The evening times., 1898-05-12
READY FOR BIDS.
Contracts for FOrty-sight Torpedo
Boats.

| Contracts for FG rty-s light Torpeds
| Boats.
Secretary Long has received from tn,
Naval Board on Construction the draft OF
the circular 1t has prepared setting forth
the general characteristics of the pro.
posed destroyers and torpedo boats to
be built in accordance with the authority
conferred by the Naval appropria tiou
law.
| Twenty-eight boats-Sixteen torpedo
boat destroyers and twelve torpedo
boats-will be built in accordance
with the decision reached by the board.
Bids VIII be invited for the construction
of destroyers of not less than 400 tons nor
more than 435 tons displacement. capable
| of making speed of not less than thirty
| knots an hour. and for torpedo boats of
| not less than $50 nor more than 10 tons
| displacement. capable of making a speed
| of not less than twenty-six knots an
hour. One of the most important requi-
sites of the proposed boats is that the de-
stroyers shall be able to make a high
speed in a heavy seaway and that the
torpedo boats shall make high speed in
n moderate seaway.
To guard against the disablement of the
boats. the circular provides that the en-
gines and boilers shall be in separate
compartments. The destroyers are to
have a minimum coal capacity of 100 tons,
which will enable them to have a steam
ing radius of 5000 miles
The torpedo boats will have a coal ca
pacity of 10 tons. and their steaming ra-
dius will be about that now possessed by
the torpedo boat Porter. which is with the
division of the North Atlantic squadron,
near Porto Rico.
For such small vessels the torpedo boats
are to be given very formidable arma-
ment. They are to be equipped with three
3-pounder semi-automatic rapid firing
guns and three torpedo tubes. The bat
teres which will be given to the destroy
ers include two 12-pounder and five g.
pounder semi-automatic rapid firing guns
and two torpedo tubes. The total cost of
each destroyer is fixed al SIS. 900. and of
each torpedo boat at $4,000.
One hundred and forty thousand dollars
is withheld from the appropriation to meet
a number of minor expenses necessarily
incident to the preparation of plans and
other details for the proposed vessels.
In order to insure that the vessels will
meet the requirements of the service.
penalties will be included in the contract
for each quarter knot below the contract
requirement and for every day delay be-
yond the time limit to be fixed. As pro-
posed by the board. the destroyers must
be furnished to the Government within
eighteen months and the torpedo boats
within twelve months.
1t develops that considerable friction
has arisen in the board regarding the pro-
visions of the circular and that Chief Ma
val Constructor Hichborn has filed a pro-
test against that requirement directing
bidders to apply for information to the re-
spective bureaus.
Mr. Hichborn feels that an effort is be-
ing made to change the system under
which the construction of vessels has
been carried on and he has asked the Sec
retary to strike out of the circular any-
thing contemplating change. If any-
thing of the kind is intended he wants IL
discussed apart from the circular. The
chiefs of the other bureaus believe that
bidders should apply to them for infor-
nation which especially concerns their
departments, and the chief constructors
letter will probably be a matter of consid-
cradle contention