The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-23
TERR0RS OF The FUTURE.
Bids Opened by the Navy
Department for Torpedo
Boats and Destroyers.
FIRST OF THEIR CLASS
Details Of Construction and
Efficiency Some Of the
Prices Paid.


WASHINGTON, Aug. %. 1s9S.-The Navy
Department opened bids at noon today for
sixteen torpedo boat destroyers and Y
torpedo boats, to cost in the aggregate
not exceeding $1,000, Co., as provided III the
last naval appropriation act. These
twenty-efght destroyers and torpedo boats
constitute the largest single addition ever
/ made to The navy
The destroyers are to be completed
within eighteen months. and the torpedo
boats within twelve months. According
to the requirements of the Department,
speed Of Is knots, and the torpedo boats
2G Knots.
The destroyers are to be about four
hundred tons and are to cost not more
| than $295,000 each, while the torpedo boats
are to be about 15o tons and to cost not
more than S170,0G0 each.
These destroyers viii be the first vessels
Of that type added to our navy, except
recent wa9 exigency. They are to have
twin screws. vertical engines and a
bunker capacity for carrying at least 100
tons of coal affording some protection to
engines ard boilers.
The vessels will be lighted throughout
by electricity, They are to be built
staunch and strong, with good freeboard,
good seagoing qualities, and designed to
battery will be composed of seven rapid
firing guns
The ammunition required win weigh
about seven TONS There will be mounted
on the midship lines two 2o-foot torpedo
tubes, to carry 17-fsot torpedoes.
Berthing space will be required to ac-
conlmodate crew Of sixty men and four
officers, and provision space for twenty
days.
The torpedo boats are Of much the
same design, but. will be smaller. Their
100 tons for the destreyers and their
berthing space for 26 men and lhree otIi-
GERS. The battery will be composed Of
three rapid firing guns There viii Pc e
tubes with IorpedOeS.
representatives of all the great ship
building firms We're present when the bids
wer opened. The bids plans ETC., were
piled several feet high, and there promised
to much delay and confusion. Some
of the departments officials thought
It owuld take two welzes to get
fhe bids fully tabulated, as they
took wide range, because of the
| Departments call for two classes of
propositions, one based strictly on the
and others based on the individual idea
of the builders all essential requirements
being followed.
The first bid was that of the Bath Iron
speed 29 5-10 knots, at Sl6L000, or four
at 100000 each; one destroyer of % knots
| at 1922, coo, TWO at s2Sl,0eo, or three at
| $3.50 500.
Other bids Dialogue & Son,
Camden, n. j., torpedo boat de-
stroyer, % knots, at S293, 600, or TWO at
S2S5 eco each.
Columbia iron Works, Baltimore, Nd,
one TO four torpedo boats, 20 knots. at
Sls0000 each; also under different plans.
| one torpedo boat. $i6S, 900, two s155.tati,
| one destroyer. Is knots. $3.50 200; two at
1921 600; three, four or five, ,090 each;
also destroyers, under different plans,
one or two at $2S2, 500; three. four or FIVE,
at S2S2 900 each.
Neafe and Levy. Philadelphia, for de
stroyers,2 ,29 knots, two, s2S4 000; three. $685.
| 600 each.
VIM. R. Trigg, Richmond. Va, torpedo
| boats, 26 knots, one at 100000; two at
| sl50000 each; three, Sl29. $50; four, STA, 759
each; also destroyers, one $4,000; two,
$500 Ot0; three $3.50, ,000; four, $4,000; FIVE,
| $233, ,000 each
Union Iron Works, San Francisco, de-
stroyers. 20 knots, one $29l.000; two or
three. S2S5,000 each; also destroyers, under
| second class 1924, GOO; two, $2S2,0O three,
| $2S1 500 each.