Show TO BUILD A CRUISER Bids Were Opened by the Secretary of the Navy Yesterday Washington April tBlds 1 Were opened In the once of the secretary of the navy today for the contract to build tho protected cruiser Milwaukee otherwise other-wise known as protected cruiser No 21 Secretary Long announced before the opening of the bids that should any belated bid reach the department which Is proved to have been held up on account ac-count of the slornis in the west it will be considered along with those opened today There were two bidders und three bids the Union Iron Works of San Francisco and Cramp Sons of Philadelphia the latter firm submitting two aeaarato royosals The bids were as follows Union IronWorks Iron-Works to complete a cruiser In thirty six irionths for 2 25000 according to the departments speclllcatlons Cramp Sonss proposal To build a cruiser of 9700 tons displacement and a speed of twenlythiee knots in thirtysix months for 2710000 This bid is peculiar pe-culiar in form A memorandum stales that it is impossible to build a ship of the speed and qualities required for less than 3OQO000 but the Cramps will take tho contract for a twentythree knot 0700ton cruiser for 27IOOOO which is about the total available sum at the disposal of the department on condition that the secretary will apply to congress fOlan appropriation of 300000 additional to bring the total up 1 to S3000000i A second bid submitted by Cramp in the event that the llrst proposal Is I rejected Is to build n smaller cruiser und a slower one namely SSOO tons and twentytwo knots speed in thirty four months for the 52710000 available avail-able As the Union Iron Works may bo allowed 4 1 per cent in the competition by reason of location on the Pacific coast their bid Is still within the funds available avail-able The bids were referred to the board of construction report |