Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-08-18
CONTRACTS FOR
 NAVY MONSTERS
New American Battleships Will Out class the British Dreadnaught and Will not Be Built by Government Rival Yards in Building Race.

WASHINGTON, August 12.-Con tracts for the two 20,000-ton battle ships were completed yesterday between the navy department and representa- tives of the two shipbuilding companies which have been selected to build the monster American warships that will outclass the British Dreadnaught. Final exchanges of papers were made and signed by Acting Secretary Newberry, President Bowles of the Fore River Shipbuilding company and President Or eutt of the Newport News Shipbuild- ing company.
 While the award of contracts dates from July l, the completion of contract was dated August 6, from which date time will be marked against the ship building company to the extent of thirty-eight months, the limit within which the ships must be completed and ready for acceptance by the govern ment.
 Turbine in One Only
 Bids for these vessels were opened June 30 by Secretary Metcalf, and an nouncement of the award was made by him June 29. A number of legal and technical questions were involved, how ever, which consumed the five weeks of time. The Fore River company agreed to build one ship for $4,4S0, 900 on the department plans and specifications, with Curtis turbines. Only minor ques- tions as to arrangement of machinery were involved,
 The Newport News Shipbuilding com pany proposed to build one ship for $3,- 9S7 ,000, also with Curtis turbines, to comply with the department s require ments, but it developed that this com pany was not able to make arrange ments with the Fore River people for turbines of the Curtis type. The Newport News company also sub mitted bid for Parsons turbines, of their own make, which were rejected Other bids, on the builders plans, were finally decided upon, at the price named above
 Accordingly, one of the new ships will have turbine engines, while the other will have reciprocating engines, which is expected to demonstrate to the department the relative merits of he two types of machinery.
 Yards in Building Race
 The contracts bear the same date, partly in order that the companies may lave opportunity to demonstrate their in the matter of time in delivering the ships. It is expected hat pretty race will develop, which nay prove even more interesting than | he race between the government con ractors at the Brooklyn navy yard, | building the Connecticut, and the New 'ort News company, building her sister hip, the Louisiana.
 While the contract requires that both | he ships must be ready for acceptance y the government within thirty. eight | months from August 6, the Fore River ompany, in its bid, offered to deliver he ship within thirty-four and one-half months from the date of the contract. This, it is understood, is not looked pon favorably by the Newport News ompany, but the department, in con- luding the agreement, did rot bind the Tore River people to the shorter period f time.
 Of Delaware Type
 The vessels will be known officially s of the Delaware class, it having been ecided to give that name to the pro uct of the Newport News company. The other ship has not yet been named, ut it will probably be called the New 'ork, for New York state, and the essel bearing that name at present ill probably be renamed the Manhat- an. The vessels will carry tremen- ous armament and have speed of wenty-One knots an hour.