Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-11-15
PROSPECTIVE WAR SHIPS.
Calculated To In'.rEs the General tirhtinE
Cspsbiiiti-. Of the Pour FRO
posed rescemsh.r..

New YORK. Nov. IN special 70 'ht
Tribune fi6m Washington saysi
Secretary Long tomorrow Will send u
letter to each of the four Arms thas So
cured contracts last month to build the
single sufrct monitor. asking them 10
estimate the increased Coz, Of improved
vessels on modified lines Jun, adop,cd
By the board Of construction VI IT. e'a-
Fon. In she meantime. under dircc-
lions from the department. work VIII
not be begun on the Arkansas, the
Connecticut the Florida and the Wy
aminE uf.ll ,ho new estimates arc re-
crived and considered by the uv,hor-
tics Before the contracts for these
veascis were signed. as early a. October
T. The Tribune called aifertlnn % the
fact that the aggregate " the bids f1r
the four monltofu was only .fl.lss,v'
leaving a surplus Of more than V,yoQ'-
900 ou Of che ib.O00.000 appropriated %
buM FIRST class vessels. Figures pre-.
pared by naval experts were presented
az that tins shoSsng y was entirely
feasible by tho application o. shla sur
plus before the cOffracia were made 10
add anssher turret and double the coal
OF these nrons0rs. making thcm larger
and better than the Monterey and
MMtNNfNAhs hNlfu NAA lhNA k''N NfWA
ucroHs the Pacific 10 hold Manlia and
60 secure vessels ~ three times the coal
capacity OF the Amphitrlie. the -f--l'
aanonah and the Terror, ami Far %.
periar % them In formidability und
value ~ warahlps The legal auihori-
sle- Of the navy department, however.
decided, II later appeared, on INSULT
Client consideration, that the cowiracia
must be awarded Tor the vessels ~
IaHHa : ms "a
earlier. through the Efforts Of the Trib-
une. two knuta had been added 20 the
speed ~ the battifuhips by "a method
Identical with that promised BY the
MONITORS,
Soon after the contracts we're execut-
ed the naval authorities became con-
vlrcsd thsg n would be unwise 30 build
The vessels according - she original
plans 1rd une Of the contractors came
10 Washington sad showed that he
could easily increase HE vessel SO the
dlmerulona augEorisd In the Tribune
without exceeding the original appro-
prhtiop b. Congress. He prup1a0d
simply 30 lenFthen the vessel and add
ntythsr turfG. reducing she oallbgr %
she guns from twelve lfchsa 10 ten
inches. lie showed that the new ten
inch rifles. with larger charges OF
rmokcless p0wder would he much more
powerful shan the is.iuuh guns OF 1880
design which q has been proposed 10
put into shs original vessel and his
project mot with such favor thar the
supposed legal objection to building
better -hlpa with the money In hand
quickly fsappcared. SECRETARY Long
thereupon directed the builders ~ de-
lay beginning the ahips and referred
the whole qurffion once more 90 she
hoard ~ construction. at the same
time announcing his determination 10
build the best ships that could be So
cured at all events.
The mOdlted plan adotsod by she
board Of construction calls for vessels
OF 1000 tons Instead ~ 2 100 tons. with
a Gal capacity Of 400 tons truiead Of
900 tons, giving range of acilon eN.
ceedinE 1000 krss al 10 knots speed.
which equals that OF the sea going bat
tlcahip iowa. Two turrciH 'Nfh two
l0-inch guns replace the single i2Jnch
turret The original speed of twelve
knots q retained, compelling engines
and boilers Of $500 horse power inr,ead
of 1900, The hull has been materially
lcngtheu'd and brndened and the
draught has been Increased from u
feet 9 Inches 10 10 feet iHches, IN che
new design the protective deck Il ga
inches thick Instead u ~ inches. and
fhe Interior hracing Of the vessel Is
made slightly heavier and stronger,
The estimated COS, Of tho armor for
the original design was $4,000 II Il
calculated that this viii be Increased
10 $4,000 for the larger vessels ana
this fact. together with the other ad-
ded weights (which were deemed essen
tial % The improved monitors. may
compel the department 10 ask Congress
~ remove the Unprecedented restrlc-
tlona Wh'oh were made In the appro-
priatlon Tor these vessels, Up 10 this
time the appropriation bills for an
warshlps have provided a limit Tor the
hull engines and boilers exclusive ~
afmor and armament, but the act of
May I, 1885 providing for four harbor
defense vessels stipulated that they
should "cnst, exclusive OF armament
not exceeding 81 100000 each" although
In the same act provision was made Tor
battleshlpa "to cost. exclusive OF ar
NOR and armament not exceeding 49,
O00. 0O0'
II rs believed that the exception In
the case OF the monitors was due 10
a clerical error, but In any event II oc-
ours In the law and cannot be evaded.
Tho contractors for the four monitors
wnh the amount Of their bids are as
The Arkansas Ncwp1rt News CO.
$500 900, the Connecticut, Bath Iron
w9rks $500. 900. the Florida, Lewis
Nixon, ssg5, 900, tho Wyoming, Unlon
Irsn works. $4,000. ------- ]