Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1896-02-05
THE HELENA Is AFLOAT
The Warship Slid Gracefully
Down the Ways.
A MONTANA GIRL NAMED IT
Intended TO Protect American Interests
nj places Where the Larger War
ships Cannot Steam.

Newport News. Va. Jan. 30.--The
third warship constructed by private
also the largest merchant steamer
built in this country with the exception
of the two American transatlantic
liners built by the Cramps Were
launched successfully here by the New
port News Ship Building Company at
high tide this morning in the presence
of a distinguished party from Wash
ington, members of the house naval
affairs committee Admiral Brown, com
manding the Norfolk navy yards, and
5000 people from adjacent towns. There
We're also representatives of Admiral
Bunces great fleet in Hampton Roads,
Senators Carter and Mantle of Mon
tana, Assistant Secretary McAdoo, who
represented the navy department in the
absence of Secretary Herbert.
Adding to the spectacular effect pro-
duced by the steamers and sailing yes
sells gathered for the occasion was the
battleship Indiana, which came up
from Fort Monroe this morning to coal
pending departure for Port Royal. Both
vessels are the finest type of their class
ever turned out by this yard, which
soon begins its construction of the
mammoth battleshps Kentucky and
Kearsarge, authorized by the last CON
gress. In order to take advantage of
the flood tide the launch of the vessels
took place before II o'clock, one follow
ing the other as fast as the worlSmen
could knock away the slaves.
The first To take the water was the
merchant vessel, whose name had been
kept secret until she began to slide
| down the ways, when Miss Nellie Sell
| bridge of Boston broke the usual bottle
| of wine and christened her Grand
| Duchess" AS the stern of the great
| hun caught the water the shrill whistles
! of steamers gave greetings, while thou
sands Of people showed their apprecia-
! ton by prolonged cheers for the New
port News Ship Building Yards and c.
| r. Huntington, as its founder. What
| route the new vessel is intended for has
not yet been announced.
Thirty minutes after the Grand Ouch
ess had been towed out Of the way the
| Warship Helena was ready to take her
natural element. With slight hesita-
tion due to the lack of sufficient tallow.
! but with stately precision, she glided
| into the James river as Miss Agnes Bell
| Steele, daughter Of Mayor Steele Of Hell
! ena, smashed the champagne bottle
and named her in honor of Montanas 5
| capital city. Senators Carter and Man
| tie, Mayor Steele and party of Is from
! Montana, Captain Glass of the Texas
! and Admiral Brown We're on the plat
form. The Indiana greeted the new ad-
! dition to the service with deep blasts
| from her steam whistle The tugs and
| other ships added to the din.
! At the conclusion OF the clremones
! President Orcut entertained the visitors
at a banquet, where the ships and com
| pany were toasted by senators, repre-
| sentatives and others The keels of the
new battleships win be laid near the
spot where the two ships were launched
today. This evening the Washington
visitors returned home.
The gunboat Helena is one of two
ships of peculiar design built for the
navy by the Newport News company
her sister ship, the Wilmington, having
been launched last October. The pur-
pose was to secure an efficient type Of
vessel for the navigation of shallow
and shifting rivers, such as are found
in China, which might still possess sea
going qualities sufficient to ensure saft
passage from the United States to for.
eign stations and also to enable them tc
be used in carrying the United States
dag into the many ports of South anG
Central America which are now mac.
cessible to our warships owing to shoa
water.
So the Helena, when complete, with
all stores aboard, will draw only nine
feet of water, and while not a battle
ship In the sense Of not possessing ar.
NOR and big guns, viii carry eight four.
inch rifes-guns quite large enough tc
meet anything short of armored craft
and heavy fortifcations-and number
of smaller machine guns, 50 mounted as
To afford an extremely destructive fire
upon mobs or troops on shore, or q
boarding party.
The Helena is $50 feet inches long by
20 feet / inch beam, with a speed of /,
knots, and will carry 10 officers ant
men.
The Grand Duchess is a merchan
ship built for the Plant line and des
tined to run between Tampa and tn,
Bahamas.