The record-union., 1898-11-16
Prepared to Add Another Turret and Double
The Coal Supply.
Firms Which Have Secured Con-
tracts to Build the Four New
Warships to be Asked to Esti-
mate the Increased Cost of I'm
proved Vessels on Modified
Lines Adopted by the Board Of
Construction.

NEW YORK, Nov. ia special to
the Tribune" from Washington says:
Secretary Long tomorrow will send
letter to each of the four firms that
secured contracts last month to build
the singleI turret monitors, asking them
to estimate the increased cost of i'm
proved vessels on modified lines Just
adopted by the Board of Construction
at it's session. In the meantime, under
directions from the department., work
will not be begun on the Arkansas. the
Connecticut, the Florida and the Wyo-
ming until the new estimates are re-
ceived and considered by the authori-
ties.
Before the contracts for these vessels
were signed, as early as October 4th
the Tribune" called attention to the
fact that the aggregate of the bids for
the -four monitors was only 81, A., 600,
leaving a surplus of more than 81 ,500,-
600 out of the $5,000000 appropriated
to build first-class vessels Figures
prepared by naval experts were pre-
sented at that time showing it was en-
tirely feasible by the application of this
surplus before the contracts were made
to add another turret and double the
coal supply of these monitors, making
them larger and better than the Mon
terey and Monadnock, which had just
been sent across the Pacific to hold
Manila, and to secure vessels of three
times the coal capacity of the Amphi-
trite, the Miantonomah and the Ter
ror, and far superior to them in formid-
ability and value as warships. The
legal authorities of the Navy Depart
ment, however, decided, it later ap-
peared on insufficient consideration,
that the contracts must be awarded
for the vessels as originally designed,
although a month earlier. Through
the efforts of the Tribune" two knots
had been added to the speed of the
battleships by method identical with
that promised for the monitors.
Soon after the contracts We're exc
cuted the naval authorities became
convinced that it would be unwiSe to
build the vessels according to the orig
inal plans, and one of the contractors
came to Washington and showed that
he could easily increase his vessel to
the dimensions suggested in the ''Tri-
bune'' without exceeding the original
appropriation by Congress. He pro-
posed simply to lengthen the vessel
and add another turret, reducing the
caliber of the guns from II inches to
10 inches He showed that the new
10-inch rifles, with larger charges of
smokeless powder would be much more
powerful than the 12-inch guns of 1890
design, which it had been proposed to
put into the original vessel, and his
project met with such favor that the
supposed legal objection to building
y, to, L.
quickly disappeared. Secretary Long
thereupon decided to delay building the
ship and referred the whole question
to the Board of Construction, at the
same time announcing his determina-
ton to build the best ships that could
be secured at all events.
The modified plan adopted by the
Board of Construction calls for vessels
of 1000 tons instead of 200 tons, with
a coal capacity of 400 tons instead of
200 tons, giving a range of action ex
ceeding 1000 knots at ten knots speed,
which equals that of the ea-going bat
tleship Iowa. Two turrets, with twin
10-inch guns, replace the single 12-inch
turret. The original speed of twelve
knots is retained, compelling engines
and boilers of 5000 horse-pow in
stead of 2,400. The hull has been
materially heightened and broadened,
and the draught has been increased
from II feet g inches to IA feet 6
inches. In the new design the pro-
tective deck is two and one-half inches
thick instead of one and one-half
inches. and the interior bracing of the
vessel is made still slightly heavier and
stronger.
The estimated cost of the armor for
the original design was $130,OOO. 1t is
calculated that this will be increased
to S1S1 900 for the larger vessel and
this fact, together with the other added
weights which were deemed essential
to the improved monitors, may compel
the department to ask Congress to re-
move the unprecedented restrictions
which were made in the appropriation
for these vessels. Up to this time the
appropriation bills for all warships
have provided limit for the hull, en-
gines and boilers, exclusive of armor
and ornaments, but the Act of May 4,
1898. providing for four harbor defense
vessels. stipulated that they should
'.cost, exclusive of armament, not ex-
ceeding 81 .230.0O0 each,'' although in
the same Act provision was made for
battleships Ito cost, exclusive of armor
and armament, not exceeding s., ,000-
COO" It is believed that the exception
in the case of the monitors was due to
a. clerical error, but in any event, it
occurs in the law and cannot be
evaded
The contractors for the four moni-
tors. with the amount of their bids, are
as follows:
The Arkansas, Newport News Com
pany $780, 600: the Connecticut. Bath
Iron Works, SS60000; the Florida,
Lewis Nixon. SS25. 900: the Wyoming,
Union Iron Works, $4,000.