The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-04
WESTERN MEN FIGURE.
BIDS OF WAR MATERIALS WERE
OPENED YESTERDAY.
Not Since the Late War Has There
Been Such an Extensive Pro
gram1le Laid out-some Very In
teresting Figures.

WASHINGTON. Aug. S.-This was a
great day for the manufacturers of
war material, and many great corpor-
atoms and firms were represented at
the war and navy departments this
afternoon, when BIDS were opened for
supplying large quantity Of gun car
riages, mortars, shot and shell of va
rious sizes and kinds Probably not
since the late war has the ordnance
bureau of the war department been
able to lay out so extensive a pro
gramme for one years work as is now
made possible by the liberal appropria-
tons made by congress for the de-
Tense of the sea coasts.
Consequently there were many bid
ders for supplying the large quantity
OF material, raw and complete, includ-
ed in the first call for proposals, and
it was noticeable fact that in the
list Of bidders were the names of
firms mainly from the west that have
never before had business relations
with the war department. The first
bids opened were for supplying gun
carriages. There were twelve bidders,
as follows: The American Hoist and
Derrick company of st. Paul, Weimar
Machine company of Lebanon, Pa;
Bethlehem Iron company, Robert Poole
& Sons of Baltimore, Willser company
of Cleveland, Cramp & Sons, Phila-
delphia; John H. Dialogue, Camden, N.
j.; Kilby Manufacturing company of
Cleveland, Morgan Engineering COM
pany, Alliance. O.; Pond Machine Tool
company of Plainfield, N. j.; South
waTk iron foundry, Philadelphia; Mills
Tool company of Hamilton, o.
The American Hoist and Derrick
company of St. Paul bid $ll.S00 each
for ten carriages or more, deliveries to
begin in six months and continue at
Southwark foundry of Philadelphia,
while fixing the price of one carriage
at $12660, offered to build ten or more
at S11,5O0 each and to make the first
delivery in five months, so it was diff
ficult to decide between them
For supplying spring return car
riages for the twelve-inch mortars
there were twelve bidders. Robert
Poole & Son of Baltimore being prob
ably the lowest, at 1885 each for
fifty-six carriages, deliveries to begin
in ten weeks and continue four per
week
For supplying steel forgings for big
guns, the only bidders were the Beth
lehem and the Midvale Steel companies
Of Pennsylvania. The Notifications ap-
preparation bill provided that in no
case should the price paid exceed "a
cents per pound for these forgings, and
the bids generally were just within
the limit. The Bethlehem company
was the lowest on the ten-inch and
sixteen-inch forgings, at 90 6-10 cents
a1yr
while the Midvale company was the
lowest for tWelve-inch 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 eX-
pertinent of building the siXteen-inch
gun did they offer to supply the forg-
ings at the price fixed by congress,
which would probably involve a loss
to themselves.
For supplying sixty sets of twelve
inch mortar forgings, Bethlehem I'M
derbiG Midvale, the prices asked being
231a and % $40 cents per pound re-
spectively For finishing and as
sembling these mortar forgings there
was but one bidderAthe Builders
iron foundry of Province, R. lat
prices ranging from s2,737 to $3.50 per
mortar, according to the number Or
dered. They stipulated that they
should be relieved from certain pen
atty provisions in the contract Beth
lehem was the only company that Of
fered to supply the mortar, forging
and all assembled complete, at prices
ranging from $4,000 to $12,250, accord
ing to the number ordered.
The American Ordnance company of
Philadelphia and Thomas F. Lane,
representing the Maxim ordenfeldt
Gun company, were competitors for
supplying six-pound rapid-fire guns.
The former asked 81 $50 each for
briggs Schroeder guns plain and $1,65O
for the parapet mounts, shields, etc.
Armor piercing shell fer the same was
SITS per hundred common shells, $500
and canister S275 for fifty. The Max
m-Nordenfeldts were 1855 each and
ammunition $500 per hundred for ar
NOR piercers, $40 for common she'll
and $3.50 for canister.
For supplying deck-piercing shells
the Carpenter Steel company of Phil
adelphia, Pa, bid from 26 to so cents
per pound and the Sterling Steel conn
pany of Pittsburg 80 cents. The latter
concern declined the torpedo shell for
which proposals were invited on the
ground that they could not be made
to come to requirements, and refused
to bid on them. Midvale also bid ON
these deck-piercers and torpedo shells
at prices ranging from Sal to 1874
each. For armor-piercing shot of eight
to twelve-inch calibre, the Sterling
company bid from rs to 60 cents per
pound, Carpenter from "a cents to As
cents per pound and Midvale from
S6575 to $209SO per shot.
In the case of the naval bids the
prices asked were generally higher
than were offered at the war depart
ment, probably on account of the alb
sence 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 forg-
ings, at 261a cents per pound for four
inch, five-inch and six-inch forgings,
and % TO cents for eight-inch. Mid
vale prices were 27, 27, rs and % $40
cents per pound respectively for the