The San Francisco call., 1897-12-12
Lightship No. 70 Slides
Into the Water at
Portland.
Christening Of the Vessel the
Occasion of a General
Gu ing.
substantial Graft Designed for
Service or the Golden
Gate Ear.
Special Dispatch to The CALL

PORTLAND, Or, Dec. 11.-Lightship
No. 70 was succes ssfuIlv launched from
the wavs at Wolff & Zwicker's yard at
.11:3O o'clock this morning and Is now
moored at the contractors wharf waiting
to receive her boiler, masts and spars be-
fore leaving for her post at San Francisco.
Three thousand people saw her enter the
water. Not an accident nor u hltch
marred the event.
An hour before the time set for the
launching the drenching rain which had
been pouring all the morning ceased, as
f for the occasion, and the sun came forth
and shone warmly until noon.
This started crowds OF people across the
BRIDGES, and soon every available space on
the platform about the ship was taken,
and the spectators overflewed on the river
banks and into the tcrpedo-boat sheds,
every crossbeam OF which on the side
toward the lightship was swarming with
men and boys.
When floating on the bosom Of the
river. Iightshfp 20 is not a thing of beauty,
although she may be a Joy forever to
sailors whose lives are saved by the
timely sight OF her beacon or the sound OF
her foghorn.
She is built to be heard and not seen,
except by night. Her clumsy-looking,
tubby bow will meet and repeI the bound
ing pillows, however, far better than
would the fine lines of an ocean grey
hound, aud those to whom she gives
warning of dangerous reefs or welcome
harbors will hardly stop to criticize her
| appearance as a work OF art.
The framework of the new vessel is OF
iron, her keel and the first plank sheath
| ing being of OREGON fir.
Over the tir is sheathing of oak, which
/ in turn is covered with sheet copper, a
/ metal which is not a diet suitable to the
nourishment of barnacles or other para
sites of the briny deep. The bulwarks are
of iron, thick and strong enough TO hold
out when m ade target for the bowling
tempest TO fling mountains OF water
a brief summary OF her dimensions and
/ equipment follows:
6 inches; depth, 13 feet incnes; dis
placement, $50 tons. The vessel Will be
provited with a single condensing engine,
capable of developing 800 horsepower,
driven by 12x12 steel corrugated boiler.
There are 50 two donkey boilers to fur
nish power 10 the engines for the dy-
! namos and winch when the ship is at
! anchor. The large boiler ana engine will
be used only to move her from place to
| place and to hold her head to the wind
/ during gale.
Two electric lights of 1000 candle power
/ each will be placed at her masthead.
They Will flash five seconds in every tif-
! teen, and in clear weather can be seen for
! seventeen miles. On deck is heavy fog
! bell, and Jog horn with a voice like the
! believing of a thousand bulls. The ap-
! pointments OF the vessel throughout will
! be modern in every respect, ana she Will
| be as near to a model home as a ship can
/ be.
This is the third Government vessel
launched in Portland. The first was the
old revenue cutter Corwin, which was
| built in Portland in 1876, and the second
was the lightship 81, built by Wolff d
Zwicker, and launc Ell May 8, 1897.