Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-06-30
LAUNCHING A BATTLESHIP.
low An English War veHei Was Give
to Nept une.


to Neptun
A launch recently took place upon
the Clyde, which the London Times de-
scribcs as zone OF the most interesting
and exciting Of modern times" The
vessel was the Families, an immense
steel battlcship three hundred and
eighty fcct long and weighing many
thousands OF tons MS she rested on tho
ways, without her armament and much
Of her machinery She had been built
Mt an open air slip, and close by stood
large grandstand, erected and gaily
decorated for visitors. The great YES
sel herself was n-fluttcr with flags from
stem to stern. A band was playing
patriotic airs, and an eager crowd
swnrmed about the shipyards, filled
with excitement and expectation which
rose 10 the highest point AS the APP
pointed hour approached.
The moment came; n hush fell upon
the multitude, and the chaplain of the
clyde guardship stepped forward and
read the launching service. Then the
dog,horcs were knocked away, and the
crowd, In brcathlcss sill cnce, waited.
hut the vessel did not stir. The incline
was too slight and her weight too cnor-
nous She could not start without as
sistancc
A powerful hydraulic ram was
brought into rcquisit ion, and after
some time II became apparent that the
Families had moved very little, and
was yet moving, ut pace Of about an
inch minute At that rate IL would
tako her three days and thrcc nights
to reach the water.
other means must he found II she was
Ia he launched that day. Her builders
Ind some Of the chief worltincn went
down beneath her 10 see II she could be
assisted from below. lluwscrs were
taken out 10 tugs in the river, which
tried 10 tow her of. WorlSmcn were
mRsscd In large bodies on her decks
and hidden 10 run violently up and
down. The crowd even SO their hands
and shoulders 10 her sides, and thrust
ing all together, attempted 10 push her
from her place
OF these efforts only one had any ef-
feet. The pulling Of the tugs did
quicken her little, though 40 slightly
that the motion was not one which
could bo followed by the eye. A change
in their position was effected with Il
better result. Still she could not be
seen To move, and tho tide, meantime,
had reached It's height and begun TO
cbb.
At last all hope Of seeing her launched
until the next day was abandoned. The
disappointed crowd struggled away;
the invited guests went TO II luncheon
given by the builders; even the must
clans put up their instruments and de-
parted. Not twenty people besides the
worlSmen remained, when II was OBJ
served that the motion Of the vast hull
had become perc eptiblc 10 the eye II
increased; II increased more rapidly; II
became swlftcr and swifter.
At length, amid the cheers Of tho
lookers-on, the great battlcship, with a
magnificent smooth rush, took the
water, brensting the Clyde MS easily as
duck, crossing nearly 10 the opposite
shore before she could I've stopped, and
raising large waves In her passage,
upon which the other vessels In the
river rocked and tossed AS " at sea.
The sight rs, after the unprecedented
time OF an hour an d half Of contin-
uous motion, she successfully took the
stream, was most impressive, Her
eight chain cables tautencd like eight
steel bars and seemed ms II they must
snap; holding they dragged their eight
huge anchors, each weighted with ten
tons Of steel and iron and deeply i'm
bcdded In the earth, for distances vary
ing from twenty to seventy yards.
Such Is the mighty Families In her
unarmed and harmless infancy. Let NJ
hope that she may never be called upon
TO demonstrate her power more destruc'
lively when sho is older and has cut
her teeth. Companion.