Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-06-08
EDITION,
THE AMPHITRITE.


The Launch Yesterday Afternoon
At precisely twenty-one minutes at
ter two. o'clock yesterday afternoon,
the immense hull of the double turret
monitor Amphitrite commenced slow
~ to move from her ways at the yards
of the Harlan IL HOllingsworth Com
pany, and in less than one minute shot
out in the Christiaha and tioated up the
stream.
When everything was ready to
knock away the last stay, Miss Nellie
Benson, daughter Of Captain N. r.
Benson, took position at the bow OF
the vessel with a bottle of wine deco.
rated with red, white and blue ribbons
in her hand, and AS the vessel touched
the water the young lady broke the
bottle over the bow and christened her
the Amphitrite.
The speed of the vessel was checked
by an immense hawser, and she was
afterwards brought back to the Com
pany's wharf. Secretary Chandler,
Senator Hawley and several other gen
tlemen occupied positions on the upper
deck of the Brazilian steamer San ia
cinto, and had a good view of the pro-
ceedings.
In addition to the Secretary of the
Navy and Senator Hawley, the follow
ing prominent officials from Washing.
ton were present
Philip Hickborn, Superintendent
Naval Construction II. b. Wilson,
Chief Constructor William H Shock,
Engineer in Chief of the Bureau OF
Steam Engineers : T. l.. Ferna!l, Naval
Constructor, and Chief Engineer Hem
derson of the Naval Advisory Board;
Chief Engineer, G. H. Loring, George
Il. johnson anu McElwee and Secretary
Chambers private Secretary. john
Fowler, superintendent" OF itohctl .,!in.
yard, and II. &. Shoe. II Of ! n.,,"'
Shock, both from Ch., -, N,- also
present, besides large number ot proIni-
nent Wilmingtonians.
The launch WAS superintendent by
George +. Young, assisted by large
corps of men. Secretary Chandler waited
ed them closely while the props were
being knocked away, and showed great
interest in the proceedings.
After the launch the guests from
Washington, with the President and
Vice President of the Harlan ~ Hol-
lingsworth Company proceeded to the
Clayton House, where arrangements
had been made for their reception. AZ
ter the party had partaken Of refresh
ments and the table was cleared, SeCre-
rotary Chandler made a speech in
which he referred to the condition in
which he found the three iron clads
that were lying unfinished in as many
different yards on the Atlantic coast.
Although their construction had been
ordered years ago, work was suspended
and nothing was done on them since
1877, until within the past year.
The first thing, he thought, to be
asCertained was if the monitors would
float, as there had been many contro-
versies on the matter, but they he hoped
were all put at rest now, as the mont
tors were all launched and not only
float, but the displacement of each does
not vary one inch from the calculations
previously made, which conclusively
proved that the original designs had
been faithfully carried out
He concluded by saying there is no
evidence whatever that the contracts of
March, 1877, were not fair or reasonable
in price 1t was decided to put an end
to all the discussion, to place the whole
matter squarely before Congress as a
new question, and that body has deci-
dei that the vessels shall be completed.
The contractors now stand without a
particle of blame attached to them for
the long delay, and they met the depart
ment more than half way The boats
are now no longer by-word and re-
proach to the nation. propose as a
toast, The Success of the Harlan &
Holigsworth Company.
Mr. j. T. Cause called on Senate or
Hawley to respond in behalf of the
Company The Senator said that he
did not propose to enter into any dis
cusSion upon the subject of the United
States Navy at such a time, social
and informal lunch. He would, how
ever, say that the nay was reproach
to the country, and he would put him
self down squarelv in favor Of increas-
ing the number of vessels 50 that we
would have navy which would not
| be something to laugh at. Many
people, he said, argued that there was
no necessity of a powerful navy, that
that IA war was impossible. He did not
agree with such ideas.