The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-24
BIDS OPENED FOR
NEW SEA TERR0RS
William Cramp and Sons Place
Lowest Price on Big Gov.
ernment lob.
THREE AND 0NE-HALF
MILLIONS THE FIGURE
New Fighting Machines Are to
Be Rushed to Completion
Without Delay.

WASHINGTON June 23.--Williani
Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Build
ing company of Philadelphia was the
lowest bidders today for ships OF the
Michigan and South Carolina type,
with the machinery as prescribed by
the Navy department. The department
plans for machinery will probably be
accepted by the Navy department In
preference TO plans of bidders as sub
mitted in other proposals. The bids
for the prescribed machinery were
known as class l bids. and the Cramps
offered to build ship of this type for
SO. 540. 000 The New York Ship Build
Ing company offered the next lowest
bids in this class, 1855. 600. AS one firm
is allowed to build only one of the ships
this second bid will doubtless be ac-
cepted In case the department decides
to accept the class l plans.
Many Bids Submitted.
In class there was a great variety
of bids. and the prices varied accord
| Ing TO the plans of the various ship
| yards for machinery. Under this class.
the machinery may be of the turbine
| type, and many of the bids specified
| turbine engines.
The lowest bid In this class was that
of the Fore River Ship Building COM
| pany for s36Ss,0 900. This bid Is OIL a
| ship equipped with turbines
| AS 1t is generally believed that the
department. Will award the contract IN
| class l for both OF the ships, Interest
| centered chiefly In the bids Of that
| class.
The bid of the Newport News Ship
| Building and Drydock company on this
class was s3673, 600, and the Union Iron
| works of San Francisco bid s4,45o,O0o.
The new battleships are to be 45O
| Nd ari1
breadth at the water line OF SO feet,
2ss inches. The mean draft at trial
| displacement Is not to exceed ~ feet
inches. The coal bunker capacity OF
the ships VIII be 200 tons each.
Details of Armament.
Each ship Will have a main battery of
! eight l2-inch breech-loading rifles and
| two submerged torpedo tubes, The
second battery OF each of the battle
ships Will consist OF twenty-five 3-inch
| (fourteenpounder) rapid-fire guns; two
three FOUNDER emi-automatlc guns,
eight one-pounder semi-automatic guns,
| two 3-inch field pieces and four machine
| guns OF caliber 80.
| The 12-inch guns Will be installed in
pairs, in four electrically controlled.
| balanced elliptical turrets, on the CEN
ter line. two forward and two aft, each
with an arc OF fire of about 270 de-
grees n ecconuary battery v{ o-inch
| three FOUNDER and minor caliber guns
Will be Installed in commanding POSI-
tions with large unobstructed arcs OF
fire. The two torpedo tubes and acces-
! sories Will be installed in a submerged
torpedo room forward,
Hull Well Protected.
The hull OF the new battleships is
to be protected by a water line belt
feet wide varying in thickness from s
60 ~
responding thickness and breadth will
extend from the top OF the slide armor
belt to a level feet above. The bar
| bettes will carry 10 inches Of armor In
front and the coming tower Will be
! Il inches thick, which IS also the thick
ness OF the turret armor. Complete
belts OF celluloise will encircle the ship
To automatically close up holes made
| by shot below the water level
The vesses Will be driven by engines
of 16 500 horse power. four cylinders,
| triple expansion in type. supplied with
! steam by twelve water-tube boilers and
| superheaters The smoke pipes of these
| new ships Will be 100 feet high and steel
| masts forward and aft will be equipped
with wireless telegraphy outfits Every
| precautlon Is taken to insure against
fire and all the living places are TO be
| sheathed with metal backed with an
! inch and one-half of cork and asbestos
| and felt.
Tho maximum time to be allowed for
| completion of these battleships Will be
| forty-two months and a heavy penalty
| ia proyided for DELAY