The herald., 1896-01-31
IHE NEW NARSHIP HELENA
Takes to the Water at Newport
News
A COMMERCIAL COMPANION
Is Third ig Size Among American
Merchantmen
The War Vessel Is Heavily Armed. but In :
tended for the Navigation OF
Shallow Waters
Associated Press sneclal Wire.


third warship constructed by private
southern shipyard since the war. and also
the largest merchant steamer builr in this
country with the exception of two Ameri-
can transa lantic liners built by Cramps,
were launched successfully here by the
Newport News Snpbuildiug company at
high tide this morning, in the presence of
distinguished party from Washington,
members Of the house naval affairs COM
! mittee, Admiral Brown, commanding the
Norf Tx navy yard, and 5000 people from
adjacent towns There were present also
representa- ives from Admiral Bruce's
great fleet in the Hampton Road, Senators
Carter and Mantle of M MontaDa, and AS
| sstant Secretary McAdoo, who repre-
sented the navy department, in the ab-
| sence o Secretary Herbert,
Adding to the spectacular effect produced
by The steamers an sailing vessels gath
cred for the occasion was the batileship
| Indiana. which came UP from Fort MoUroe
TINS morning to load coal, pending her de-
pariure for Port Royal.
| Both vessels are the finest type of their
class ever turned out by this yard. which
soon be lins the constiuc ion of the man.
moh battleship5 Ken ucky and kearsarge,
authorized by the last congress. In order
to take advantage Of the Il isod tide, tue
| launch of the vessels took place before ]
o'clock, one following the otler AS fas as
| the workmen could knock away the shores
and wedge uD the keel.
The first to take the water was The mo-
chant vessel, whose name had baen kept a
secret until she began to slide down The
ways, when Miss Nellie 5. Eidridge OF rs
ton broke the usual bottle of wine and
chrIstened her Grand Duchesse. AS ;he
the shriii whistle of the steamers gave
greeting, while thousands of people shouted
appreciation by y olonged cheets for TIE
Newport News shpbuilding yard aud .. p.
Hunting on, as its foupdar. WnAt route
the new vessel is in eddsd for has not yet
been announced, I'll rty minutes after
the Grand Duchesse had been towed out of
the way the warshp Helena was ready.
With a slight hesitation. due ia lack of
sufficient tsllow. and with stately pre-
cislon, she giCied off into the jams Miss
Agnes Belle Steele, daughter of Mavor
! Steeis CT Helena, smashed champagne
bottle and named her in honor of Mon
tana's capital ci'y. Senator'S Carter and
| Mantie, Mayor 81 ele and party Of eighteen
! from Montana, Captain Glass OF Texas
and Admiral Brown were on the pi aticrm.
| The Ind ana greeted the new addition to
! the service with a deep blast from her
! steam whistle. Tugs and other shi ,iS
added to he din. A. the couclu ion of the
ceremonies. Pre- ident Orcutt entertained
the visitors at n banquef, where the ships
and company were toasted by senators,
representatives and others.
The gunbott Helena is one of the two
shi,s of peculiar design built for the navy
by the Newpo News company, her sister
ship, The Wilmington, having bt EN- launch-
ed last October. The purpose was to Sc
cure an efficient type of vessel for the We
igation of shallow and shifting rivers, such
as are found in China, which might still
possess seagoing qualities sufficient to in
sure safe passage from the United states
to foreign stations and also enable them to
be used in carrying the United States flag
into the many ports of South and Central
America, which are now inaccessible to our
Warships owing to shoal water. So, the
Helena, when completed, with all sto res
aboard. will draw only nine feet of wa'cr,
and may 90 where any schooner able 10
navigate the seas can enter, and while not
| batileship in the sense of not
possessing armor and big guns, will carry
eight four-inch rifles, guns quite large
enough 10 meet any ything short of arm ,red
Graf and heavy Notifications, and a num-
! ber of smaller machine guns, so mounted
| as to form an extremely destructive fire
| upon mobS or troops on shore. To enable
| the Helena to make mp and dowrsnarrow,
| crooked channels, she has double rudders,
| giving great turning power, and these are
| so shielded that The $ ern may be run into
soft bank and the bow swept around by
| the current, as is customary in some of
our Florida rivers. TO give the screws
| sufficient water to work in and at The
same time to protect them from snags and
| drift in the freshet streams, they are
| pl ced in two tunnels worked in the bot
tom of the boat. The general lines of the
| boa above water are broad. aud this re-
| suits in giving much more Than the usual
| allotment OF space for berihng, so
that the boat will be peculiarly
! fltted for service in the trop-
les and will also be able to give
refuge to many people IN time of stress.
| There will be TO sails upon this vessel and
| her one mast is a sreei tube, large enough
| to permit of spiral staircase inside, Civ
| ing access from the deck to the Iop. where
| fonr machine guns are placed to sweep the
| shores, and the steamers men may sit in
safety and look clear over the narrow
| bends in Chinese rivers.
The Helena if $50 feet 0 inches long by
| 40 feet l inch broad, with a speed of
! thirteen kno and will carry 40 off ,ers
| and men. She is built of steel throughout,
| and is launched just TWO years after the
award of tue contract for building her, to
the Newport News Shipbulding company
at $3.50 900. although the appropriation
| for the ship was not to exceed $4,000
| In her constructio every device calculated
! 10 give efficiency and comfort has been
| placed. She has double bottom, az &
guard against collision and groundings,
and is believed to be a model gunboat for
| the special service she was designed to
| meet.