Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1837-08-19
TIE LAUNCH OF THE Pennsylvania.

Yesterday was a general jubilee for all ages and
sexes in Philadelphia Tho day was all that could
be desired. Most the stores, banks, and Offices
were closed before the time appointed for the launch,
and from an carly hour, the streets leading to the
Navy Yard presented continued stream of foot
passengers aud on,ibus5es, and other vehicles.
BY 2 O'Clock, the Yard, tho whalves and roofs of
houses in the ncighborhood, and tho various scat.
folds erected for tho purpose, filed with dense
masses spectators river was covered with craft of
all Sizes from the batteau to the largest steamboat,
filled with passengers, and their steamers flying:
while tho various club barges, with tho crews in
their neat uniforms, continued to give animation to
the scene. Tho southern point of tho island,
Kaighn's Point, and the jersey shore opposite the
Yard wcro also taken advantage of by those who
wished to avoid the crowd and the glare of the sun,
and presented n gay scene. II is impossible to
make any calculation oftlic number of spectators,
but they could not have been less thar fifty thou
sand, and they may have far exceeded that num-
| Der.
At ten minutes past O'Clock, the signal guns
were fred, drawing every eye 10 the ship-housc,
and mt ~ minutes past sho glided smoothly from
the stocks into her destined clement, and swung
gracefully round to her anchos, amid the roar Of az
| tillery and tho cheers Of the multitude.
| Tho fear of danger from the swell caused by so
large Il body entering the water, proved 10 be alto
gcthcr groundlcss, as it was scarcely perccptiblc.
| The Philadelphia Gazette furnishes a few par
ticuaIs respecting tho capacity ofthis vessel which
as thew seem to be matter Of public interest, wa
! have copied below. Tho Gazette says, that this
ship sis large enough to carry two thousand mon,
which is a larger number than the whole Americas
army that fought and gained tho battle Of Chip
pewa, and greater than tho population ola consih-
cradle sized county town. She is the burthen of
5000 tong, and could, if loaded with -four, carry
tho moderate cargo Of 10000 barrels enough tosup-
ply bread for $4,000 people FOR n whole year. She
is to carry l4O gins, 81 Founders, SO that every
timeshe discharges full broadside, she will dispose
of precisely tan Of bullets, 10 help to mako iron
pebbles for the bottom Of tho ocean, unless she hap
pens to hit the enemy. Sho will draw 70 rect d
water, and thus find it difficult 10 navigate III sEoal
rivers. One Other anchors, which is to De seen IN
tho yard, and which is said TO DO the largest ono
in tho world, weighs ,G97 pounds winch IS some
thing moro than five tons, and will require sonio
merry piping at the capstan to get il apeak' Her
water tanks nfe Of iron, mostly in tho snape OF
large chests. ca,nblo of holding from one 20 TWO
hundred gallons. but having proportiost o. mem
Of otncr sones ndaped TO fit round the SIDES Of tho
shin. so as to leave no spnce as happens WIN
The number is probably l5O, as lar as We Could
;moc from looking at il'cnl, as we did Day or TWO
s,ce ,mdor tho gnidnnco of some Of tho polite AMI
n,;yc officers stationed at tho ynrd.
"a fri.nd has just informed US that the largest
.ho, In tho British dock yard, at Portsmouth,. in
EIgsao, weiahcd something less than 10000 lbs, NJ
,tich time there wore on the stocks three slaips
ncnrly as large as the Pennsylvania. 49, a
''s''' Psnnsyl saiiirss,
Tho river is falling slowly, butts yetdasa
IL