New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-12-20
GREAT NAVAL PRIZES.
CONTRACTS FOR ELEVEN ARMORED
VESSELS AWARDED.
TpY rrLEeRAPH 10 THE TRIBUYEl

10y TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUSE.l
Washington, Dec. 19.-SecTetsry Long this AZ
ternoon made the awards for he eleven great
srmored warships. TO cost in the aggregate when
in lighting trim fully S50.000.000. The Cramps
and the Newport News Company will each build
three, the Scots and the Fore River Company
two each. and one viii be built at Bath, Me. In
this distribution the Secretary OF the Navy has
followed both the letter and intent Of the law.
which directed him TO make the awards Ito the
lowest best responsible bidders. having in view
the best results and most expeditions delivery"
The Cramps the Newport News company
ana the Scots the only firms which have here
tofore constructed vessels OF the heaviest class
for the Navy each secured one sheathed and one
unsheathed cruiser Of % knots speed. The hull
and machinery OF the sheathed cruiser Of the
Newport News company are 10 cost $3ssS'oOo
and their unsheathed cruiser S3IIbOO0
The Union Iron Works (the Seotts). Of San
Francisco viii receive respectively S3,SOoOOO
and SS, 10000 for similar ships, and the figures
Of the Cramps contracts are $3S9O.OOO and
s.. 100000
The Department had little difficulty in de-
termining the successful bidders for the YES
se!s which are superior in combined speed and
offensive power and in cost to any ships in the
new Navy and which could not have been
trusted to any except the most skilled builders.
In fact when the bids were opened on December
: The Tribune announced positively that the
awards would be made as formally decided to-
day and that the straw" proposals Of imaginary
shipyards would be ignored.
BUILDERS OF THE BATTLEsHIPs.
For tie five monster battleships the competi-
ton was more complicated. especially as the
Init or price fixed by Congress allowed little or
no proit 10 established concerns which did not
R,,sIl tha ~
the thing. Naval inspectors were sent to the
works which existed chiefly on paper. and paper
that was valuable only on the contingency of
securing Government contracts. and from these
special inspection reports made by the highest
experts in the service ii was made evident
that the sole Lowest best responsible bidders"
beyond the Cramps, the SCOTS and the New
port News Company were the Bath Works, Of
Bath. Me, which had already built the armored
ram Katahdin and numbers Of gunboats, cruis-
ers and torpedo craft, and the Fore River En-
CINE Company. Of Quincy, Mass, which has
built two thirty-knot destroyers and has
seventeen-knot protected cruiser the ways.
The latter firm is building one OF the greatest
plants in the country, designed especially for
heavy Government work rather than for the
lighter mercantile class OF SHIPS anu mas oe-
clsTed its intention Of securing one or more OF
the large armored cruisers for which bids will
be received next February Its bio for the two
is now accepted by the Department. The three
remaining battleshps under the law must be
sheathed, and for these the lowest responsible
bidders were: Bath, So. $4,000; Newport News,
So 593 600 and Cramps 100000. The limit
OF appropriations for these vessels was S3,60OOO0
each, and with certain reservations that are
necessarily made by the Department for equip
Eent all three OF the lowest bids given above
exceed the limitation. Mutual concessions, 1t is
understood, will be made by the Government
and the three concerns named, and the contracts
may be made within the law in few days
The Union Iron Works made no offer TO build
sheathed battleships, and had therefore no con-
sideration in the matter. AS this shipyard is
already in possession of nine uneompleted naval
contracts including two battleships, one pro-
tected cruiser one arnored monitor. three de-
stroyers and two submarine torpedo boats. in
addition 10 the two armored cruisers awarded
to-day, il will not be lacking in Government
work for long time TO come.