Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-01
TURNS TO P|TTSBURG
Secretary Tracy Unable to
Secure the Best Armor
Elsewhere, Makes a
C0NTRACTWITH CARNEGIE.
5000 Tons of the New Nickel-Steel
Plate TO be Made Next Year.
PRESENT STATUS OF THE NAVY.
Double the Usual appropriation Asked fol
lis Extension.
THE DEMAND FOR A PERFECT TORPEDO
PRESENT STATUS OF THE NAVY.
Double the Usual appropriation Asked for
lis Extension.
THE DEMAND FOR A PERFECT TORPEDO

SAYS:
The department during the past year has ex.
perienced great disappointment in reference
10 the armor contract of the Bethlehem Iron
Company. This contract, which was justly con-
sidered the GROWING triumph of my predeces-
sor, was signed on June ], 1857 and called for
the completion of plant for the manufacture
of armor two and one-half years from the date
of the contract-that is, on December !, 1889 1t
further provided for the delivery of 800 tons
within two months from and after the expira-
ton of the contract time for the completion of
an adequate plant, delivery to be continued
thereafter at the rate OF 800 tons per month,
and to be fully completed within two years
IRON the date of such delivery. On the date
fixed by ;he contract the work of constructing
the plant was far from completion.
The department. has endeavOred during the
past year, by every means at its command, in
Guiding Temonstrance, solicitation and urgent
request. TO hasten the performance of the work.
Repeated assurances have been given by the
company, fixing various prospective dates. only
10 be followed by new diSappontments. When
il is considered that this contract includes the
side and turret armor for all the monitors and
Tor the Name and Texas, the serious conSe-
QuenCes of the delay are manifest. In Janu-
airy, 1890. the company stated that they would
be ready TO begin manufacture within six
months, and would be able to deliver from 500
TO 1900 tons this year; but this prospect ended,
like previous ones. in disappointment In July
the company said:
THE COMPANY'S APOLOGY.
while the estimate. as stated in our letter of
January % 1890 as TO the time of beginning
manufacture, was at fault, we are still expect
ing to commence within the next two months
the manufacture of certain armor, for which
we have received drawings, and which we un-
derstand is now urgently needed, namely: The
bulk-head plates of the Maine the coming
tower OF the Terror and the coming tower
communications OF the Texas. As to the
amount Of plates that we hoped to deliver at
the time of your interview, we expected
to be able to produce considerable amount of
thick plates with our present appliances, and
added to this, if the protective deck plating
covered by Exhibit L of ourspecifications were
now needed by the department, could ar
range tc have a considerable portion of il rolled
elsewhere and brought to our works for
shaping. temperinG and fitting, and thus also in
good part fulfill our statement as TO the amount
we could deliver during the present year.
I'VE are fully aware, however, that the de-
llveries above referred to are of the nature of
temporary eXpedientS, aud that the end so
earnestly desired by all parties concerned, and
OF paramount Importance. viz, the completion
OF our hammer plant and the regular deliveries
of the hammered and tempered plates for side
armor has been and will be delayed beyond
our expectations.
such magnitude, the causes of delay have been
numerous, and while no unforeseen contingent
pronounced
as TO lead US at the time to formally Draw the
attention of the department thereto, there have
been several causes of serious delay which were
beyond our control
Ine date NOW fixed for the entire compile
tion OF the plant Is July-September, 1891. nearly
two years after the contract time. At the
present time 1t seems probable that deliveries
may be made for acceptance test as early as
August, 1891, but under favorable circum-
stances the completed armor could hardly be
ready before October / If then. This date
THar Nn H1-p1 r1i
which deliveries are likely to begin, and the
completion OF the Maine. the Texas, and the
monitors Is likely to be delayed accordingly.
In the case o! the Maine slight change has
already been necessary in the design, to permit
the work to 90 on, Notwithstanding the nom
delivery of the armor.
As early a. July last it became evident that
the first 300 tons of armor required by the
Bethlehem contract would not be delivered
prior to October L 1891, and that even after
that date deliveries would be so slow as to post
pone for many years the completion of the
ships then authorized, if Bethlehem remained
the sole reliance. 70 complete deliveries under
the original contract at the prescribed rate re-
quires Two years; and though it is hoped that
the company may be able to exceed this rate
when fairly started. yet the fact is noted by the
department that 800 tons month is the output
Of the largest manufactures of armor in Eng
land. At this rate the armor for ships now
under construction, but not covered by the
Bethlehem contract, amounting to about IA, ,00O
TONS could not be fully delivered by this firm
alone in less than six years from the present
time and the completion of ships would be de-
layed accordingly. 1t therefore became imper-
operation of another manufacturer and secure,
as in the case of the gun fOrgings, the creation
of a second plant for the manufacture OF
armor in the United States
CARNEGIE TO MAKE IT.
Accordingly negotiations were opened with
Messrs. Carnegie, Phipps & Co., the largest
steel manufacturers in the United States. if
not in the world, with view to the establish.
ment of another plant. and an agreement has
been concluded with this firm for the manufac.
ture of 5000 tons of armor, at the same price as
IN the contract of 1857 with Bethlehem, to be of
all steel or nickel Steel at the option Of the de-
partment. The contract binds the firm to
begin the delivery of armor in June next, and
TO deliver 500 tons per month thereafter. If
both companies deliver at the maximum rate
calledlor by the contracts It will require over
two years from July, 1881, to complete the
manufacture of the armor required for the
ships now authorized. and some of them will be
ready for 1t IN advance of the time.
In July, 1890. the attention of the department
was attracted by an address delivered by Prof
James Riley of Glasgow, on nickel steel before
the Iron and Steel Institute, May s, 1859. From
an examination of the extraordinary results
obtained ana reported by Prof Riley. the
department became convinced of the important
bearing of his discoveries on the question of
the manufacture of armor, a point that re-
celved some attention in the article and the
accompanying discussion. Further inYestiga.
ton developed the fact that experiments had
already been made in England, with plates of
nlckel-steel from four to five inches in thick
ness. and others in France with somewhat
thicker plates. The latter experiments had
been undertaken by Messrs Schneider. the
great manufacturers of allsteel armor for the
French Government, but no complete and
inclusive test was known to have been made
The United States Government was, therefore.
the hrst IN the Held. Although requiring 20 000
tons of armor for Its new fleet not a nound
of this armor had yet been manufactured, and
it was therefore In position to apply the re-
suits OF Ihe discovery to the armor OF its entire
new navy, including four of the five monitors,
Negotiations were Immediately opened by the
department with the Messrs. Schneider, which
resulted IN contract tor the supply of plate
of nickei-steel feet by 8 in size and lOk inches
in thickness, Tor purposes of experiment
INSTRUCTIVE TESTS.
The agents Of the firms interested deprecated
the use of the eight-inch gun on the ground that
il would destroy all the plates, and afford mo
tests for comparison, As, however, the depart.
Inent was now the owner of the plates and as
its object was a thorough trial which should set
at rest all doubts, it was position to use its
own tests whatever might be the consequences
TO the reputation of the different kinds of
armor 1t was, therefore decided to fire, first.
thesix-inch gun at the corners of the plates and
subsequently TO try the eight-inch gun on the
center The trials took place at the proving
ground at Annapolis September 1872. aru were
IN the highest degree instructive. The six-irch
pun nroyed to be superior to the English com.
pound plate which was completely perforated
and practically shattered by four shots In the
case of the other two plates, the resistance of
the armor was superior to the performance Of