Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-10-04
TO SWEEP THE OCEANS
The Baaleshp Illinois IS launched a,
Newport.
VIEWED BY SHOUTING THOUSANDS.
Miss Letter SILVER. he hristcpinz Bottle
OF Champagne Into Thousand Frag.
meats Against the Iron sides.

ments against the Iron sides.
Ncwport News. Va. Oct l.-Newpart
News IL ihronrcd with visitors from
far and near who came TO witness the
launching Of the batileship Illinois.
Chicago ana Washington are repre-.
sen,cd by delegations Of men and wo-
men, while the nearby cities and VII.
lagos have practically cmptled thom-
selves Of their population In order to
assist the state Of Illinois IN honofing
the baptism u the great ship which IL
TO bear the name Of the prairie state.
a Conservative estimate places the
oowd Of visitors at fully 10000. and It
IL believed that fully 10000 persons Wit
messed the ceremonies attendant upon
the launching The weather Is Ideal.
Among the prominent pefsona Ia the
national capital was Asst Secretary Of
the Navy Allen. who came here from
Portsmouth, where h. has been In
sptciing the navy yard. ne was on
board the dispatch boat Dolphin and
/ Will also attend the launching, lunch
al the Chambofil hotel this afternoon.
The steamer Newport News brought
down from Washington the following
Invited guests.
Commodore and Mrs. a. +. End.
colt. Capt. a. =. Crowninshicid, Pay
master Gen. Edwin Stewart. Engineer
in-Chisf George W. Melville. Surgeon
General w, v. NanRcypen and wife.
chief Constructor Phillip lilchborn and
wife. Capt and Mrs. samuel G. Lem
10y. judge advocate general. Secretary
Assistant Secretary Of War Meikei-
John. Hon. Martin Knapp and wife.
J. u. N0eman and wife.
Governor Tanner and party arrived
/ at Old Point at 10 o'clock last night.
/ The prellmlnarioH began at 10 o'clock
today ana the christening party passed
through the Immense ihfunK gathered
around the red hull u the Illinois at
1880 o'clock Finally the saw was
heard a. Il cut through this sole pieces.
The hattlefhln Illinois was success
fully launched az 1899 this afternoon
amid the enthusiastic cheers Of n vast
multitude ~ people and the blasts %
hundreds of whistles. The weather
was perfect Boats and trains crowd
ed with people began 10 arrive before
dayhrcak. and by n o'clock. the hour
for the launching, the yard " the New-
port News shlpbuldlng and Dry Dock
Co. was crowded.
A. many more awarmtd the decks Of
the steamers. tufa. yachts and other
crafg which had taken up positions o.
vantage In the river opposite the i'm.
mensc ship building plant.
At 1910 o'clock Miss Nancy Letter
sponsor Tor the Illinois, accompanied
by distinguished party from Chlca-
so, assembled the christening stand.
There was considerable delay In per-
fectinE all the plans but the Immense
,hronE waited pdileniiy until the only
remaining obstacle was the single
I pI4rL ,vhfsh haft ~. v.s..t ia u.aiftor
4 hush fell over the crowd A. the sharp
saw cut It's way through the timber.
when the supreme moment came.
Miss Letter posed on the gaiiy decorht-
"a stand With the bottle o. champagne
In her hand. ana a. the big ship moved
the receding how. The bottle crashed
Into thousand fragments and the
wine nireamed down thealdc of the ma
: Hons now defender. A. the great YES
sci moved down the ways cheer after
cheer went up from the multitude u
spectators. whose enthusiastic shouf 4
) almost drowned the noisy welcome 0
the newcomer sounded By the whistles
In the harbor.
The Illinois struck the wn,er with q
reHounding splash and finated ma.
jeatically out into the stream. Tn, bat
tieshlp was soon picked up" by tuE'
which were In waiting and towcd 90 q
. "
engines and other machinery.
Immediately after the launching sew.
erai hundred guests Of the Newport
News ship building and Dry Dock
company boarded the steamer Newpor
News Cor old Point where they viii b.
{ entertained at a luncheon and banquet
, at the Chamherlln Hotel Toaata VII
. be- =. responded 90 by Gov Tanner OF M
nola. Gov. Tyler nf Virginia. and othel
prominence guests.
Z A launching hop will be given at tn
e Chamberlln Hotel this evening.
Tho Illinois will be- the biggest, mos
: powerful and probably the most gen
. orally effective hattloHhip In the Unit
cd States navy. i.arger than the low
and heavier than tho oregon. the llll
4 nola IL Htlll - designed that she VII
be able o. enter any harbor open 10 IN
smaller batileships while In the matte
= 81 speed she win rank with any o
? ihom. The most striking difference be
tween the Illinois aud the batileshlp
now In service IL tho high frueboari .
tho former enabling her O. nght he
/, guns from their great elevation abov
the water In seas 10 heavy that III
guns of the lower vessel would b
submerged and useless.
: Splendid Heag1ing powers are alr
expected % result from this Increase,
70 frech1hrd, by which Ia meant the hnlgh
. " the hull above the water line
( The dimensions Of the illlnpla are q
- flllowHi
LsnEth on load water line. sos feet
7 beam, extreme q feet ~ lnchesi draf
\ on normal displacement u 1895 tons
Z % feet, lnchoni maximum dlHplnce
4 ment, an ammunition and stores Of
= board 1854 tons maximum indicated
}. horsepower teHumatcdl. 10000. prnhn
!, ~ speed. iGh knots. Normal coal sup
~. 500 tons: coal supply loose storage
1890 tons, fun bunker capacity. 40
tons 20 1900 tons. complement ~ ON
7 GERS. 20; aeamtn marines. etc. go.
!, The main battery will consist OF fau
: il-lnch hreechloadIng rifles IN Heb
born balanced turreia oval Ia shape
/, and placed In the center line ~ the YES
y sci. and fourteen d-lnch rapld-fre guns
The secondary battery viii consist a
sixteen G-p0under rapld-nre gunai fou
! l-p1under rnpld-nrv guns. two col
guns and two held guns. She viii carr
. four torpedo tubes.
\ There viii be two sets Of triple ex
= panainn, twin screw engines, each n
= tH own separate water tight compnrt
mcnt tho collective Indicated horse
~ power WIN be- about 10000, with "
a, revolutions per minute. stroke fou
y foot.
/, The first keel plate " this vessel wa
!, laid February TO- 1897, not quite TWEEN
Il, ~ months past and the percentage o
u work completed 90 this date based 81