The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-30
THREE new SHIPS.
Bids Arc to 81 Called For Today by
Navy Department.
ALL OF THEM TO BE BA1TlLEsHlPS.
They Must Be Completed In Two
and Half Years.
SOMETHING or THE PLANS.
Thcy VIII Re Of N Type with the II.
linois and Alabama, Nav
Building.
SOMETHING or THE PLANS

New York May 29.--The naval depart
ment will call upon ship builders tomor
row to prepare to build the three battle
ships authorized by the present session OF
congress with limit OF cost, excluding |
armor and armament, OF sS,ooo,ooo each.
says the Washington correspondent of the /,
Tribune
Heretofore the limit of cost was some
what larger, as It included armor, che
navy always building its own guns
Proposals will be invited under two
classes, the first on the departmental plans
and specifications. ana the second upon
designs 10 be furnished by the bidders,
which must. however, fully cover certain
limitations laid down by the board OF CON
struction.
This board. after continuous sessions for
a month, has decided that the three new
ships shall be almost identical with the
Illinois. the Wisconsin and the Alabama,
now building at Newport News, san trau-
cisco and Philadelphia respectively, aud
in ali probability the new vessels viii be
built at those places, the Cramps, the
SCOTS and the Newport News companies
possessing the patterns which VIII enable
| them to do the work more eXpediuousy
and at less expense than other establish
ments. The circular which will be issued
| provides for vessels OF i,o00 tons displace-
ment, with coal capacity OF 1900 tons on
mean draught of twenty three feet,
| length of 36S feet and ~ feet beam. Tho
hull will be OF steel, double bottom and
close watertght subdivisions, with ample
| freeboard and berthing accommodations
on deck above water. There Will be no
sails. but two military masts with fight
| ing tops Two lifeboats will be carried So
nc 10 I,a iV Ina. In MI tnua
OF weather, The side armor belt will be
| ~ feet broad and 16& inches thick
| through engine and boiler spaces, tappring
to thickness of four inches at how and
stern, and there will be transverse armor
| forward and aft twelve inches thick
Barbettes for the 13-nch guns VIII be fif-
teen inches thick, except IN the rear where
they Will be ten inches. The turret armor
will be II inches throughout. The shlp's
| side above the afmor belt ms far as the
main deck will he protected by So lnch
armor behind which coal Is TO b. carried
for further security. The vessels will
have protective deck throughout their
length "a inches thick where flat and 3
inches forward and 3 inches oft where It
is inclined A celulose belt VIII be fitted
| along the sides for the whole length The
| coming tower will have l0-lnrh armor and
| there viii be an additional nrmorrd sta
ton six inches thick aft All 6-lnch guns
| VIII ne pTOleCttu ny h52 lNCn ArlnOr ana
| by ~ inch splinter bulkheads between
the guns. The smaller guns will have
| shield projections and extra side plating
| The vessels will be driven by twin screws
| viii vertical triple expansion four cylinder
engines, one on each shaft and In seporatc
| watertight compartments.
There will be eight cylindrical single
| end boilers, with Working pressure of 30
| pounds, in four square watertight comrart-
ments. Tho weight OF the mass "a limited
| to 1880 tons.
| These ships are to be completed under
heavy penalty within two and half years.
| Aster they are delivered TO the government
| thoir guns md other enripmen; Will be IN
| stalled Their main battery will lie con-
| posed OF four l3-inch guns in two barbgtte
| turrcts. ono forward and the other aft and
ten 6-lnch rapid-fre guns In one broadsi3e
| on one deck and four similar weapons on
| the upper deck with the supcratructure,
| Two submerged tubes will BIZ provided and
eight 17-fcot torpedoes. Accommodations
must be arranged for a complement Of 800
| officers and men. The turrets ana ammu-
| milton hoist are 10 be operated with electrl-
city speed OF 16 knots Is required with
heavy penalties for any deficiency ard II
| either vessel falls 10 make Is knots she
NAV he rejected altogether.