The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-03
KING OF THE WATERS.
Launching of the Cruiser New Ynrk--A
Magnificent Craft.

Launching of the Cruiser New Ynrk-A
Magnificent Craft.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1.-The new unitet
States armored cruiser New York was
launched this afternoon from tho yard oi
the Cramp Ship Building company in the
presence of 1900 spectators, among whom
were the secretaries of war, navy, treas
ury and interior departments, high naval
officers, United States senators and repre-
ssntatives and many representatives of the
business and professional mel from al!
parts of the country. Miss Helen Page,
daughter of Seaver Page. secretary of the
Union League club, of New York. broke the
traditional bottle of vino upon the great
steel ram of the cruiSsr, aa she slid from
her wooden cradle into the Delaware river,
and christenea her New York. For weeks
the Messrs. Cramp have been making prep
aration for to-day's launch. Th unusual
interest excited in tho construction of this
cruiser was by reason of the vessel marking
an era in the annals of American ship build
ing.
Through Secretary Tracy about 5000 in
yltatlons had been issued. President Har-
rison, Secretaries Blaine and Rusk, Gov.
Hill, Gov.-Eleet Flower, and Gov. Pattison
were forced to decline the Invitation owing
to the pressure OF business. When the
New York is finished she will be the most
~ ASt tD'SpA tAA1S itS OWL
flown the stars and stripes, and in addition
she is the most powerful eneined steamship
ever built outside of European shipsards.
If the design of the builders ia fulfilled.
there is nothing atoat to-day of her class
that will be able to engage with her with
any great hopes of victory. She is built
entirely of American material and from
American plans, and is IN American ship
in every respect. Although having no new
features, as far as her separate parts are
concerned, yet III the combination of these
parts into g ship the New York is really a
new design. Other nations have fast oruis-
ers, or commerce destroyera, whose maxi
mum sea speed is about seventeen and q
half knots an u which carry a fair sup
ply of coal, but whose batteries are COM
paratively light and which have no armor
to protect them from shot. The New York
is designed to destroy these cruisers as we'll
as the they would protect.
Ihe length of the New York is $50 feet,
6.25 inches; breadth sixty-four feet.
draught twenty-four feet, 1926 inches, and
500 tons. She is a twin
screw steamer, propelled by four separate
engines, each having a power of 4, 500 horses.
The propelling engines will develop a total
Of $4,000 horse power, and together witt; her
boilers and auxiliary machinery. will
weigh about 1900 tons. The sustained
speed will be nineteen knots and her trial
speed for four consecutive hours twenty
knots. This ship is fitted with Il steel pro-
deck which has Il fat top and slop-
ing sides. Ii is six inches thick on the sides
and three inches on top where it covers the
and boilers and two and one.half
inches thick IN other arts. 1t practically
divides the ship in two parts.
She will have six eight-inch breechload-
ng rifles of the most modesn type. The gun
leck battery will consist of twelve four
nch and six six-pounder rapid firing guns.
guns can fire, in Il given time, a
lumber of rounds than can be fired
rom an ordinary breech-loading cannon of
he same calibre. She also carries six tor
'edo tubes. Her complement of officers
md men will be 475. Her electric light
will have n capacity of 10, 600 ampetes
nd will include 1000 incandescent lights.
n addition she will have four powerful
earch-lights.