The evening times., 1898-08-24

Forty knots an hour! 1t sounded like
dream of Jules Verne. Yet there it was
In black and white. sober. unromantic
bid for the construction of from one to
four torpedo boat destroyers for the
American navy. 1t was buried In a huge
heap Of bids from. shipbuilders all over
the country. submitted In response to the
Navy Departments invitation.
No such speed as this was ooatemplat-
ed by Congress when IL passed the last
naval appropriation act. Twenty-eight
knots was the maximum contract speed
mentioned in connection with the sixteen
destroyers asked for. and twenty-six
knots for the twelve torpedo boats. The
cen months and the latter within eight
months. Together they will form the
largest single addition ever made to the
American navy. at a specified maximum
cost Of ss.sOo.Oos 5s
Shipbuiiders must have deemed the
one, for many of them offered to build
much faster boats than those called for
by Congress. None of the other ,compet-
itors, however. eQuaied the bid of Richard
B. Peyton. of Wiiliamsport. Pa, who of
fered to build from one to four torpedo
boat destroyers of forty knots speed for
s2sS.coo apiece. of thirty knots for s239.Ooo.
or of thirty-five knots for $275 O0o
This OFFER excited a great deal of COM
ment when the bids were opened by off,
GERS Of the Navy Department. in the
presence Of representatives of the prinei-
pal shiPbuilding firms of the country. II
will take probably two weeks for all the
bids to be properly tabulated. as they
cover great variety of requirements.
involving not alone the specifications of
the department. but also the individual
ideas Of builders.
1t is required that the destroyers shall
be of about 400 tons displacement. to cos.
not more than s293. .O0o each. and the tor
pedo boats about 150 tons. to cost $4,000.
Lighted throughout by electricity. all
the boats are required by the department
to have good seagoing qualities. and in
particular 10 operate at high speed In
seaway To this end il is essential that
they should have high freeboard-
The destroyers will be the first vessels
of their type TO be added TO the American
navy. except those improvised from
yachts during the war. although Bras
sey's Naval Annual taou,ates the large
new torpedo boats of the Farragut type.
which have a speed Of thirty knots, un-
der this head.
Seven rapid-fire guns are to constitute
the armament OF the destroyers. and they
will mount on the midship line two twen-
ty-foot torpedo tubes, to carry seventeen
foot torpedoes. They must have space for
seven tons of ammunition. one hundred
tons of coal afford some protection 10
engines and boilers. the berths OF sixty
men and four officers. and provisions for
twenty days.
Only four tons OF coal are required 70
he carried in the bunkers of the torpedo
boats and they will be required to ac-
commodate not more than twenty-six
men and three officers. Their batterSS
will he composed of three rapid-fire guns.
and they will mount on deck three fifteen
foot torpedo tubes.
Naval men in Washington are deeply
in Peyton's bid. and are spec
Mating on the motive power he proposes
to use in his forty-knot destroyers- IL
is pointed out that such nSef mas
never vet been built as Peyton proposes
10 construct. Great Britain possesses
the fastest torpedo boat destroyer in
the world and its speed is only thirty
three knots. 1t is appropriately named
the Express.
Four of Englands great fleet OF tor
pedo boats and deStroyerS can make
thirty-two knots. and about fifty are
equal 10 thirty knots or little better.
So II will be seen that even the Pennsyl-
yania builders secondary offer. nam
ing a speed of thirty-five knots. eclipses
any hing In the worlds navies-
Spain's much dreaded Pluton and her
three sister boats were capable of thirty
knots; Japan has four at thirty and four
at thirty-one knots. all English built.
Russia's fastest destroyer Is fraction
under thirty knots in speed. and Ger
many makes even poorer showing
China is proud in the possession of an
torpedo destroyer capable
of thirty-two knots
From this it will be seen that If Mr..
Peyton can make good his offer he will!
become a person of Importance in the
eyes of the nations.
The other bids for naval flyers above
the required speed were:
Bath Iron Works. Bath. Me-. for one
torpedo boat. speed % $40 knots. at $l61.-
900 or four at $3.50. .00D each; one destroyer
of % knots at Ses2O00. two at $2sl, 600 or
three at $3.50. 500.
Dialogue & Son. Camden. N J., one
torpedo boat destroyer % knots, at $685.
600 or two at S2S5. 900 each.
Union Iron Works, San Francisco, de-
stroyers. % knots. one s29i.0O0; two or
three s2s5. .00o each: also destroyers, under
second class. s2si.ooo; two. SIS. coo; three.
s2S1. 50O each.
Harlan-Hollingsworth Company Will
mngton. Del, destroyers. . knots; one,
S29i. 900: two s29l coo.
Fall River Engine Company. Wey-
mouth. Mass. one destroyer. 20 knots,
s2s6. 900; one torpedo boat, $l640a0: also,
different plans. one destroyer. different
three. $3.50. 600: also destroyers, different
plans. one so knots and one IS knots,
ssS2 900 and s272. 900 respectively: also. tor
pedo boats, one, $4,000; three, sl5s 900
each.
Wolf & Zwicker. Portland Greg. one
torpedo boat, $4,000: two. $l65 900; three,
s163. 400: four. sls2 500; also destroyers,
. IA knots. one. s2S900O; two. $2S5. 900;
three. $eS2 900: also destroyers, one 1885,
300: two. $.s1. 600; three. $2S9. 900.
This closed the bids. The naval off,
cials commented on the absence of the
Cramps firm and the Herreshoffs among
the bidders. The bids will be tabulated
and the awards made at the earliest day
practicable. Aside from the price. there
are many details in each bid, time of
delivery. displacement. speed. design.
etc. which will have to be considered in
making the award.