The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-12
THE OCEANS BRIDE
Successful Launch Of the
Great Steamer st. Louis
At Cramps Yard.
CHRIsTENED WITH CHAMPAGNE
Mrs. Cleveland Is sponsor-Tw
five Thousand Spectators "A
Splendid Vessel.

DpIeHulu tOoSCls
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12, 1S94.-The
st. Louis was successfully launched at
1902 P. NJ Mrs. Cleveland christened the
vessel, using a bottle of champagne
Thus the first of the two steamships
built in this country for the Interna-
tion'al Navigation Company was launch
ed from the Cramps shipyard in the
presence of President Cleveland, members
of the Cabinet and a large throng OF
people Mrs. Cleveland stood sponsor
for the vessel, and christened it the
est Louis,'' after the Metropolis OF
Missouri.
Cramps shipyard is situated in the
centre of the great manufacturing dis
tricts of Kensington and Richmond.
Mills, factories and boundaries belt it
in, and the shipyard bears about the
| same relation to this industrial life as
the heart does to the human body. 1t
| is the centre of industry and thousands
| are directly sustained by it, and thou
sands more indirectly profit by it. Any
| thing of moment that happens at
| Cramps is of interest to the working
and launch is a veritable gala day.
A GREAT GATHERING.
| Early this morning a squad of police
| men roped off the streets leading down
| to the shipyard and then stationed them
selves to keep the expected crowd be-
| hind the lines. The launch was not to
take place until l o'clock, but by IL
groups of people began to gather be-
hind the ropes. AS the morning advanc-
ed these groups grew, until by 1890
solid line of people was massed before
the cleared spaces in the streets. The
most of the crowd was made up of work
ing people, and they were waiting for
the gates of the yard to be thrown open.
Directly facing the entrance gate, and
the most prominent object in the yard,
was the new ocean liner. Standing high
up in its wooden cradle, with its bow
facing inland and soaring hundred
feet in the air. truer idea OF the en-
ormous size of modern first-class ocean
passenger steamship could be obtained
| than when the vessel is af1oat and half
| her hull submerged in the water. AS
she stood on the stocks the steamship
was little more than a hull without masts,
| tunnels or deckhouses, and lacked the
majesty and beauty of a complete yes
sci, but her proportions and the sym
| metry of her lines satisfied the critical
| eye.
| Directly beneath the keel at the bow
was a stand built for the accommodation
| of the invited guests. Close by the main
stand was a smaller one for the represen-
| tatives of the press.
BUSY PREPARATIONS.
All the morning workmen were busy
about the steamship preparing her for
her baptismal dip into her native ele-
ment From the hollow sides of the
hull resounding blows from hammers
welded by brawny hands echoed, and
the sharp whirr of drills as they pierced
steel plates filled the air with a screech-
| ing noise. Underneath the keel other
workmen were spreading the contents of
several hundred barrels of grease upon
the ways, SO that when the time came
for the vessel to slip from the stocks it
might slide easily downward into the
water.
| Still other workmen were actively oc-
| cupied in knocking away the big wooden
| beams that had propped up the vessel
on either side and leaving her standing
on the DloCKS Oh the ways.
| The National flag floated from the bow
and string of flags of many nations
| were strung over the deck from stem to
sM-n
Although neither the International
Navigation Company nor the Cramps
sent out many invitations, still, as the
hour for the launch approached. several
hundred people were gathered on the
| guest stand. Prominent among them
was a delegation of st. Louis business
men, headed by Mayor Boyd of that
city, who had travelled from Missouri to
see their city,s namesake launched.
GUESTS ARRIVE.
| At 1890 o'clock the special train, hav-
| ing President, Mrs. Cleveland and their
party aboard, steamed slowly up to the
shipyard gate. Clement A. Griscom,
President of the International Naviga
ton Company, and Charles NJ Cramp,
President of the Cramp Shipbuildnig
Company, had boarded the Presidential
special before it arrived at the yard,
and they were the first to alight Henry
W. Crafnp, Secretary of the company,
and a number of others were in wait
ing, and they stepped forward and rails
ed their hats as Mrs. Cleveland fol-
lowed Mr.. Griscom and Mr.. Cramp from
the car. Mrs. Cleveland followed the
President, and took Mr.. Griscom's arm,
and Mr.. Cleveland walked beside Mr..
c. H. Cramp. The other members of
the Presidential party speedily alighted
from the cars, and fer few moments
salutations and introductions took place
Mr.. H. w Cramp presented Mrs
Cleveland and the other ladies of the
party with bunch of flowers, and then
the party walked into the yard and up
the incline to the stand. Right under
the keel q small platform had been rail-
ed off and in this Mrs. Cleveland, the
President, Mr.. Griscom and Mr.. Cramp
took their stand. After the christening
party had entered the yard the gates
were thrown open and the waiting crowd
thronged in. There was rush to find
points of vantage from which to view
the launch, and the ends of the piers
adjoining the place where the steam
ship stood were soon black with peo-
MA11ERs OF FACT