The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-24
bids FOR TIE new navy
They Are Formally Opened
and Considered.
TWENTY EIGHT VESSELS
Twelve Torpedo Boats and Sixteen
Torpedo Bom Destroy,ers - The
Largest Contract for Warships
Ever Contemplated by the Depart
ment-One Bidder Came Too Late.

ment-One Bidder Came Too Late.
The Navy Department opened bids yes
terday for the building of the torpedo
boats and torpedo boat destroyers author
lied by the last session of Congress-
The proposed additions to the navy in
clude number of valuable contracts,
and there was a large crowd of people
present to witness the reading of the
| bids.
There were eight bidders present, rep
| resenting the largest ship-bulding con-
| Germs in the country, including the Bath
| IRON Works. of Bath. Me-; Dialogue &
| Son, of Camden. N. j.: Columbia Iron
| Works and Dry Dock Company of Bal
| timore Md; Neafie & Leavy, of Philadel
| phia; William r.. Trlgg, of Richmond,
Va; Union Iron Works OF San Francis
] co, and Wolf & Zwicker. of Portland.
! Ore. In addition to those who had made
| bids there were present several represen-
| tatives of other prominent firms. Repre-
| senting the Navy Department at the GER
emony were Assistant Secretary Allen.
| y.
Engineer Melville, Chief Clerk Peters.
| Capt Dickens. assistant chief of the Nav
| igation Bureau, and several others.
| What the Vessels Are
| The boats to be built are sixteen torpe-
do boat destroyers and twelve torpedo
| boats. The torpedo boats are to have
a speed of at least twenty-slx knots, and
| destroyers are to have a speed of at least
| twenty-eight knots, and are to cost not
more than 1926. 600. The total possible cost
| of the boats is therefore Sc. 100000, the
largest amount ever authorized for ex-
| penditure by Congress at one time for
the navy.
The Navy Department notified all the
! proposed bidders that the speed named in
| the specifications was the min, mum, and
that it is desired to exceed this as much
as possible. 1t was noticeable, as a re-
| suit of this. that a large number of the
bids guaranteed a higher speed. The tor
| pedo boats may easily have a speed of
/ twenty-seven knots, according TO the bids.
| and the destroyers may all be thirty-knot
| ships.
The Bids Received.
The bids were as follows: Bath Iron
| Works. Bath. Me-. 29.5 knots speed,
builders plan. at sI6I. coo each. or four Of
them at $3.50. coo each.
One destroyer of 20 knots. builders
plan. 1892 900: two at s2Sl. 900 each; three
/ at $3.50. 500 each.
Dialogue & Son. of Camden, N j.. one
torpedo boat destroyer. % knots. builders
! plan, 1922 900, or two of them at S2S5, 900
each -
Columbia Iron Works and Dry Dock
Company. Baltimore. Md. Navy Depart
ment plans, one two, three or four. 90
knot torpedo boats at $780, 900 each On a
| modified plan, 26 knots. one at Sl6S. 0oO
two at s165. coo each. three at $3.50, 900 each
four at $4,000 each Also one torpedo
| boat destroyer, g knots, departmental
| plan, at 1893 coo. two at s29l. 900, three or
four at s2s9e00 each.
Columbia Iron Work destroyers. build
ers' plan. IS knots. one. two. three, four
or five boats at s2s2 coo each.
! Neafie & Leayy. Philadelphia, depart
mental plans destroyers % knots. for two
at S2Si, 600 each; for three at $3.50. 0o0 each.
William r. Trigg, of Richmond, Va, de-
partmental plans, 26 kn s. for one torpe-
| do boat. $780, 900: two at $4,000 each:
| three $12s, $50 each; for four S11s7 each.
Destroyers, departmental plan. one at
$2T5, 600; two at $3.50. 900 EACH three at $685.
900 each; four at $4,000 each; five at $685.
600 each.
Union Iron Works San Francisco
(ScotO, destroyers. departmental plan, %
knots, one at 1921 900; two or three at
1000 each; builders plan. one at 1884,
600: two at s2S2. 900 each: three at S2S1, 900
each.
Wolff & wicker. Portland Oregon.
department plans torpedo boat. 26 knots,
$4,000 for one two at S165. 600 each,
three at S163. 400. four at S162 500 each
Twenty EIGHT knot destroyers, depart
ment plans. one at s295, 900. two at 1921. 600.
three at s2S9.000. Builders plan, % IL
knot destroyers, one at $2Ss.O0O, two at
| $2S5,0oo, three at S2S2, 900.
Cramp Not u Bidder
The bids of William R. Trigg, of Rich
mond. Va, were notably low. 1t is the
opinion of naval experts that the ships
offered by the Triggs. This firm has
never built any warships for the Gov
eminent.
The Cramps were not bidders. Mr.
Cramp was asked by a reporter few
days ago If he would offer to build any
of the ships and replied that he could
not undertake this class of work
The Herreshoffs were not bidders. The
| representative of this firm arrived at the
Navy Department an hour after the bids
were opened. very; much perturbed. and
seeking to have his bids received He
stated that ne left Brooklyn on time
with all his documents and prepared
TO build the entire lot of vessels. If he,
could. but that he was delayed by diff
to-