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192 minimum and properly stated that they had. This consideration alone should have been sufficient grounds for re- jecting the German proposal. Oth- er paragraphs in the specifications made it necessary to prepare nu- merous actual drawings showing the sizes of the machinery in detail, even to the sizes of gears and shafts, without which it was stated that the proposals would be irregular. money to make plans of this nature, and the German bidders saved them- selves large portion of this expense. They did not detail their machinery as specified and this point was waived in their favor when the award was made. The specifications called for a long list of spare parts. The German bidders omit- tedthese in orderto give a lower price,and this point also was waived. It would, at least, be interesting to know why the canal com- mission holds such a ten- der regard for foreign en- gineering firms that it is willing to waive many im- portant points in the speci- fications covering one of its largest contracts. Keeping a Secret. The commission made an estimate itself as to what these cranes should cost and this figure was $850,- 000. Previous to the open- ing of bids, in order to be fair to all concerned, the estimate of the commis- sion was a secret. In view of this, the fact that the German bid comes within 3% per cent of the amount of money which the com- mission estimated it could spend on the job, is inter- esting, to say the least. One of the important reasons given by the com- mission for awarding this work to Germany was the earlier deliv- ery which was_ promised. Now as to the outcome of. this trans- action. The machines should have been completed during August, 1914. At the present time they are not finished and only one of the cranes, the Ajax, has been sufficiently completed to be tested. The Hercules is not yet in shape for a test. It remains to be seen whether the government will collect the penalty which was specified for delay in delivery. Also it should be pointed out that this delay has not been due to the war, inasmuch as the cranes were shipped prior to the outbreak of the conflict Or course, it cost a considerable sum of . THE MARINE REVIEW and are being completed at Panama, absolutely free from all interference of a military nature. What happened when the Ajax was tested now is well known. It was speci- fied that this crane should handle, in addition to the 250 tons at 62-foot reach, 100 tons at a reach of 82 feet, and to each of these loads 20 per cent should be added as a test of strength. Where was Factor of Safety? The maximum fiber strain permitted by the specifications should have al- lowed a factor of safety of over 3% with a load: ot 120 tons: at..82° feet. As a matter of fact the Ajax col- lapsed with the test load of 120 tons saat ss Se ceceeemmemmnnnesseees = fa es OR + THE CRANE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT at a reach of 81.6 feet, nearly half a foot less than the maximum called for under the test. The condition of the wreck is shown clearly in the ac- companying illustration. The stress developed in the, members’ which failed was said to be a little over one-third of what they should have withstood. No wonder the canal com- : mission has appointed a committee to investigate. How the Test Was Made The 100-ton weight prescribed in the test was represented by a huge block of concrete on the ends of which the exact weight in pounds were lettered. When the test on the lift of 120 tons was begun, rails were piled between supports which had May, 1915 been embedded in the concrete block. The block, together with the rails, had been lifted to a height of 3 or 4 feet from the ground when the boom of the crane collapsed. Parts of the steel frame which were bent and twist- ed will have to be replaced entirely; other parts can be used again. In view of the fact that new material cannot be obtained from Germany at present, the repairs undoubtedly will have to be fabricated in the United States, involving additional expense and delay. The damage has been es- timated all the way from $120,000 to $150,000 and it is expected that from four to six months will be required to. put the crane in working condition. If any stronger argument for the passage of a law absolute- ly prohibiting the purchase of supplies and equipment by the government outside of the United States is necessary, we would like to. know. what: it~ 1s: On what grounds of pub- He’ .polttey.< ean tis now infamous. transaction be defended? What would happen in Germany. where these very cranes were fab- ricated, if the imperial gov- ernment went outside of the fatherland for an im- portant item of naval equipment? Stupid Patriots It is high time indeed for the American people to wake up and realize that in many high positions in the government service we have men who are either too short-sighted or too stupid to understand the meaning of the word - patriotism. Consider also the tre- mendous losses that would ensue should one of these cranes fail while handling a lock gate, or other im- portant piece of canal equipment, resulting in a traffic blockade that might not be raised for days. The Reward of Courage William C. Redfield, secretary of commerce, in a recent interview, stat- ed: “All that now is necessary is. that American manufacturers have the vision to see and the courage to grasp: the opportunities offered.” We have given, above, the history of one trans- action in which an American manu- facturer had the vision to see and the courage to grasp. We also have detailed the results that followed. Need any more be said?