Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-12
THE NEW CRUISERS.
The Contract for Their Constructon
Awarded To the Cramps.

The Contract for Their Construction
Awarded to the Cramps.
According to The srAR's prediction the Sec
re,.ry Of the Navy has finally awarded the con.
trarts for constructing the armored cruiser
BROOKLYN and the sea-going battle ship Iowa u
the firm Of VIM. Cramp & Sons of Philadelphis
n, IL. bid Of 81. ss6, GOO for the Brooklyn AND
i.s bid OF IS ole. 900 for the Iowa. lnannounc'
ine his action Yesterday afternoon Secretary
Tracy made the following explanatory state
msnt:
rndsr the DEPARTMENTS advertisement OF the
oath Of September, 1897, inviting proposals fol-
the construction Of one srmored cruiser (arm-
cred cruiser No. 8. the Brooklyn, Of s,1s6 tons
,aispl.eement) and one sea-going battle chip
I.~a-roing battle ship No l, the Iowa, OF II. 2SS
tor. dispIacement), the following bids were re-
ceived viz:
FOR the Brooklyn-Class /. Hull and ma
ehinery. complete in AL respects, In accordance
with the plans and specifications provided by
the secretary Of the Navy. Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Company, Newport
News. Va, sS l47 900: Union iron works. San
Francisco, Cal. sS, $50 900. and the William
Cramp A Sons ship and Engine building Com
pany, Philadelphia, Pa. s3,s56.ooo
Ci..s a Hull and machinery complete in all
respects in accordance with the plans and
specifications provided by the bidder Bath
ron works. Bath. Me-, IS. l65. 900; the William
Cr.mp a Son. ship and Engine Building Com
pany, Philadelphia, Pa, ., $S,OS6,ooo' D,
ia. sso. 600
For IN. Ioxa-Class l. Hull and machinery,
complete in all respects, in accordance with the
plans and specifications provided BY the Secre-
farv OF the Navy. Newport News Ship-building
and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Va,
ss as, 600; Union iron works, San Francisco,
Cal f3 $50 900; Bath iron works, Bath, Me-.
ss. ls5 900: the William Cramp Sons Ship
and Engine Building Company, Philadelphia,
Pa, e3.0l0.0Oo.
Cis.. q Hull and machinery, complete IN all
respects in accordance with the plans ana
specifications provided BY the bidder. Inc
William Cramp 4 Sons Ship and Engine Build
ing Company, Philadelphia, Pa, a, IS, llO,Ooo;
b. e2 SIC. 600 have had under consideration
the bids class q q and b. Of the William Cramp
a Sons Ship and Engine Building company,
wherein that company proposes 10 constructs
and after mature dehberation have concluded
10 reject those bids for the reasons stated oy
the engineer-in-chief -,
The vessels will. therefore, in accordance with
the recommendation of the bureau Of construc-
ton and repair and steam engineering, De
built In accordance with the plans and specin-
cations provided by the department
Had the power to award the contracts Tor
,he construction of these ships in my discre-
tion should distribute them to two firms. but
! have no such power. i am required oy the
statute to award the contracts to the lowest ana
best responsible bidder, and there Is no doubt
that Mes-rs. Cramp Il Sons are the lowest bid
ders and I cannot saw that the Union iron
works are better builders than the Messrs
Cramp a Sons any more than can say tnat
Messrs Cramp 4 Sons are better builders than
the Union iron works. | regard them ootn
ss excellent builders and equally good Under
such circumstances il IL plainly my duty under
the Law 20 award the contracts for both OF said
vessels to the Messrs. Cramp 4 Sons, and the
contracts therefore are accordingly hereby
awarded to them at the price for each re-
ppectively stated in their proposals under
class l.
Under the competition which the construc-
ton Of ths navy has stimulated among our manu-
facturers Of ship building material, there has
been reduction in the price OF such ma
terial which, in view of the superior quality
required IL quite remarkable. and II IL source
Of great qualification that this large reduction
IN the cost OF the ships il effected without
reduction in the wages of the laborers and
mechanics employed in their construction