The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-30
faR 4@ AHW0R PLANT,
Rids 0Hcued in lhe Oniee ~ SECRETARY
LING,


Washington, ID. g., Jan. 29.-In sc-
e9riance with the Advertisement issued
hg the Navy Department recently pro
Psals were opened in The office If
serretarF Long today for the ronstFHe-
lion Of a government arnoF plant. for
The sale - the government Of sites
suitable flr such plant. and for the
machinery and buildings necessary II
the government decides 10 make it's own
armGr. There were tWeDty-nine bids,
aud they covered every phase Of the
advert 3ement Many Of the proposals
were merely offers ~ donate sites 10
the government conditional upon the
location Of the plant. n number Of others
were for the supply Of machinery.
There were only two bids to furnish a
complete plant and only one OF these
named figure. The two companies
now engaged in the manufacture Of ar
NOR for the navy did not submit pro-
posals. The Huntington. w. Va.
Chamber Of Commerce offered TO fol-
low the specifications Of the board and
build complete plant for the sum Of
SIS 800, 800, including site. buildings and
plant.
Another offer 70 supply complete
plant came from the John p. Holland
Torpedo Boat Company, Of New York,
but no figure was named, the company
simply offering to do this for sum Of
money and within a period less than
estimated by the Armor Factory Board
in liza report" This bid was accom-
panied by the expression of an opinion
that ''armor should be included in the
construction contracts of all vessels. by
which policy Congress and the country
woald understand the full cost of ships
andS their protection. and the price of
arnlar would be reduced and it's delivery
expedited"
Another proposal that commanded
some attention was that of the Rearick
Engineering Company. of Columbus
Ohio. This was Il very complicated pro-
posal to supply each of the numerous
bAi4dmgs. furnaces, boilers. etc. re-
qIfred, as well as fifty acres of land
at sums specified in each particular
case. \ special point Of interest about
the bid was an accompanying offer from
the Chamber of Commerce of Columbus
to donate the sum of 100000 to the
government if the plant were located
in that city.
offers Of sites for plant gratis, or for
aSnominal sum of money, came from
Muskegon, Mich; Youngstown. Ohio;
Escanaba, Mich; Duluth. Mimi; Ems
ley, Ala; Morraine, Ohio: WINTHROP
Harbor and Deck Company, of Chicago;
Sheffield. Tenn; Waukegan, Ills; De
troit, Mich; Peoria, HIS; Marquette,
Mich. and Admission, Ala.
A Marionette, Wis, man offered to
donate site free if the government
would build a 100000 dock into the
lake. Offers came from one man in
Hampton, Va. to sell some land and
machinery for about 100000, and from
a Philadelphia man to supply some land
and testing machine for 81, 100. Some
Of the big western tool concerns came
forward with offers to supply machinery
needed for the plant. In this list were
the Morgan Engineering Company. of
Alliance, Ohio, and the Miles Tool
Works. of Hamilton. Ohio; Bennett,
Miles and Company, and Deiterch, and
Harvey. Of Maryland. \ Marion coun-
ty. Indiana, corporation offered to do
nate 40 acres of land and fifty wells OF
natural gas.
1t will take some time to schedule all
OF these bids. but as soon as they can
be arranged they will be sent to Con-
gress by Secretary Long for the infor-
nation Of that body, in case it desires
TO embark the government in the manu-
facture of armOr.