The New York herald., 1921-12-31
$5,595,OOO LOW BID
TO REFIT LEVIATHAN
Newport News Co. Offer Sur
prisingly Moderate to Ship
Board Men.

Eventual reconditioning or the giant
liner Leviathan became almost a GER
tainty yesterday when bids on the work
submitted at the invitation of the Ship
ping Board were opened in the office
or w. II. Gibbs, official custodian OF
the ship and chief OF construction for
the International Mercantile Marine
Company, 8 Broadway. The Newport
News ShipbuildlnG and DRY Dock Corn
pany entered bid OF $5.595.000 TO cover
the rebuilding OF the interior OF the
vessel and one OF $500 for repairs TO
the machinery.
On third set OF specifications, cover
ing stewards supplies John Wanamalser
had the lowest complete bid, s5s1 SOC. 80.
The entire cost, therefore. OF making
Ihe(ship ready for passenger service, on
the basis of the lowest bids received
yesterday. would be So. 1857 .303.20. Second
lowest bids on the construction and re-
pair specifications, s7,357.924 and S5S2, $50,
were submitted by the T:etjen & ang
Drydocls Company Hoboken. The other
bids ranged about S10.000.00O.
The eighty or more shipbuilders and
slipping men assembled for the opening
Of bids were frankly astonished at the
figure quoted by the Newport News
organization. Predictions had been
freely made that the total cost of recon-
ditioning would not less than S9060,0Oo
The low figure quoted made recondition-
ing entirely practicable. it was held.
Joseph b. Powell, general manager OF
the Emergency Fleet Corporation. was
in attendance. Chairman A. D. Lasker
of the Shipping Board was detained in
Washington. Mr.. Powell indicated
clearly that only lack OF funds would
prevent the Government from awarding
a contract that would make OF the
Leviathan a supership and add her. to
the American passenger fleet.
THE bids were entirely satisfactory
al. were very low." Mr.. Powell said.
The term general specifications"
used to cover part Of the work OF recon-
ditioning the liner caused some con-
fusion yesterday, as 1t was not generally
understood that the repair work on the
machinery and the supplying OF the
stewards department were entirely sepa-
rate from the general Specifications and
ought to be added to them in order to
ascertain the total cost of recondition-
ing.
Bids on general specifications, cover
ing reconstruction OF the ships interior.
were as follows: Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Company of
Newport News. Va, $685., 900; Tietjen
&c Lang Dry Dock Company. s7.357,924;
Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company,
Brooklyn. $S,497.00o; James Shewan &
Sons. Brooklyn, s9.374.000 New York
Harbor Dry Dock Corporation, $lO1SO,-
400; Standard Shipbuilding Corporation,
S10.192.675 Warwick Machine Works,
Newport News. Va. s10.350.61s. The
Newport Shipbui'ding and Supply Com
yany Of Wilmington, n. c.. excluded oil
burning installation and refurnshing
and redecorating from its bid of s5,sS8,-
$50.
Bids on the specifications covering re-
pairs to the machinery We're as follows
Newport News Shipbuiiding and Dry
dock Com~any. s5l5.000: Tietjen &
Lang. s532.65 Morse Dry Dock and
Repair Company. s692200 James She
wan q Sons, S725.o00 New York Har-
Dor Dry Dock CORPORATION. s766.Tl4:
Standard Shipbuilding Corporation,
S923772; Warwick Machine Works,
s629.s3l.
Bids on the specifications for the
stewards department were: John Wanna
maker. $5S7. 7.30320: Newpor. News Ship
building and Dry Dock Company, ss77.-
600; American Purchasing Company,
S672.7700i: Cornell Emory Company,
S739.736.9G. Several bids on part of the
specifications were also turned in. in
cluding one from Gin1bels OF S539. .O66.66.
which excluded books for the ships IL
brary. Mr.. Gibbs said this bid was lower
than Wanamaker's on the specifica tons
covered and would undoubtedly be con-
sidere1 By the Shipping Board in ac-
cordance with its policy OF giving the
lowest bidder the first chance.
The same period OF time was covered
by all the bids on general specifications.
AS had been required by the Shipping
Board. all bidders agreed to do the work
between January 10, 1922. and March 15,
1928.
The ship will be slightly speedier. Mr..
Gibbs said yesterday. than she was be-
fore the war. OIL burning apparatus, hs
said. ought to give her speed of twen-
ty-five knots easily, which was the best
she ever attained during her pre-war
days.