Evening star., 1898-09-01
Bids for Construction Opened at the
Navy Department.
WERE WITHIN CONGRESSIONAL LIMIT
Only Proposals for l8-Knot Vessels
Likely to Be Considered.
SPEED AND COAL CAPACITY

lO, IL and II, which occurred today, has
been awaited with a great deal Of interest.
Much to the surprise of some students of
naval affairs, the departments plans when
they came out simply called for duplicates
of battle ships I, and 8, designed about
two years ago, and which themselves were
really reproductions of the Kearsarge and
Kentucky, of a still earlier date with a
speed of only sixteen knots, although the
standard speed for battle ships has been
for some time pas: eighteen knots, and
there are number already built making
higher speed than that, and the Italian
navy department is about to lay down
three with speed of twenty-one knots
Commodore MeiviIIe's Protest,
This apparent lack of progressiveness has
been the subject Of considerable vigorous
discussion. and the fact was developed
that the ergineer-in-chief of the navy
Melville-had submitted minority report,
urging that the board on construction be
Greeted to reconsider the matter and to
provide plans which provide for ships more
thoroughly up to date in every respect in
Guiding speed and radius of action
After lapse of about a month during
which number of newspapers demanded
that the ships should be made abreast of
the times. the Secretary of the Navy did
refer the matter back to the board on con-
struction Tor recommendation as TO
whether it would be advisable to withdraw
the original plans and specifications and
provide new ones. calling for greater speed
alter considering the matter and eyamin-
ing a number of plans submitted by the
ensiheer-in-chief which provided for
hlgher sreed aid greater radius of action
IL was decided not to provide new plans
ana specifications until after the bids re-
ceived today had boen submitted in view
OF an invitation from the Secretary to the
oeiiders OF the country to avail themselves
OF the alternative bids which they cou1a
make by submitting propositions for shins
with higher speeds.
Coal Carrying Capacity Reduced
The plans submitted by the engineer-in
chief, while they provided for an increase
In speed and in the radius of action. never
theless involved a reduction of the coal
supply, as there was decided opposition to
increasing the size of the ships, as would
have been necessary to give the desired in
crease of speed and radius of action with
out any reduction of the amount of coal
carried His plans secured the necessary
increase of space by reducing that allowed
for coal. number Of these plans provided
1or the use of water tube boilers but as
that would have caused a change in the
trim unless considerable changes were made
in the distribution of the hull weights these
plans We're negatived at once
The first plans for machinery of the new
shlps also involved the use of water tube
pciSIS, Dul DIS tEdt ndQ the same objection
of causing a change of trim they were also
ruled out on that ground, and the plans
which went out to the builders were for
cylindrical boilers.
1t was, of course, practically cert ain tb,+
IT any of the builders offered designs of
their own for greater speed and radius of
action, without any decrease in the amount
OF coal carried. water tube boilers would be
used The alternative designs submitted bv
the Cramps, which are for vessels that will
De duplicates of the Russian ship there
building, provide for the use of Niclausse
boilers.
Credit to Commodore Melville.
While this will Be the first use Of these
plans are adopted of water tube boilers in
battle ships of the United States navy If ia
not their first use in an armored vessel of
the navy, as the Monterey has had water
tube boilers of the Ward type ever since
she was built in 1890, where they have
gwen an excellent account of themselves
u is recalled that when the bids for the
Monterey We're received the Cramps were
nominally the lowest bidders, but it was
only with certain changes in the govern
s iileht specihcauons, and with the distinct
refusal to guarantee the performance of
the water tube boilers. The Union Iron
works OF San Francisco who built ths
Monterey, received the contract because
tney were Wiling TO guarantee the working
OF tne water tube boilers, SO that this firm
really deserves the credit as far as build
ers are concerned, for being the first ia IN
stan water tube boilers in an armored yes
sci OF our navy The actual credit for hav-
ing the boilers put in the ship is however
due to Commodore Melville who advocated
this plan and had experiments made to de-
termine the best boiler, all things consid-
cred, before it was decided which one
should go Into the Monterey
Designs for Larger Ships.
The design of battle ships proposed by
he (tror,
than the original government plans. and
amounts to what would have been the cas-.
had the hulls of battle ships Z, and 8 been
heightened about fifteen feet Had this
been done thers would have been no diff
Guilty whatever in putting in machinery
with water tube boilers for a speed of eight
cen knots or higher, and at the same time
carrying greater amount of coal than did
the departments plans as they were actu-
ally put out.
The Union Iron Works submitted alterna-
tive plans also for eighteen knots by
lengthening the hulis and putting in addi-
tional boilers of the water tub, type
The result of the bidding for the con-
structlon OF the three big battle ships is
eminently satisfactory to the Navy Depart
ment. From the face of the bids it is clear
that the government is going to secure very
much more In the matter of power and
speed than was expected; that the cost is
going to be less than was paid proportion
that the department will be able to dis
tribute the work among the three big build
ing concerns, method of construction
that always rebounds to the advantage of
the government.
Opening the Bids.
The bids were opened shortly after noon
in the presence of a number of representa-
tives of shipbuilding firms, bureau chiefs
and other men connected with the depart
ment Acting Secretary Allen sat at the
head of the table on which the bids were
disposed, with Judge Advocate General
Lemly on his left. The latter was Charged
with the duty of reading the proposals.
which had been previously opened and
stamped by Chief Clerk Peters Engineer
in-Chief Melville and Chief Constructor
Hichborn were seated on the left. with
their aids, Constructor Taylor and Past
Assistant Engineer Mcfarland
Surrounding the table were the repre-
soEtatiyes of the shipbuilding concerns
among them being President Henry Scott
of the Union iron works of San Francisco
President Orcutt of the Newport News
ShipbuildtnG Company, John Dialogue of
Camden, Messrs. Chas. Cramp. McCammon
and Williams of Cramps, Edward Hyde of
the Bath works, Superintendent Wilson and