
market, at the same time making |
profit on his material. The |
cramps say this is nothing and that they /
Ian go into the market aud get steel as /
;heaply as Roach can manufacture it. The
'ubject is generally discussed In its political
Is we'll as business bearings.
The prevailing opinion is that, while the
oW bids are great surprise, the coustruc-
lion ot the ships went where it was expected |
It wonld go, to the great yard and to the /
great iron and steel producing and manu.
acturing State of the Union 1t is regarded |
as of more Importance to Pennsylvania than |
any government Navy Yard, which produces |
nothing.