The herald., 1898-03-25
sL1DE FROM WAYS TO WATER
= AT NEWPORT NEWS
THERE ARE BIGGER VESSELS
But the Kearsarge and Kentucky,
When Completed, Will Rival Any
Fighting Machine Afoat
Associated Press Special Wire

first great battleship launched from {
private yard in the South kissed thu
water in the James river at 1902 toda!
at the immense plant of the Newpor
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com
pany. At 1885 second ship, the ex
act counterpart of the first, except II
name, followed. They were christenet
respectively the Kearsarge and the
Kentucky, broad and historic names thai
have just representatives in the splen-
did fighting machines put afloat today
1.-THE ship of the nation" was launched
first, and long before the hour announced
for the ceremony $4,000 people were push
ing and jostling around the powerful
hull of No. 18, as the Kearsarge was
known in the ship yard. Just before
the preliminary preparations were fin
ished the christening party arrived and
was conducted through the vast throne
to the gaily decorated stage at the bow
of the Kearsarge. The party was COM
posed of Mr.. Calvin B. Orcutt, President
of the Newport News Shipbuilding Com
pany; Mrs. Herbert Winslow, sponsor
for the Kearsarge. and her maid of hon
or, Miss Margaret Eastman of Wash
ington, Miss Christine Bradley, spon-
sor for the Kentucky, and her maids of
honor, Misses Mary Gatewood, Lillian
Siege, Sallie Bronston, Abbie Ballard
and Alice Castleman, all of the Blue
Grass State; Miss Anna Webb of Padu-
cab, KY; Mrs. VIM. o. Bradley, Gov
ernor Tyler of Virginia and staff, and a
number of State officials of Kentucky;
nant-Commander Herbert Wins
low, U. S. N, the only surviving son of
Captain Winslow, who commanded the
famous old Kearsarge in her fight with
the Alabama members of the House
and Senate Committee on Naval Affairs,
and other distinguished visitors from
Washington.
A saw severed the pieces that held
the Kearsarge in place and the splendid
hull started on her journey to the water.
AS 1t started Mrs. Winslow broke
bottle of champagne over its bow and
exclaimed clearly and distinctly: IT
christen thee Kearsarge"
AS the vessel glided smoothly into the
river, cheer after cheer went up from
the crowd and the shrill whistles of
the steamers In the harbor welcomed
the new naval champion to it's natural
element. The cruiser Brooklyn and the
monitor Puritan, lying out in the stream.
were the representatives of the navy
present.
The christening party then proceeded
to the bow of the Kentucky. This cere-
mony was an exact counterpart of the
former except that Miss Christine Brad
ley broke a cut-glass bottle of water
from the spring on the old Lincoln farm,
and said: II christen thee Kentucky"
Then, as the vessel started down the
ways, several bottles of Old Bourbon
whiskey were hurled against her sides
by Kentuckians who were opposed to
the water christening. Water from the
spring on the Jefferson Davis farm, in
Kentucky, was also smashed on the
vessels sides.
Both launches were successful in
every particular The invited guests
and distinguished visitors then boarded
the steamer Newport News and pro-
ceeded to Old Point, where the ship
yard officials rendered a magnificent
banquet. Covers were laid for six hun
dred persons. 1t was entirely informal.
Among the toasts responded to were:
Kentucky" by Government Bradley,
and Virginia" by Governor Tyler.
In his speech, Governor Bradley de-
clared the people of Kentucky earnestly
desire that the nation shall intervene
to prevent further atrocities upon the
suffering people of Cuba, and, if the in
vestigation should justify, to avenge the
death of our sailors, not by demanding
an indemnity in money, but an in
demnity in blood"
OF the ship Kentucky he said:
mo ship has ever been chrstened as it |
has hpen NOT acpnrdpp IN tba o,,cto,,,
of pirate vikings clad with the skins
of wild beasts, but with sparkling water
from the spring which quenched the |
thirst of him who gave freedom to |
race and saved our country from de-
struction
Purity and patriotism have today
been blended in the christening of the
ship, which, / predict will win more
fame, gather more laurels and accom-
plish more good than any that has ever
swept the seas
FORMIDABLE CRAFT
There are larger battleships af1oat on
the ocean than the twin sisters Kear-
sarge and Kentucky; there are even
larger armored cruisers in the British
Navy. such as the splendid cruisers
Powerful and Terrible, yet it is doubt
full whether any prudent naval COM
even leaving out of his calcu-
lations that great factor represented by
the superb fighting qualities of the
American sailor would care to venture
a hostile meeting with one of these
steel bulldogs of the seas: for
the new American battleships embody
In their design and construction the
highest development up to this date in
offensive and defensive warfare as the
great game Of naval strife would be
played on the coast line of the United
States. Into their broad hulls are
packed all of the engine power, the
armor and the ordnance that the high
est scientific ability is able to concen-
trate in floating structure that is able
to seek base of operations, a supply of
fuel and AMMUNITION and an opportun-
lty to heal wounds received in battle
Larger ships, those of deeper draft neces
sarily, may not enter or attack our ports
at lighting range, and this consideration
was always kept in mind by Chief Con-
structor Hichborn when the Kearsarea
and the Kentucky were planned. That
Is the explanation of the fact-a new
one in naval design-that these sbins
with displacement of II 525 tons. draw
only 2S feet inches of water less than
the armored cruisers New Yc.,k and
Brooklyn, which would not combined he
equal in combat to one of the battle
ships. Light draft on heavy displace
ment is only one of the many valuable
IL