Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-04
NEW NAVAL VESSEL.
BIDS OPENED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
OF CRUISER
she VIII be the Most Formidable o; HOr
Type in the World and Able to Cope
with ANYTHING A1oat
lnr telerraph o the plspaichl

WARRINGTON, April ,. Bids were opcneo
AZ the Navg Department to-day Tor the con-
siructi0n OF an arnofed co6st-defence vessel
oi the monitor type and Oi about 4,OOp tons
burden. The bidders for constructing the
uull and machinery according 10 the Depart
mental designs were: William cramp q
Sons, OF lhiadephia, S1,GlL00O; y. r.
Palmer. j., Il 60. fQUuard Iron. WOrks), o:
New YORK, $l,C90.OuO; Union Iron-W orks,
ssu Francisco, sl,C2s,0j) No award has
yet been made.
Great Interest was felt At the Navy De
par'ment to-day 10 the opening Of these bids.
1t va. concluded generally that The hgures
proposed the lowest being Sl,0l4,000j con-
stituted fair price for the WORK. aud the
closeness Of the bidding vas remarkable.
The appropriation get, under which the yes-
81 Is proposed 10 be butt. imposes = severe
penalty. II limited 20 S20M,000 the cost
(exclusiye o. arm0r ana guns Of DOallng-
rams or Oiucr naval structures. THIS I'M
piled that 81, 0O0, 900 was 10 provide Tor the
construction OF more than one such de-
feusive structure. A torpedO-b boat MAD been
contracted for at 2 cost Of $4,000, and TINS
lcit l,lle over al,500.000 available. oui Of
which, besides the vessel and machinery,
anchors, boats, etc, were TO he sup
pied, 80 there vas much qualification
felt al the feet that The proposals
received to-day were within the available
appropriation. There are many features o.
iulefcst about The new craft. One connected
with The boilers has apparently given much
trouble 10 the bidders and may Influence the
award Of the contract. The specifications
provide for two ordinary return tubular
marine boilers OF lJ.000-hOrse po1er, but
the remainder o. 5,400-borse power required
is 10 DO supplied Ly COLI boilers. These have
been tried with crest success on yachts and
In q modified form hy tie French Govern
meni. bat their use 10 naval vessels VIII ne
largely EXPERIMENTAL. II they come UP TO
expectations they will result ~ large saving
of space ond weight. But at least one bid
drr-C ramp-dOes not feel confident OF the
result, for he proposed tO.da7 to cularge TWO
tubular boiler. ana in consideration OF thus
departure from the designs 10 wHive all
claim 20 any bonus for horsepower IN
excess OF 3. 100. The next lowest bidder,
the Union Iron " 0rks, agreed 70 accept The
departments plans and guarantee the re-
suit. The now vessel Will be departure IN
design from any vessel in thcnsyy, and Cap
tain hichborn, who Is acting as chld oi me
Bon eau OF Construction. i, confident that She
viii be the most formidable vessel for her
disDl1ccmcnt Of any ~ the world and able TO
cope with anything ah1at. She spproXi-
l0a'es The monitor type and Is OF 9,oN0 IONS
displacement IN cruising trim. W men she
zoe. INTO action, hy taking on water ballast,
She SINKS until her deck Is about sixteen
inches above the water level, thus diminish
ing the size Of the target exposed 10 au OPP
ponent. The side. covering tbe machinery
ale 10 be covered with sixteen inches
Of amor, besides the protection az
fordcd by the coal-hunkors. Zoe barncttcs
containing The 2un4 are 60 nc OF lO-lnch
steel and tie deck will De OF steel Two inches
thick. She viii Je 2Gl feet long, 80 feet
beam, and l45 feet draughi, md hove speed
~ H. ku0ts. Al TINS speed she en- steam
OBJ mlcs. but az ordinlry cruising speed
(qboIt 9 knots she would travel 2,t2' miles,
without renewing her coal supply. BIt the
most remarkable feature will bee the trcmcn-
dOus power of her armament. In The Tor
ward bsrhpitc, mount.G on a tumtabie and
manluulaicd by hydraulic power, she Will
carry q lG.inch iile weighing 40 tons and
80 feet long-ouu II the largest guns aioat
lu the rcIr usrhetic there VIII De l2'lnch
rlnc weisliag 4lt tons. AS inch dynamite
gun 30 iert long vii project from her bow,
and ia Other places the vessel Will carry siA j5'
FOUNDERS, three 9-pOundcrs. two b-pouud-
cts, anu four 3.pOunners all rcy0lvnL cth-
non. kapid-tre guns ana maChihe-- guns
and electric seArch-nehts oe thc hollow sitei
military mast VIII complete the ship, which
viii take three and a bali years 10 buld.
No apprehension Is felt at the Navy De-
partmcnt on account Of the United states
steamer Brooklyn, which the British steamer
reDoried with broken shaft sailing for New
YORK. The shaft va, broken While on The
China station and led 20 her beng ordered
homc under sail by way Of cape Horn, The
easiest passage for a sailing vessel, instead OF
bv way Of the Cape Of Good Hope, winch
would have been her course under steam
The department heard from her from It.
Thomas on the 3l.t ultimo, long after She
wa. spoken by the British vessel. All hands
were well and she IS expected at New YORK
i'm about two weeks.
The Trenton, when wrecked at Samoa,
carried down With her some fine modern
rHedcuns. These might De readily placed
on some other vessel or used IN ihe iortiiica-
tion Of new naval station At Pag0-Pago II
thcy can ne recovered. Consequently some
curiosity f. expressed by naval oihcers IS 10
whether Admiral Kimberly has taken steps
to raise the guns from the shallow harDor.