The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-11
CRUISER CINCINNATI LAUNCHED.
Miss Mosby Broke the Customary Bottle Of
Wine and the Vessel Slid Into the Water.

MAYNARD, BROOKLYN. Nov. 10.-Just
why of all days in the year, after long
spell of blue skies. the rain should come
down and the cold northw winds should
whistle about the hayward when the
launching of the new United States cruiser
Cincinnati was to take place. naval officers
want the Agricultural Department to ex-
plain. Every one. from Commodore Henry
Erben. commandant of the yard. down to
the humblest marine was disappointed
when he turned out this morning. But all
hands made the best of the conditions,
and began giving the cru User her final
touches. The new cruiser from stem to
stern was decorated with flags At the
bow O gIand-stand had been erected. 1t
had been found necessary. owing 10 the
rain, to cover this stand with canvas.
The usual number OF war ships in
the basin made the scene addition.
ally attractive. The list included
the new cruisers Philadelphia and
Atlanta the double-turreted monitor Mian-
tonomoh. the dy Mantle cruiser yesuvius,
the dispatch vessel Dolphin, the training
ship Portsmouth aud the Giovanni Bau-
san, the Italian cruiser which represented
Italy In the late Columbus ietes in New
York. The landing was witnessed BY Sec
rotary OF the Navy Tracy and host
of naval officers and public men. Soon
after 2:ll p NJ. the word was given by the
Secretary of the Navy. the side-piece was
cut and the handsome cruiser commenced
to move. Miss Stella Mosby, q daughter of
Mayor Mostly, of Cincinnati, stepped up
with bottle of wine wrapped In n NINA
ture dag in her right hand, and, uttering
tha words appropriate to the occasion,
gracefully smashed the bottle on the YES
sells steel bow. The vessel bid down the
ways with increasing momentum. While
the band played THE Star-spangled Ban
ner" she shot out into the stream almost as
far as the 0ld Vermont. which lay near the
cobb dock. She was then taken in charge
by the navy-yard tugs, and towed buck to
the wharf.
The Cincinnati is twin steel protected
cruiser. having length of three hundred
feet on the water line. an extreme breadth
of forty-two feet, O mean draft OF eighteen
feet and displacement OF 3,163 tons. Her
construction was authorized by the act of
Sept. z, 1883, which prescribed limit of
81. 100. GOO as the cost of her hull and ma
chrnery, but her keel was not laid until
1880. She will have steel screw. ex pansion
engines of 10000 indicated horsepower,
with steam pressure Of l6O pounds The
coal supply at normal draught will be four
hundred tons. but the total capacity 10 675
tons. That will enable her to steam 500
miles at full power. The ornaments of the
cruiser will consist in the main battery
OF one sixteen-inch breech- loading rifle,
mounted OH the f0recastlc. training through
an arc of twenty-five degrees, and ten five
inch rapid-iire guns two of them mounted
aft and the other eight on the gun deck in
Sponsors. The secondary battery will con-
sist of eight six-pounder ana four one
FOUNDER rapid-firiDg guns and two Cat
llngs. the latter mounted on the tops.
There will also be SIX above-wate torpedo
tubes, of which those ahead and astern are
fixed. while the others are training tubes
The coming tower will be two inches
thick. In lighting, ventilation, drainage.
etc.. the Cincinnati will DO better of than
most of the recently constructed cruisers.