The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-09-22
Launch or the Russian F'r1gate General Adj
rrSsrnl.


The launch Of the colossal Russian rgate General Ad
mra, SO long expected by Ono public large took place
yesterday morning the presence Of immense
bagc Of the fashion, tho beauty and the intelligence Of
Gotham. The ship yard Of Mr.. William H. Webb At the
extremity Of Sixth street, East river from early hour
In the morning. the OF excitement for every
whose time and opportunity would permit visit 70 the
centre Of attraction The iact that shpbulder Of the
great United States had been selected from among tho
great mass of the shpbuiders Of the world the arch
ect Of mammoth vessel 10 contend with the battle and
the breeze in the Imperial navy Of the Northern
crat was in itself sufficient TO act the minds
Of . discriminating people; but coupled with this
was generally allowed to be the largest construction Of
he kind completely built Of WOOD that is to be found ia
interest to the scene Tho East broadway and Dry Dock
tages had no reason 70 compain--however much the
horses might have felt the weight OF their responsibility
or every one Of these vehicles travelling 70 tho vicinity
OF the ship yard were Oiled 70 rcpeton The East river
for some time past has not presented active and
sizes and shapes harryirg fro and wherever
the eye could scan the vafeated flags OF the nations Of
the world were to be seen aatering in the morning
breeze. All the vessels around the dock gayiy
dressed in bunting and the st. Louis, United States mail
steamer, was decked in tags from stem to stern.
~ is not our dcsgnas indeed IL Is not province
here to trace the rise and progress OF ship budng the
wonderful art by which men navigate the bouhdless
Those who wish 70 indulge in these "reminiscences
may crafty their curiosity TO the fullest extent IN the
pages Of the immortal Grotus, aud tho thousand and
one writers ON the subject both in times ancient and
modern. But occasion like thsso full of pride
and honor for Amcrca-wheI the eyes Of thousands
resting on the finest and largest wooden vessel that
hoaed on the bosom OF Old 0ceau-from the days when
the crude ark Noah tossed by the tempcstuos bill
lows OF inundated world these progressive days
Of human prowess and scientific achievcments-the re-
hectve mind cannot but take brief retrospective Wow Of
the past II the venerable poets Of ancient Greece and
Rome could in their days have been permitted TO
see srch leyiahan Of the Deep the creation Of man,
/ branches mOnarChs
forest, "what thoughts that breathe and words that
burn would they have conveyed 70 their parchnens
for the instruction OF distant posterity2 If the crazy
structures OF those early times could have called forth the
warm appreciation Of Horace, Virgil and Juvenal,
what would these ancient hcrcs Of have said could
they have this huge monster OF the deep9 Well did
one OF the ancients say, "1Difora n,tdilur z
tdHr IN % for the changes that have come over, not
only "the spirit the dreams but over the substantial
reality Of the affairs Of men, indeed worthy Of being
chronced in the archives Of the present for the nsruc
tion Of coming generations. The nineteenth century
OF the Christian era is as redolent Of wonders
the spring rose is of odors. Witness the great
tTiumphs OF science that have followed with the
speed Of eagles wings upon the other On casting
the glance Of thought the records Of the past
struck with wonder and anazement. We scc AZ IL
were in the hoary vista Of dim antiquity, the fragile
ship ef the Argcnaat accompanying Jason to Cochs
his daring expedtonso long ago as an seventy nine
years before the taking Of Troyn attempt to
the fabled Golden Fleece But what the little bark
Argos to the great frgae launched yesterday Ccrcs
in its own day and generation the former considered
tho pride OF the ancens, with s nifty and prov
from the forest Of Dodona by Minerva, II could not
fan TO attract the wondering gaze Of blndly
suorsttous crowd And, apart from the voyage Of Deu
Gallon celebrated by Ovid in his sMeiamorpLoscsr y this
famed Argos held 10 DO the fIst ship that ever
sailed the sea- In view of all these facts the ancient
poets might well have celebrated this great event and
the then wonderful vessel might, with peculiar pride,
have been drawn around TO be consecrated as the "bde
of the sea-
But what we're all these ancient efforts Of an nfantle
navigation the fully developed wonders Of daysS
Did the time permit could more fully compare the IN
yenous of the past with the wonders Of the present
But every intellectual man knows these ,.ngs per
There is one fact which must not DO lost sight ~ The
General Admiral Is American built Russian ship. The
fact " significant. Had u not been for tho sangunary
which desoated tho homes Of Russia OF England
have been buiit here The old prestige o Europo would
still have prevailed, though II could bear comparison
with tho young vitality Of America. The construction
this pioneer OF Rgsan ships also shows .ha
nc sprl q Peter ins nr,as % san snnlaiss 40
The great Peters fcndcst wish was to mako
Russia powerful naval emporium. Tho whole scope of
the history Of Russia demonstrates this; for from tho
tine that the Northern Empire under the dominion
cf the TaraTs until forced from their rulc by Imam
IN the Thirteenth century, and throughout the rule
subsequent monarchs, nothing that worthy of hstor
cal remembrance done for the settlement and
consolidation Of the empire, either In military naval
II reserved for Peter the Great, during the
forty years OF his reign do for the estab-
ment Of the empire than ever done 10y any of the
monarchs who preceded him.
And well has Alexander, the OF the Gdomitablo
Nicholas and scion Of tns ancient house, sustained the
fame Of the Emperors ot ''ai the Rassiaa.n Hs has
given a "woodcn wai of American construction 10 tho
empire sucb as Il has never seen before The Emperor
has done honor not only To tho spirit Of this progressive
age but 80 the names 81 his n s.ectng Amcr
artsans and American enterprise 20 construct ship
that shall
Tread the oozc of The sal, deep,
when The earth's baked with frost"
But We must drop the reflective 10 proceed with our
more sober descriptive duties.
AT twenty minutes pas, eight O'Clock the ways were
cleared and amid the shouts of tho assembled thousands
se General 9 H. admiral slowly and steadily sed INTO the
slightly checked by admirable oontrivance of Mr..
Humans, which consisted In "drag' formed by
n IRON chain formed into ioops weighing nearly nine
thousand pounds This attached 10 q cablc Of forty
Eve feet length and the moment tho vessel oaicd tho
drag" let go and tended the further pro.
gress of the rgaie. The steamers W. n. Webb and
Achilles were soon around aud hugged their
lanon ss close a. possible she VAS then towcd 20 the
deck, whore nearly 600 people discbarkcd After
ing her FIRST yo cargo" tho General Admiral proceeed
70 the dock az the cot of the yard from vhcnce SHE will
be tascn 10 tho Novelty Iron Works, wharo her motor
machinery will be axed Among those present obsorv.
ed Captain Hudson, late of tho Niagara Mr. Augustus
NJ pero,,bcck and tte Gentlemen ,,aebe 4, Iba cons"I
ate. The General Admiral galiy dressed with Kus
sian end American naval and national as and presented
really beautiful appearance IN the water
We sometime ago published description of this vcssol
which prepared with siderable for the figRAiD
many of the leading points q which rcproiucc.
anniversary OF the Grand Dukc Constantines birth.
Gay), by tho Russian Minister and number Of Rms.
sons, and u " expected TIM, shc wll b. completed
BY next October. Tho model i what called the long,
poop cutwatcr, short forccastle deck. She is ex
pccicd 70 attain speed 0G "a knots under sai and
her draught Of water will not excccd rs fcct Her al
mctHsous arc.-cngth spar deck 307 feet; BREADTH
% eet, length all, abcnt Sl5 feet depth ~ spar
deck atout "a feet She pierced with ~ side ports and
stern ports on lower deck and ~ sde ports and large
ports Forward, AMI large ports ait spar dcck Her
armament viii consist o 40 she'll guns of arge caibrc
gun deck aad 20 long guns and pivot guns q tho largest
size On Ter spar deck.
Tho ship buit of Nhlte oak Tier keel - composed of
two pieces, laid with curve of inches ~ lcnrth
sdng ~ inches and moulding 2T inches IN addition to
which there false cllstcnCd with copper The stern
sides 10 inches and moulded at bead 10 70 III inches az
heel 20 10 30 inches fastened With copper THE apron IS
81 live OAK, sided is inches. Tho hawse tmbers and
bghtheads also Of live oak Tho rudicr post
sided ~ inches AZ keel and moulded az keel rs 20
70 inches. Tho propeller post Ia composed NJ white
OAK, siding 10 inches-the uuer post uf live oak
also extending from the keel the uppct side of the
gnu deck beams, SIDED fore aud az 10 70 IS nches and
sided AZ propeller hole 20 inchcs The keel stem
and stern frame are thoroughly ceaged and fastened