New-York tribune., 1902-08-06
BATTLESHIP CONTRACTS.
..urLpERs WILL BE OBLIGED TO CON
FoBM STRICTLY TO THE NAV
DEPARTMENTS PLANS
rprrrFeRApH TO THE TRIBUNE

Tp-
-vr.zhtngton Aug 5-An innovation II naNal PiaO
ss-. -,htch will replace the routine OF Uo1eH
wears in the manner Of parcelling out ".S .Iy .+
tracts among the builders At prices pieC'- -, ~
's,, them is 10 mark the opening OF blos loI
fss-t1esbin Louisiana on October / This Is ooe'
a - :. ,eae+ n the provision of law when mas
made l. necessary 10 build that vessel SISTER SNIP
the battleship Connecticut at the Ne"-1 u -
Yard and 10 the determination OF secretary -'i@S
5ba+ the two vessels shall be identical in every par
l-jc11lar in order that comparison may De ms
,.,.as be+v-een the relative merits and economies
Of government built and private contract snip Siiit1,
Therefore no bids will be received Tor aIleI
or modified plans IS has been CUSTOMARY ON
tractors win be held sharply 10 the department
designs and specifications. This will have 1le e.
sect Of throwing out all sorts Of pet contr1FdnceS
s,f various shops and notably VIII save the gov
rnent from experimenting with european 80 80
designed for spectacular trial trip perIoiIhdii
7uf unable to stand rigors OF constant &
-,5ca ez-a,- froro repair stations. No otner pat-
.nt contraptions made by certain snip ou1lolS -
concerns will be permitted. and the Loulsldita W.
he the exact counterpart in every particular u 'o
..co,nec+ic,+ giving the navy the advantage OF al
least TWO ships whose mechanism ana eahtlN7i'
will be interchangeable throughout
Another point about the new method ADOPTED re-
sstes 10 the expectation Of profting by actpal COM
efirion between various bidders. as might not ld'
'f,eer the case If the two fifteen thousand Ton
errnored cruisers and the gunboats authorized
t the last session Of Congress had been piaceo III
she advertisements with the single battleshlp 1ey
lare IN come along after while. and IN the mean
st-,s builders who are anxious for government Worh
p,yu probabIv not let the opportunity pass 10 get
sbe battleship for which s. 6goeoo may be spent on
hull and machinery alone. Heretofore "ilell 'ie
,sbips have eli been thrown into a single conlpeu-
-ion the schedule of bids from three or four OF me
thiR establishments has given unmistakaole lldi-
cations of prearrangenent- This time there Is aP'
10 be some rate cutting for the Cramps the ools'
ahe Newport News. Bath and Fore RiVeT com
naries have already demonstrated their capacty 70
Amid batt1eshps and they all want TINS par
ehin At least four Of them VIII not 8et II; aLI
.ttr ,n tEar h. confronted with the necessity OF
fpFtine for The Two cruisers little iater AGAIN II
,comuefiticn with the firm that mas the 80
ST.a-e vii he sr least two bidders VINO ilaNe
seven br-i+ hsrrjeshps but possess the neceSSd4s
80 -be Trigrs of Richmond. and the New oLN
sShipbuildirg Company. OF baTnaeL 1tis ls5-s5
-at-g qoS5 T7roeress with the thirty hul4eI 81
80 c-Tsiser Galveston SI.02le9 contract anu
"a ling for hull and machinery only al I
and can send down 10 the r1lou1n @ o. 80
So~ her srmor ordnance and other heaVy We
The Navy Department is endeaNoIlIiS y ~
sSon1ectic,lt al the New-Yorh Navy AaIds oetol te
builder Louisiana Is CHOSEN, II o1e-
~he government may have preference lIiU
~a5erca in The delivery of steel from the mus,
(which generally do better by PIT lNSte -. orsr1,
~ regard 10 material than they 90 py lIle
-oer+ null Of the Connecticut Is 70 "
For not exceeding 50 100. and the rlaCllIeIs
-os+ o- over 81 100 go most of these
for labor. The contract IoT lAe ----S-+.s 1ri+nir1
,t,,isre ,raf the vessel shall be complete1 ~
fc-Iv-+Vyo months by the summer oI 80.
- 1o,.~arror are TO be paid N iitE eqda~ i30i
enents as the work proceeds