The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-31
|RACE 70 TIE SWIFT
Unique Contest Between Pri-
vate and Public Yards.
IN BUILDING OF SHIPS
Forty One Months Allowed for
Finishing the Work.

time the most interesting race that has
ever taken place between the government
of the United States and a private con-
tractor will be inaugurated, and TO very
large extent the future history of the ship
building industry of the United States
depends upon the outcome. Consequently
both sides are straining every nerve and
each is seeking to Guido the other.
The contest referred to is that between
the navy department, which has under
taken to construct In the Brooklyn navy
yard the giant battleship Connecticut in
competition with the Newport News Ship
Building company, TO whom has been
given the contract for building the LOU
isiana. The Connecticut and Louisiana
are sister ships. In every respect, down
to the smallest detail of their construc-
ton, from the massive turrets with their
great twelve-inch gun, down through the
steel decks to the smallest screw or rivet
which holds in place the steel plates that
form their bottoms, they are to be alike
in every particular.
From one standpoint it is merely a con-
test between the government and private
parties 1t has been stated that the gov
ernment could not construct its ships as
rapidly as private contractors, nor as
cheaply, owing to the restrictions which
laboring men throw about government
work. On the other hand, it is declared
that, although the government yards are
handicapped by an eight-hour system,
with fifteen days annual leave for their
men, together with higher wages, never
theless the employees of the government
yards could accomplish more in their
eight hours work per diem than an equal
number of men in private shipyards work
ing ten hours a day. and that men whose
hours of labor were limited to eight hours,
by working more willingly and more
cheerfully, could accomplish more than
equally as good workmen required to la
Dor ten hours per diem.
So insistent were the labor leaders that
the government could construct its war
ships in its own yards for less money
than it was paying private contractors,
that congress at its last session author
lied the navy department to build one CT
the battleships provided for in the last
naval appropriation bill in government
navy yard, and allowed the secretary OF
the navy the sum of s175.e0 to equip the
yard for the construction of the vessel.
The act further provided that the sec
rotary of the navy should keep an accu-
rate account OF the cost of inspection and
construction of vessels provided for in
this act, whether built in government
ffaav m
TO congress at each session, the progress
of work and the cost thereof, including
the inspection of all the material going
into the construction of said vessels. and,
upon the completion thereof, to report a
full and detailed statement showing the
relative cost of the inspection and con-
struction in government yards and by
contract"
In pursuance of this act the secretary OF
the navy caused specifications to be drawn
for the Connecticut and the Louisiana
and advertised for bids for the construc-
ton of one of them, the Newport News
Ship Building company securing the con-
tract on a bid of s., $50, 900, much less than
the limit placed by congress of $4,000.
Ferty-two months were allowed by the
navy department for the completion OF
the Louisiana-the contractors agreed to
complete her in forty-one months, under
a penalty of $500 a day for the first month
and 5000 a day thereafter. The terms of
the wager were accepted, and the contract
was fairly begun when the secretary OF
the navy issued the necessary order to
place the Brooklyn yard in condition to
construct the Connecticut, that yard be-
ing selected as the best equipped of the
government yards for the purpose
Secretary Moody will follow the instruc-
tons of congress in regard to keeping ac-
count of the cost of material and labor
entering into the construction OF the Con-
necticUt down to the smallest item, but
is determined that no room shall be left
for any charge of extravaganza in this
connection With the money placed at his
disposal for the equipment of the yard be
purchased what is known as gantry
crane, one OF those gigantic travelling
cranes, spanning . Greet. of which the
Cramp shipyards and the Newport News
Shipbuilding company possess duplicates.
which cost them 100000 each. The re-
mainder Of the appropriation OF SIS, 90
has been applied 10 tie construction of
p slip TO hold the Connecticut and the
purchase OF necessary tools which the
yard did not have.
Within two months the keel Of the Con-
necticut will be laid in down'in the Brook
lyn yard. and OF the 5000 employees of tie
yard an average OF 400 will be kept con-
stautly employed on this VESSEL until its
completion. The Newport News Ship
building company will start about the
ame time on the Louisiana on which. II is
estimated. they will be able to place from
100 10 $500 men at work. according TO the
various stages OF progress