Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-12
HE HESITATED.
ACTHG SECRETARY OF war GRANT BxVORE
AWARDING THI GUN CONTRACT
10 the Bsihlshsn Company Is Intsrviswsd-AA
1xIraYagant Bargain WaisrvlistS Economy
in Money and Time Was Rec
Ognizsd.

Secretary Of War Grant before he ap-
proved the report Of the board Of forti-
fcatIons and ordnance, which recon-
mends that contract for one hundred
high-power guns be let to the Bethle-
hem Iron company, at prices aggregat-
ing nearly "a, ZOO, 600 was much puzzled
to know what he would best do. In an
interview in the New York sun he
said:
''It is true the prices given in the
bids seem pretty high in comparison
with the figure at which the govern
ment can build guns in its own shops,
but a great blunder has been made by
congress, and don't see what we can
do. We do not make laws; we execute
them. The law is mandatory, as 1t
leaves the secretary Of war no option but
purchase guns at rates which may be
recommended by the board Of fortifica-
tiOns and ordnance. Why Congress APP
propriated money for the erection OF an
expensive gun-making plant at Waterv-
liet and then directed the Secretary Of
War to purchase guns of private makers
IS more than l can understand. 1t is
not absolutely necessary that / should
approve the report of the board to pro-
coed to let a contract with the Bethle-
hem company. / can advertise for new
bids for 100 guns or for smaller num-
Der, and it IS the advisabllity of doing
this which I now have under consider
alton. l shall not reach decision for
several days"
II Gen. Grant will consult the officers
Of the ordnance bureau he will learn
that the proposed contract is one which
should never have been made. An Off
Ger Of the ordnance bureau, who Is
thoroughly familiar with eveSy detail
of gun making at Watervliet, said to-
day;
ave can build these 100 guns at
Watervliet 81, 900, 900 cheaper than the
bidders propose to build them for, and
we can build them I'm one-half the time
which they ask TO do the work In. Since
Gen. Flagler made his estimate Of the
cost Of gun building at Watervliet,
which was about two-thirds the bidders
prices, we have investigated the mat
ter still closer. The first guns which
we built, the type guns, cost US about
$1,000 per ton, including superintend-
ence, plant, maintenance of buildings,
and machinery-everYthing. But now
that our workmen are trained and ev-
erything is In good running condition,
so that we waste no time and make no
false moves, we can build guns in guam
tity at much lower rate. Careful
computations, based on actual expert
ence, show that we can turn out COM
plete and perfect guns in quantity at
$500 per ton. Compare this rate with
figures given by bidders, and you will
see how much money the government Is
proposing to pay for the blessed privil-
eye Of establishing private gun shop
with private ownership"
yApplication Of these figures to the
showing sun con'iSSss which 2 starting
expects to make out or the governments.
The eight-inch guns weigh fourteen and
one-qusrter tons apiece, and the "elght
of twenty-five OF them would be 800
tons. At 5000 per ton, the twenty-five
guns would cost $4,000. The lowest
figures given by the Bethlehem COM
pany is $780, with nine years to do
the work In, and S517,2 II they build
the guns In five years and half. A
ten-inch gun weighs twenty-nine tons.
ard fifty guns would weigh l, 450 tons.
At 5000 per ton they would cost
at Watervliet SS70,0O0. The Beth
lehem company asks S1,s25,3S7 for
the longest time and S2,0S4.472
for the shortest time. A 12-inch gun
weighs lfty-four tons and the weight OF
twenty-five guns would be 1850 tons,
costing at Watervliet $4,000. For the
same guns the Bethlehem company asks
at its lowest figures 81, 49, 26, and at
the highest S1,53S,274. The total cost
of the 100 guns, or 3,156 gross tons, II
built by the government, will be ST.
s93.6OO
II built by the Bethlehem company at
it's lowest figures, the cost will be So
694,647 II at the highest figures given
by the Bethlehem company, for quicker
work, the cost will be ST, 140,012.
The quickest time in which the Beth
lehem company agrees to build the guns
averages more than seven years. The
time estimated by Gen. Flagler for build
ing all the guns at Watervliet is under
four wears. Therefore the Bethlehem
company wants twice as much money
and twice as much time as would be re-
Ouired for the building of the guns in
the governments own shop, where
large part of the machinery required is
already in operation. The question the
war department had to decide was
very very simple one, to-wit:
Should the government be swindled out
of two millions of dollars for the pleas
ure of encouraging an Infant industry"
of private ownership in Pennsylvania?
silver Bullion Weak.
New YORK, August 1O.-The Post
says: Silver bullion was weak again
under pressure. The holders Of silver
hnun in fact hacoma somewhat uneasy