The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-08-04
BIDS FOR WAR MATERIALS
Opened by the Navy Depart
ment Officials
LIBERAL APPROPRIATIONS
Bring Many Bidders With Offers of
Military Goods
Not Since the Rebellion Has So Extensive a
Program Been Laid Out for
Years Work
A ssociated Press Special Wire.

great day for the manufacturers of war
material, and many great corporations
and firms were represented at the war
and navy departments this afternoon,
when bids We're opened for supplying
large quantity of gun carriages, NOR
tars shot and shell of various sizes and
has the ordnance bureau of the war de-
partment been able to lay out so ex
tensive a program for one years work
as is now made possible by the liberal
approprat made by congress for
the defense of the seac0asts C0nse-
quently there were many bidders for
supplying the large quantity of mate
rial, raw. and complete. included in the
first call for proposals, and it was no.
ticeable that in the list of bidders We're
the names of firms that have never
before had business relations with the
war department The first bids opened
We're for supplying gun carriages.
There were twelve bidders, the Amer
lean Hoist and Derrick company of St.
Paul; Weimar Machine company of
Lebanon, Pa; Bethlehem Iron company;
Robert Poole &, Sons of Baltimore;
Walker company of Cleveland; Cramp &
Sons of Philadelphia; John Diliolgue of
Camden, n. j.: Kilby Manufacturing
company of Cleveland; Morgan Engi-
neering company OF Alliance, O.; Pond
Machine Tool company of Plainfeld, N.
j.; Southwark Iron foundry of Phila-
delpha, and Niles Tool company of
Hamilton, O.
The American Hoist and Derrick COM
pany bid $11, 800 each for ten carriages
or more, deliveries to begin in six months
and continue at the rate of one every
six weeks The Southwark foundry of
Philadelphia, while fixing the price of
one carriage at $12. $50, offered to build
ten or more at $11 800 each, and to make
the first delivery in five months, so it
was difficult to decide between them.
For supplying spring return carriages
for the 12-inch mortars there were
twelve bids, Robert Poole & Son of Bal
timore being probably the lowest at
1896 each for Sc carriages, deliveries to
begin in ten weeks and continue four
deliveries per week
For supplying steel forgings for big
guns, the only bidders We're the Bethle-
hem and the Midvale Steel companies
of Pennsylvania. The fortifications ap-
preparation bill provided that in no case
should the price paid exceed "a cents
per pound for these forgings. and the
bids generally We're just within the
limit The Bethlehem company was the
lowest on the 10-inch and the 16-inch
forgings at 23 Clio cents and "a cents per
pound, respectively, While the Midvale
company was lowest for pinch forgings
at % 65-100 cents per pound. The Beth
lehem company explained that only for
the sake of forwarding the desire of the
war department to make the experiment
of building the big 16-inch gun did they
offer to supply the forgings at the price
fixed by congress. which would probe bly,
involve a loss to themselves
For supplying sixty sets of 12-inch
mortar forgings Bethlehem underbid
Midvale. the prices asked being 23.5 and
23.9 cents per pound respectively. For
finishing and assembling these mortar
forgings there was but one bidder, the
Builders iron foundry of Providence
r. l.. at prices ranging from $3131 10
$3S75 per mortar according to the num-
ber ordered. They stipulated that they
should be relieved from certain penal
ty provisions in the contract. Bethlo-
hem was the only company that offered
to supply the whole mortar, forging and
all assembled complete, at prices rang
ing from $12 900 to $12 $50, according to
the number ordered.
The american Ordnance company of
Philadelphia and Thomas +. Lane. rep
reSenting the Maxim -Nordenfeldt Gun
company, were competitors for supply
ing 6-pound rapid-fire guns. The former
asked $1565 each for briggs Schroeder
guns plain, and $3.50 for the parapet
mounts, shields, etc. Armor piercing
shells for the same We're s77 per 100, com
mon shells $3.50, and canister $275 for flf-
ty. The Maxim Nordenfeldts were Sl5a5
each, and ammunition $A90 per 100 for
armor piercer, $440 for common shell,
and $3.50 for canister.
For supplying deck piercing shells the
Carpenter Steel company of Reading,
Pa, bid from 26 to 80 cents per pound
and the Sterling Steel company of Pitts
burg 80 cents. The latter concern de-
clined the torpedo shell, for which pro-
posals were invited, on the ground that
they could not be made to come to re-
quirements, and refused to bid on them.
Midvale also bid on these deck piercers
and torpedo shells at prices ranging
from $141 to S194 each, for armor piercing
shot of S and 12-inch caliber from "a to
45 cents per pound and Midvale from
5000 TO $209.S0 per shot In the case of
the naval bids, the prices asked were
generally higher than were offered at
the war department, probably on ac-
count of the a bSence of a restriction to
"a cents per pound, but still they were
less than last years rates. Bethlehem
was the lowest bidder for supplying gun
forgings at 26.5 cents per pound for 4
inch, 5-inch and 6-inch forgings, and %,
cents for S-inch. Midvale prices were
27, 81, 26 and 239 cents per pound re-
spectively for the four sizes.