The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-15
NEW ARMOR PLATTE bids
Navy Department Sets Aside the
Recent Proposals.
Pooling of Issues by the Carnegie
and Bethlehem Companies BE-
heved to BE One Nf the Causes
MidynIe People Eliminated by the
Immediate Need for the Material.

Acting Secretary Hackett, OF the Navy
Department. has called for fresh bids for
furnishing the armor needed for the new
battleships. The tenders opened on Au-
gust 10 were not satisfactory and all three
of them were rejected. October has been
set as the date for opening the bids now
called for. Should prices not then prove
satisfactory 10 the Secretary, he has power
either to call for new tenders or to build
an armor-m making plant at cost not ex-
| ceeding si.00OO0O.
One of the problems confronting the
Navy Department is to get armor at once
I for the Maine, the Missouri, and the Ohio
The Maine is being delayed on account of
the inability of the Department to supply
I the makers with its armor. The new speci-
| fcations to contractors therefore will be
arranged so as to provide for furnishing
the needed material at once. Altogether
about 31,00O tons will be required Four
groupings of it have been made, and on
each of them bids will be received
The first group covers the armor on the
three boats of the Maine type. Each of
them will take 2,235 tons Of ace-hardened
arrnor more than FIVE inches thick. ninety
five tons of the same armor less than five
inches thick and fifty-seven tons of nickel
steel armor. The second group will cover
all the armor which will be needed except
that already mentioned. The third group
covers all The 81, coo tons of armor .yEicn
will be neeied. The last group is for any
portion of tie total quantity.
The Department makes the qualification
supply Of armor in the third group must
give prices for the quantities named IN the
first and the second groups
The reason for the ruling is found in
the action of the Carnegie and the Beth
lehem companies. which are the Only con-
Germs in the country able to turn out
flrst-ci2ss armor Immediately. In pre-
pairing their bids for submission on Aug
ust 10. they pooled interests, and each
of them offered to supply 5000 tons of
armor at 1890 per ton They declined
however. to furnish any less quantity tlaz
$4,000 tons each. The Midvale Steel Com
pany bid to take the entire contract at
si3S a ton. but would not be ready to
commence delivery in less than twenty
seven months. AS the Department is
anxious to get armor at once for the
Maine and her sister vessels, 1t was
Handicapped in considering the Midvale
bid.
1t has been considered possible that
II the Navy Department could contract
for the armor needed at once on the
Maine group OF battleships, it might 90
ahead with the erection Of a plant where
the nation hereafter could produce its
own armament. The bid OF the BethIe-
hem and Carnegie companies however,
has the effect OF frustrating such a plan
by announcing that they were not bidding
on anything less than 10 200 tons each
1t IS supposed that their purpose is to
prevent the Government from erecting an
armor plate plant. The Navy Depart
ment however hopes that the bids to be
submitted on October will get around
this difficulty
it is required that any contractor bid
ding on the whole quantity of arrnor need
ed shall also make a bid on the amount
required by the Maine Missouri and the
Ohio. Should the Government be able to
contract merely for the small amount of
armor which is needed at once, it would
be in position to erect its own armor
plant
The Government regulations for testing
the armor furnished by the successful
bidder are very rigid. Samples from the
different lots of plates will be subjected
to cannon fire to determine their strength.
Plates tested by guns above four inches
in calibre will be boited to a backing of
twelve inches of oak and two five-eighths- |
inch ship plates. The backing, including
oak and plates and studs for holding in |
bolts, must be furnished by the contractor, |
but the Department will defray the actual |
expenses attending the same. II the plate |
is tapered. or otherwise Intentionally va !
ried in thickness, the backing will be |
maintained of full depth behind the thick
est part. The whole structure will be
braced from the rear, and the bolts will |
be Of the same kind as are used on ship
board.
Three rounds will be fired at each plate. |
The points of proposed impact will be Sc
lected by the Department, provided that |
no proposed point Of impact shall be closer |
to an edge of the plate or previous i'm
pact than three and a half calibres Of the |
gun used in the test. This applies to bal |
listic plates, tapered or otherwise.
Such plates as successfully endure the |
ballistic test will be paid for by the De-
partment at the contract price If unsuc-
cessful they will not be paid for. nor |
their transportation: they will be re-
moved from Government ground by the
contractor. If not removed within three
months from notification. they will become
the property of the Government.
Il the group represented by the success
fuI test plate has shown a close uniformi-
ty in quality and treatment. it shall be
accepted as far as the ballistic test is
II the plates OF a group do not show a.
close uniformity. or when the treatment
has not been strictly uniform. if the first
pla subjected to ballistic test passes, the
Department may test two more before Civ
ing decision as to acceptance of the
gfoup, but il all these plates pass the De-
partment will pay for them all; If one or
both OF these plates fail. the successful
plate or plates only will be paid for, and
the acceptance OF the group will be at the
discretion of the Department.
After a group Of Plates is accepted. the
Department may still test therefrom hal-
listicaIly as many plates as it may dls-re
and only such as pazs ill be paid for.
This paragraph Will only apply whzn the
Department has reason to believe that
there is a lack OF uniformity in the ac-
cepted group, or that defective plates are
contained therein.
If the test plate should fail to pass. the
contractor may demand that another plate
of the same group shall be selected by the
Department and submitted to test Should
the second plate fail to pass, the group
shall be rejected.
II this plate successfully passes the test.
the group may. at the discretion Of the De-
partment. be accepted; but if the Depart
ment so desires, 1t may sci ct another plat
Ohirdl from the group and on this test the
acceptance or rejection of the group will
rest.
Divorce Proceedings Dismissed.
After Considering the testimony in the clse q,
Clara Ellison against her husband John H. Ella
Irr-t