Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-13
BIDS OPENED FOR
INCREASE IN NAVY
TORPEDO BOAT DEsTRoYERs ARE
CONSIDERED
Many Qualifying Conditions Make It
impossible to Determine the
Lowest ProposaI-cost Is
Fixed at 100000 Each

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12.-Bide were
| opened at the navy dep tment today for
the construction of i've torpedo boat de-
stroyers under the terms of the naval
appropriation acts of 1906 and 1907. Pro-
vision was made in the first act for three
of these boats, but because of the in
sufhcient appropriation their construction
was delayed until congress, at the fol-
lowing session, had an opportunity to
| correct the deficiency and also to add
TWO more to the number of boats to be
constructed. The limit of cost in this
last act was fixed at 100000 for each
| boat, and no bidder was authorized to
receive contracts for more than two of
them.
! On the face of the bids received today
] 1t appeared that If the navy department
| intended to adhere strictly to the terms
OF the advertisement and require the con
tractors who wished to provide their own
| designs of machinery to use the depart
| ment's hull plans, then the lowest bids
were those of William Cramp G. Sons
| Shipbuilding company of Philadelphia,
for two boats at $575,0OO each; the Bath
I Iron works of Maine two boats at 1854 300
each, and the Fore River Shipbuilding
company, Quincy, Mass, one boat at
s64S, 900
Many Qualifying Conditions
|
lions in the bids, however, that not until
the board of experts charged with the
| examination of the details of the bids
| has reported will the navy department
| really be in position to know which of
| the proposals would be actually the low
| est Under the terms of the advertise
ment the bidders were required to sub
nit proposals, first, for a boat, the hull
and machinery and all parts of which
| xvar MIA bU ha
| they might provide their own machinery,
| but must use the hull designed by the
naval constructors. AS a matter of fact
all of the bidders did not strictly adhere
to this last requirement and it will re-
qthre the opinion of experts to determine
whether the variations they propose are
acceptable to the department.
! On the face the bids were as follows:
| Bath Iron Works, Bath Me.-One boat,
departments plans, s653 900; two of same,
| $685., 300 each. Company's plans of hull and
| machinery (Parson's turbines), one boat,
s6O4.70O, or two of same, s5S43Oo each.
These boats were to be only $40 tons
| displacement.
| Newport News Shipbuilding company,
| Virginia-One boat. departments plans
for hull and machinery, $755,O00 Com
pany's machinery parsons turbines), and
departments hull, s6S5,0OO.
| New York Shipbuilding company, Cam
| den, n. J.-One boat, departments hull
and machinery, $4,000, or two of same,
$4,000 each. The same company also sub
mitted three different plans FIR the boat,
but each using Parsons turbines. the
price being s645, 900 for one boat or $624.O0O
| for two of the same.
| The Fore River Shipbuilding company.
| Quincy, Mass.-One boat. departments
hull but with Curtis turbines, $64S, 900.
| William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding
company. Phlladelphia-One boat, depart
ment's hull and bidders machinery Par-
sons turbines), s5S5.000, or two at $4,000
each. Another type, one boat, $4,000 or
| two at $575.000 each. Still another type,
| one boat 100000. or two at s5S5.000 each.
Lewis Nixon's Offer I
| Lewis Nixon, New York, submitted a.
bid in peculiar form. He recited the faet
| that he had not been able to secure the
blanks issued by the department to bid
ders in explanation of that fact. He pro-
| posed to construct thirty-knot boat 1.-TWO
| knots in excess of the speed required in
| the ADVERTISEMENT for the sum OF $685.
900. This boat was to be propelled by
gas engines, Sthe superiority of which
/ over steam engines or turbines was set
out in the bid together with the state
ment that crew of only nine men would
be required in the engine room to care
| for all the machinery, which they could
do without any strain whatever.
The bids have been referred to the board
on construction and it probably will be
several days before a decision can be
| announced.
| The new boats do not embody In their
designs any startling departures in naval
construction Indeed, in one sense the
designs appear to be reactionary for the
maximum speed required is placed at
| twenty Eight knots per hour, whereas
some of the boats constructed several
years ago were obliged to show trial
speed of over thirty knots. But, In fact,
| these twenty -eight-knot boats are ex-
pected to be much more serviceable craft
than the early types. They represent
several years experience in the hardest
| kind of torpedo boat drills and cruises,
| for our own little 1otillas have mace
world records in long-distance voyages.
| and their commanders invariably reported
| in favor of structural strength. stability
and coal endurance as against high speed
| So the effort of the naval designers IN
this case has been to plan type OF
boat that will have great sea-going
| power on a limited displacement OF NV
| tons. and to that end they were. quite
Willing to sacrifice the extra two KNOTS
which experience has shown could rarely
be realized in service condition, or any
where else than on a trial course
arNnn lNI0y @ nFkIEn