The Portland daily press., 1895-08-06
ST. CROIX AFLOAT.
One OF the Best LaunchingS Bath
Has Ever Seen.

| SHOWER VI fIoWerS-She Is NOW at tho
Portland Company's Wharf.
SIT was the prettiest launching I ever
saw said Bath man who has seen
many vessels slide down the ways into
the waters of the Kennebec. He referred
to tho launching of the new International
Line steamer st. Croix, which occurred
at noon yesterday at the yard of the New
England Shipbuilding company at Bath.
The st. Croix slid into the water at al
most exactly half past twelve the ap-
pointed time. hThe launch was wit
messed by large gathering of people, in
Guiding the party which went to Bath on
special train as guests of the Inter-
national line. The train left the Union
station at 10 O'Clock. 1t consisted of a
combination baggage and smoking car, a
passenger car and the private Car of Gen
eral Manager Tucker and was drawn by
Engine AZ. Conductor George L. Barbour
was in charge of the train and Engineer
Joseph Cook was at the throttle with
Fireman S. G. Smith to keep up the
steam. The party in the cars includedJacob
S. Winslow, president of the Internation-
al line, Mrs. Winslow and daughters John
B. Coyle, General Manager and Treasurer,
Mrs Coyle and Mr.. Philip Coyle; E. A.
Waldron, the lines general agent at Bos-
the ST. John agent; S ecretary W. E.
Holden and Mrs. Holden; Hon. Charles
f. Libby and George S. Hunt, Esq, of
the board of directors; Franklin G. Pay
son, president of the Portland company
James e. Greensmith, the general
Wilson Sprague, chief draughts man. and
Mrs Sprague. Others in the party were
Mr.. j. f. Liscomb of the Portland
Steam Packet company; Mrs. Liscomb,
Miss Liscomb, MIR. and Mrs. +. E.
Boothby, Oakley G. Curtis, Mrs. and
Mrs G. A. Hight, Mr.. and Mrs. J. E.
Blabon, Mr.. and Mrs c. W. T. Goding,
Collector J. W. Deering, Mr. John Spar
row, Mr.. S. T. Pickard, Mr. George B.
Bagley, Mr.. George E. Lefayor, Mr.. and
Mrs. Giles o. Bailey, Mr.. Il. A. Burke,
Mr.. ]. C. Cantwell, all of Portland; Mr.
Hodges of Boston, Mr.. S. S. Cahill of
Brunswick and others.
The Maine Central officials had kindly
consented to an arrangement by which
the train was stopped at a street crossing
only short distance from the New Eng
land yard. THE hour which passed be-
fore the launching was spent by the
visitors in admiring the ship, ne of the
finest steamers ever built in Maine. The
more venturesome climbed the ladders
and got on board, picking their way
through piles of lumber and coils of
cordage, to bow and stern from where
they could look over the city and down
into the busy shipyard where the work
men hustled about in the midst of the
groups of spectators. All the while came
the clang and thump of the mauls, or
hammers or whatever the implements
are called, as the workmen broke away
the blocks which held the vessel back
Then the cry went through the ship
'sLast chance to get ashore and after
that the little remaining scaffolding was
thrown down.
On a flag draped platform beneath the
bow of the ST. Croix stood President
Winslow, Miss Philena Winslow, who
christened the ship, and several other
young ladies. When finally the cry
"There she goes, and the skurrying of
the men away from the keel, announced
that the ST. Croix was moving, it was
hard to detect any motion in the hull.
There was no sound Of breaking timbers ;,
no sudden plunge down the ways The
st. Croix started deliberately and then
slid with rapidly increasing speed down
the ways The waters parted in two
white capped waves under her stern; her
bow dipped gracefully down and as if she
acknowledged the plaudits of the people
on the shore; and then she sped far out
into the river. As the ST. Croix began
to move, Miss Winslow, instead of break
ing the traditional bottle of wine set free
the flowers in a great bouquet which fell
in bright hued shower around the
vessels bow.
Before the ST. Croix was cut loose, a
hawser had been run from her deck to
the tug Seguin. AS the steamer backed
into the stream, tho tug strained on the
hawser and slowly the St. Croix came to
a standstill. Then her head was swung
around and the vessel started for Port
land in tow of the tug. She arrived here
early last evening. Here her boilers and
engines built for her by the Portland
company will be put in place. The
machinery is as fine as any of the kind
ever constructed in New England, and is
a credit to the Portland company. The
steamer will be ready to go into COM
mission on the first of next November. 1t
is too early yet to say who her officers
will be-
The visitors were entertained at lunch
by the New England company after the
launching. Gen. T. W. Hyde, I. S.
Coombs, G. H. Mcclellan and Fl. W
Swanton of the company acted as hosts
They received many compliments upon
the success of the launch and the beauty
of their latest product of the yard. The
special train with the Portland party left