The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-07
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poses They Are Dssinssd 90 serve.


poses They Are DssiHssd 90 serve.
WASHINGTON. Dec o-More than seven weeks
elapsed between the opening Of bids for the
construction Of Gunboats No 2, No. g and No.
| o and the award OF any contracts. The delay
| can be accounted for on several grounds.
! IT, the first place. the winning bidder. the New
| port News Shipbullding and Dry Dock Conn
psny. has never built any war vessels for the
navy. and Il became necessary to ind out
whether IL possessed the requisite plant for
completing them within the contract Tina In
the next place. II was desirable. as IL under
| stood on account OF the discovery Of n lack OF
| netacentrlc height In some NJ the later ves-
sells. to study the plnrs Of the new GunboAts.
go as to see whether they also we're liable to
become topheavy. On both these points sat-
isfactory assurances were given. There was.
| further. a desire to obtain additional informa-
tion about certain proposals. Of one OF the bid
ders. the Union Iron Works
There were two noticeable elements in tho
bidding for these vessels. One was the intro
ductlon Of several new competitors who had
never built cruising vessels for the Govern
mont and the other was the lowDess OF some
Of tho offers. or the six CONF etitors. the Mary
land Steel Company Of Baltimore offered to
build all three gunboats for S1.l10.000: John
II. Dialogue 4 Son Of Camden for S1.18800
the Union Iron Works Of San Francisco for
$1.100.0o0: tho Coronado Foundry and Ma
chine Company. California. to build Gunboat
No. Z for s372. 600: the Bath Iron Works. Maine.
to build No. z for S425. 000 and No. 4 or No. o
for sleSOo0 each the Newport News Ship
building Company. Virginia, tobulld all three
for $4,000.
Perhaps tho bidding OF the frat three COM
petltors mentioned il sufficiently close to in
dictate what may be called an average price for
all three vessels. Hence the Newport News bid
Is over one-fourth lower than such price. its
nearest competitor asking nearly One-third
moro for the same work. While the saving to
the Government will be very great. assuming
tho work to be equally we'll done. Il has been
suggested that tho Newport Nows company
will lose money on its bid. and It is understood
that this result is regarded as probable by the
company. which, however ran tho risk In lite
determination to enter the list OF builders for
TWAS at first design ed tn at two OF the vessels
should be OF the composite type. which Chief
Constructor Hichborn and his predecessor at
the head OF the Construction Bureau had long
favored on account OF its comparative free
dom from fouline. For small vessels designed
to cruise in tropical waters. sheathinG seems
OF time that they can then go without docking
rs well as their diminished liability TO have
hulis But It was Discovered. after Ills sI pan
had been fully formed. that tho language OF
The act Of Congress would require them to DO
All these are ngh..drausht cunboats Of
that 81 No. is II feet. The Baacroi s' Of only
liz iost: the Petrol oil $40 tcns c has aa drsasRs
of II feet inches: tho Machias aud Castine Of
feet set It viii bo seen therefore. that these
new vessels are distinctiyely light Graught.
service contenplsted iSr them is on the rivers
and coasts 81 China. although they would also
be very useful In South American waters, ma
feot, a length OF 533 over oil. and a beam Of So
feet; with disPlassement OF l.adI tons. Her
engines arb OF the twin screw. vertical. in
H. r. g. and 3 Inches p' in win
are designed for ], $50 Indicated horse power.
while disconnecting coupling allows the en-
triple expansion. The boilers are notlessbie'
being arranged In two groups; with the for
after boilers. which are auxiliary. are designed
for a pressure , o. $50 pounds Tho former
1000 OF heating surface. A novelty for our
navy is the ash esctor to be fitted in this vessel
eight fouI-inch raprd:fr guns. two OF them
forward and two aft on the open spar deck.
two being on each broadsde. Tho latter are
protected BY the , sponsor arTor which Il 2a
on their carriages. The auxiliary battery in
ccludes four six; pounder and two one FOUNDER
Hotchklss AMI TWO eating guns. \ single
above water torpedo tube is placed at the
bow. There Is watcr-llne dock. and pro-
lection is also Afforded by tho coal and by
watertight subdivisions. OF which latter at
least two must DO pierced before water can get
into the engine or IRE rooms The hull. Of
unsheathed steel. has q double bottom.
The cabin and wardroom arc on the after
part OF tho covered gun deck. and the Derthlng
space OF the crew Just forward OF the ward
room bulkhead. Tho complement OF the ves-
sci will be 1 officers and 139 men, including
10 marines. making nm aggregate Of 100.
There are two masts designed for very light
sail power. The normal coal capacity is 100
tons, but n N aximum OF $50 can be- carried.
There will be. OF course, electric plant
and an evapOrating and distilling apparatus.
The speed guaranteed by No. z il fourteen
knots per hour. rs the average OF q four hours
In No. 8 and No. o there are some note.
worthy differences. The length over all Is 252
feet and the team at load-water line 40 feet
with mean draught Of 4 feet 10 inches. Civ
ing a displacement OF 1.3l3 tons Here the
engines are of the triple-eXpansion type. hav-
hmeter and a common stroke OF IL inches.
They are intended 10 develop LOCO indicated
horse power. Six return tubular boilers. de-
signed for a pressure OF $50 pounds. are
placed In two waterti2ht compartments. and
have 40 square feet Of crate and 4.O74 OF
double bottom limited the diameter possible
for cylindrical boilers to feet 4 inches. which
required six OF them to be used. Tho normal
coal supply is 100 tons. hut 30 can be car
Tied. The complement tho general fittings.
the battery. ana the gun protection are as IN
No. Z. eXcent that two OF the 4-inch guns will
be mounted on the forecaste and the others
on tho gun deck. The contract requires the
cOmpletlon nj the vessels within two years so
that theIe il no doubt OF their Icing ready for
a. h. q aRt,taN