New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-24
BIDS FOR TORPEDO BOATS.
TWENTY EIGHT NEW VESSELS TO BE
ADDED TO THE NAVY.
MANY FIRMS COMPETING FOR AwARDs-off Elk
FOR A FoRTY-KNoT DESTROYER
FXCITEs COMMENT.

Washington Aug 23-The Navy Department
opened bids at noon to-day for sixteen torpedo-boat
destroyers and twelve torpedo 10 cost IN inc
aggregate not exceeding s69ocO, as provided In the
last Naval Appropriation act. These twenty-eignt
des,royers and torpedoboats constitute the largest
single addition ever made to the Navy. TIE de-
strovers are to be completed within eighteen
months and the torpedo-bcats within twelve
months. According to the requirements OF the De-
partment the destroyers are TO have guaranteed
speed OF twenty-eight knots and the torpeco-ooats
twenty-six knots The destroyers ere TO be OF
about four hundred tons each and are TO cost not
more than s230cO each while the torpedo-boats are
to be OF about one hundred and nifty tons and are
10 cost not more than $4,000 each.
These des;royers will be the first vessels OF that
type added 10 Navy. except those improvised
from yachts in the recent war exgency. They are
10 have twin screws vertical engines and a bunker
capacity for carrying al least one hundred tons Of
coal affordng some protection TO engines and
boilers
The vessels will be lighted throughout by cleo
;ricity. They TO be built stanch and strong.
with good freeooarG. good seagong qualities. and
designed TO operate at high speed in seaway The
battery will be composed OF rapid firing guns
The ammunition required will weigh about seven
tons. There will be mounted on the mdshp line
two % FOOT torpedotubes to carry lfoot toTpedoes
Berthng space will be required to accommodate
a crew CT sixty and four officers. and provision
space for twenty days
The torpedo-boat are OF mucn the same design
but will be smaller. Their coal capacity will be
forty tons. against one hundred tons for the
des;royers, and berthins space for twenty-six
men and three officers. The battery will be com
posed OF three rapid-fring guns There will be
mounted or deck three l5-foot torpedo-tubes. with
torpedoes
Representatives OF ell the great shipbuilding
firms were present when the bids were opened The
bids plans etc, were piled several feet nigh, and
there promised to be much delay and confusion
Some of the Department officials thought 1t would
take two weeks to get the bids fully tabulaed as
they took q wide range because OF the Depart
ment's call for two classes OF propositions, one
based strictly the Departments plans and speci-
fcations and others based the individual idea of
the builders all essential requirements being fol-
lowed.
The first bid was that Of the Bath Iron Works.
Bath Me- for one torpedo-boat speed twenty nine
and fivetenths knots at $4,000, or four at $4,000
each, one destroyer OF twentyIne knots at $500
two at s9Sl.000 or three at s2sO.So0
Other bids
Dialogue e Son, Camden n J.--one torpedo-boat
destroyer. twenty-nine knots. at s2ssco or two at
Columbia Iron Works. Bal;imore-One to four tor
pedC-boais. twenty-six knots. at $4,000 eacn; also
under different p. s ne one S, o s TWO
destroyer twentyesht knots; s2ssoo; two. s2siooO;
three Jour or five 'co each also dssss sJ Gn
four Or ive al 500 600 each.
Neane a Levy. ThlaCepnla--f OF CestlOycIf,
twenty nine knots two. s9si Go: three s2sSto0 each
William Il, T.igg. Richmond. Va.-Torpedo boats.
twenty-six knots. one. $4,000: two $4,000 each;
three, 1885, four STATES each: also destroyers.
enc. S25O1 two s2fo0oo three. $3.50 go: four s9iO.
90. FIVE. $685. eco each.
Union Iron Works San Francisco-Destroyers
twenty nine knots one. $4,000 two or three $2s5-
CO. t%o SIS. @ shres 1Ss saes
Maryland Steel Company. Maryland County. Md
Destfoyeis. OF thirty knots 1894 CO., three s2s6
Coz three different bid i2saoej; four s2s2 coo each
George Lamley. South Boston-Torpeio-bo boats one
twenIysiA knots yC2.ccO: two. sl5e 400 also differ
ent plans. one. sic? 800; TWO. sisio0 each: also DIFF
ferent plans. one. N57.io0: two. sl52 800 each
Lewis Nixon. Eizabethport. y. J.--Torpedo- boa ts
twenty-siN knots one. $ts.c0o; two. $4,000
HaTlan-H ollingsworth Company Wilmington Del
-Destroyers. twenty-nine knots. one $4,000. two,
s2ei GO.
Fall River Engine Company. Weymouth. Mass
One destroyer thirty knots ssse.oco; one torpedo
boat slei 900: also different plans. one DESTROYER
s2si 90: three $4,000: also cestroyers dinspent
nlars. one. thirty knots and twenty eight knots