St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-30
ARMoR PLANT on THE COAST.
incorporation of Concern to
Supply This Pressing Need.

incorporation of Concern to
Supply This Pressing Need.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-The Pacific
coast is to have all armor plate plant,
according to local paper. The story
is as follows; 1t is stated Oil reliable
authority that a concern has been in
corporated at San Francisco, and has
half of its working coptal already sub
scribed. for the establishment of an ar
NOR plate plant in tnat city. The plant,
it is understood, will be on large scale,
and will be capable of producing not
only the heaviest armor, but Will be
equipped for the manufacture OF guns,
snot and shell and forgings Of all de-
scriptions. This project is said to be
the result of the policy of distribution
which has been observed by the navy
department in awarding the contracts
for the ships of the new navy.
The need of plant for the manufact-
ure of armor plates and other heavy
forgings on the Pacific coast was made
apparent when the contract TOR the con-
structon OF the cruiser Charleston was
awarded to the Union Iron works in
1885, The armOr plates. shafts anu
other heavy material which entered INTO
that vessel, as well as the San Fran
cisco, which was given to the same hrm
in the following year, and the Mon
terey. Oregon and Olympia, which have
since been awarded them. were manu-
factured in the East. The transpOrta-
tiou of the material to the Pacific coast
added materially to the cost of these
vessels, and it is said that the compile
ton of the Oregon and Olympia will be
retarded by the delay i'll the furnishing
of their armOr.
The establishment of plant OF this
kind OH the Pacific coast is regarded
with great favor in naval circles. and
its want has been frequently comment
ed upon. Not only, it is said, would it
arouse an interest in the navy in that
section. but would be of ineStimable
value in the event Of trouble with a
foreign power. At present every gun
and proiectile which is used in the
navy is manufactured i'll the Eastern
states, and the cost OF transporting them
to the Western coast is an item OF no
little Importance. In the matter of
shot and she'll alone such an establish
ment would be of the greatest value to
the government. In the ordinary course
of events it takes a month for such ma
terial to reach the Pacific, and under
pressure of the direct need they could
not reach their destination III less than
a week or ten days. Such period of
time would be OF vital importance in
case of a necessity for a large and
speedy supply of such material arising.
1t is pretty generally conceded. how.
ever. that the carrying out Of this project
will be largely affected by the awards
for the construction OF the two new
vessels, the Iowa and the Brooklyn.
The Cramps, of Philadelphia, were the
lowest bidders on both of these ships,
and in the event that the Union Iron
works fail to get one OF them, it is
highly probable that the manufacture
of armOr plates on the coast at least
will be deferred.
/ Secretary Tracy returned from New
York today. and his decision In regard
to the award of the new ships will prob
ably be made early next week. In the
meantime the indications are that the
Cramps will get both vessels. While
Secretary Tracy is inclined to continue
the policy of distributing the work OF
building new vessels, the law distinctly
provides that the contract must be
awarded to the lowest responsible bid
ders, and in this instance that means
the Cramps. There is some talk to the
effect that the Union Iron works will
lower their bid on the Brooklyn to the
amount of that made by the Crampc.
This. however, remains to be seen. but
it is safe to predict that If such step is
decided upon by the San Francisco firm,
the Brooklyn will be launched in the
waves of the Pacific.