The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-20
THREE TORPEDO BOATS.
Bids for Their Construction Opened
by the Navy Department..


WASHINGTON. Feb. 19."American
ship-buildng is not Dead remarked Assist
ant Secretary McAdoo this noon as he took
his eat at the head Of long table in the
Office of the Secretary of the Navy 20 wit
ness the opening of the bids for building
three torpedo boats. His utterance
justified by the presence in the room of at
least two dozen representatives of Amer-
can ship-building works, and a formidable
pile of bids and designs on the table before
the Judge Acknowledgement of the navy.
There were many faces familiar to the de-
partment people in the crowd. The only
notable absentee was Mr.. Cramer, who, it
was said, had his eye on the battleships
which 1t is hoped Congress will provide for,
and consequently did not stoop to such lit
tie craft as torpedo boats. There was Mr..
Scott, of the Union works; the blind boat
builder, Herreshoff; Frank King, of the
new Sparrow Point works, near Baltimore;
Mr.. Master; of the Columbian Iron works.
Baltimore; Mr.. Ramsay, of Perth Amboy,
N. j.; one of the Dialogues, of Camden, N.
j.. Holland, the designer of the submarine
boat, and representatives of the Dubuque
Irgn works, the builders of the Ericsson,
J'he departments proposals for bids in the
cnse OF torpedo boats differed in some inn
portant respects from any other ever issued.
to the contractor for speed above the con-
tract requirement lad been dropped, but
the stipulation for a reduction in case of
deficiency was retained, and in this case it
amounted to $4,000 per knot Then, for the
first time, 1t was permitted to bidders to
of other material than steel. thus throw.
ing open the field to aluminium and
bronze, such as the vigilant was built
of. The general dimensions of the vessels
as prescribed in the advertisements were
as follows: Length, $50 feet, beam 16, ton
triple expansion twin screw of 1000 horse
power. speed 24ls knots or half a knot more
to submit two kinds of proposals, one under
the departments specifications and one I'M
der their designs. This last permission was
mitted several original designs
The lowest bid was that Of $97.50O each
the Columbia aa'i iron works OF Batmore
and the highest was $43S,O00 for three boats
Of his own design by Hugh Ramsey, of
pick and it will require much time and ex-
animation by the department experts to
come come 70 IA, conclusion as 70 Wnere the con-
partment's designs Hugh Ramsay, of Perth
Amboy, has the lowest bid at $347, 900 for
the three boats. but he as well as every
body else is much underbid when it comes
10 original designs by the Columbia iron
works o OF Ia Ba Ut a9og e which submits an
The figures are not sure Indication of
what the department will do in the mat
Ter IOT lneTe are many CONSIDERATIONS to
take into account, such for instance as the
additional cost of sending boat around
10 the Pacific coast, where it is sorely
needed, the expendiency of using bronze
and aluminium instead of steel, and lastly
the propriety of taking up the offer of the
Union works to build a large twenty-eight
knot boat like the most speedy and modern
Of the British torpedo boats. Mr.. SCOTS
last proposition is not in conformity with
the advertisement, but if it is possible to-
build this boat and have enough money
left to construct two other smaller boats
n may be that such an arrangement can
ne made