New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-02
EIGHTEEN-KNOT WARSHIPS.
PROPOSALS EMBODYING INCREASED
SPEED WILL BE ACCEPTED.
CONTRACTs-BIDs THOUGHT MODERATE.



IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUyEl
Washington, Sept. 1.-The battle ships Maine,
Ohio and Missouri are to be 1s-knot vessels.
and their kees to be laid this fall. The
| three great shipbuilding establishments OF the
, country gave TO the Navy Department ample
assurances Of this fact to-day by submitting
; formal propositions. accompanied by heavy PEN
atty deposits. guaranteeing faster. larger and
better vessels than have heretofore been de-
signed in this country. The Navy Departments
plans for 1G-knot ships Of II 800 tens displace-
ment mere duplicates Of the Alabama. the ILL.,
! nos and the Wisconsin, contracted for just two
! years ago which in closely initiated the
Kearsarge and the Kentucky. designed in 1895.
! have been swept aside. and modern ships fa-
vorably comparable with those under construc-
: ton abroad have been substituted.
This has been accomplished well within the
| 81. 900 limit for each vessel appropriated by
! Congress in the act Of May last, and the in
creased speed has been secured not only with
out sacrifice of any Of the essential features
demanded in vessels Of the highest class. but
additional steamng radius. improved seaworthi-
and greater formidability have been at
tanned by the simple expedient pointed out by
! The Tribune. Of making the vessels about
I twenty feet longer and consequently OF about .
thousand tons greater displacement than the
| Naval Constructors at first demanded
BIDS CONSIDERED MODERATE.
The bids Of the three shpbuilding concernA
considering the revival of maritime industries
naturally 10 be expected from the expanded
! commercial relations OF the United States and
| the prevalence Of higher prices in most pursuits.
are regarded as extremely moderate. although
their similarity in amounts as we'll as in every
detail throughout the or positions. indicates that
there was common understanding to give to
the Government the very best ships that could
! be built for the money appropriated. The
| Cramps the Scots and the Newport News COM
pany each presented three proposals. Each Of
fered to build a battle-ship according 10 the
Navy Departments plans the Newport News
company for 50. $50. 900 the Cramps for $2.650.-
600 and the T-nion Iron Works for S2.6I4WU
According to the terms Of the act Of Congress.
practically per cent more than the lowest bid
der is allowed TO the Union Iron Works. and in
this bid its figure was within $1,000 OF that al
lowance Each concern also bid upon slightly
| modified arrangement Of the Departments
plans. guaranteeing seventeen knots. In this
case the Newport News company bid S26sOOOO.
the Cramps S2725OO0 and the Union Iron
Works 50 125OOO The notifications under this
bid were not however. such to commend
themselves either TO the Navy Department or to
the bidders themselves. and they will have no
| greater consideration when the awards are made
| than the first proposals based upon the de-
| partmental plans.
EIGHTEEN KNOTS GUARANTEED.
The important bids. which make to-day q
memorable one in the history OF American naval
construction. constituted the third proposal OF
| each company They were for battle-ships OF
| anproxmately II 800 tons In the case OF the
| Newport News company Of about 1..1JO tons In
the case of the Cramps and OF l2,2oo tons In the
case Of the Union Iron Works. In each In
stance the guarantee was for the maintenance
| OF eighteen knots under forced draught for
| period Of four consecutive hours. For this type
Of vessel the Newport News company asked
| 81. $4,000 or Sl50OoO under the limit; the
Cramps asked $2Ss5OOO and the Union Ircn
| Works 81. 500 O(O
A fourth bid for a battle-ship on the Depart
nent's plans from Dialogue & Son. Camden.
| y j. the firm that took over three years to build
the little gunboat Princeton. was presented.
but will OF course. receive attention. The
Cramps bid differed from those OF the other COM
! peting builders in offering 10 build two vessels
| under each Of its propositions at very slight re-
| ductiors from double the cost Of one. but these
proposals will be Ignored as the Ne~por News
company is entitled TO at least one vessel as the
lowest bidder. and the Union Iron works Is
sure Of A vessel upon the per cent statutory
| allowance for ships built on the Pacific Coast
EXAMINING THE PROPOSALS.
The legal authorities of the Navy Department.
| nron,ptlv entered this afternoon upon an exam.
| inatop Of all the proposals TO determine whether
| all formalities have been complied with. ana 10
ascertain beyond doubt that the Government
would be fully protected in accepting the pro-
| posals The naval experts OF the Bureaus OF
Construction. Steam Engineering. Equipment
! and Ordnance have also promptly begun 'heir
careful scrutiny of the plans which always pre-
cedes an award. These experts were conVihceo
after casual investigation that no other pians'
| save those for eighteen-knot ships, merited any
| attention and they were able to state WIFI rea-
sonable postiveness that the three "a'ships
would he built without delay If their reconlmen-
! dations approved
| II appears that the Cramps and union iron
Works have simply cut the hulls OF the ships
| des,gned by the Department in two parts at the
| midship section and heightened them the
Cramns by adding sixteen feet. or four franes
and the Union Iron Works by adding twenty
feet. or five frames. This extra length Is u'h-
lied by an Increase of boiler and engine power
as well as coal bunker capacity The coal oapac-
;,v in The original design was LOO tons while
with the lengthening 1t is increased IN eacn
case. to about two thousand tons
LARGE sTEAMING RADIUS
The plan OF the Newport News Company 10
original throughout. although. as far as the
hull and mac hnery are concerned. II is similar
in most respects to that prepared by the De-
partment Il calls for battery and for
disposition OF armor in accordance with the
recommendations made by the naval command.
ers after the Santiago fight Four l2-inch guns
in turrets are substituted for the four l3-inch