Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-20

| witness the launch The squadron is
composed of the battleeships Texas and
Massachusetts. cruisers Brooklyn. Min
neapolis and Columbia and the monitor
Puritan. and the fleet Will anchor off
THE shipyard and fire "a salute when
the ships plunge into the water.
| At the meeting of the Y. w. G. II. u.
yesterday afternoon it was decided to
present Miss christine Bradley. the
Isppnsor for THE battlesh!p Kentucky,
with a handsome tel,. ktt of flowers on
the day "f the launching. This action
was !uken to show the appreciation of
the local union of Miss Bral!-.ys de-
| termination TO establish a precedent
for christening ships with water instead
OF wire. Miss Lou Sc Hopkins. n;'ect II
Mrs. joseph Charles. was appointed to
present the floral Offering to Miss Brad
| ley. AS was stated yesterday the G.
p. Huntington Republican Club viii
present Miss Bradley vita a basket Of
| flowers in recognition of her father,
| who l9S the honor OF being the first
Republican governor of the Blue Grass
| State in the last quarter q century
Both Mis- Bradley and Mrs Wins!ow
Will receive handsome bouquets OF
| flowers from the shipbuilding coannany.
| FNbaLiIy the hamisornest floral design
| viii be presented to Mrs. Winston by
| the mocha MICS who built the kearsan ge.
1t VIII be a S:ip made cf American
| Beauty 1>oses Little joseph NJ GID mad
who can. led rivets and small boN;s to
the Workinsn C'1 th. vessel, Will pre-
| sent the flc,wers to tn. Kea rSalt5e's
| sptclsOe'. Glad in a bran new suit Of
ove1allS and wearing a cap he Will rep
! resent a VIC, kngman.
Among 'rhe distinguished ladies who
i'will witness the launch is Mrs. Fitz-
hugh Lee, wife of the consul general
at Havana. She VIII be escorted by the
Young Mems Business Assotia tion, of
fsichln..nd
Many people VIII see the ships bap-
tized from the wafer. and all of the
av aflable craft will be- pressed into Ser
vice. For the accommodation of Wis
IitorS the steamer LOUISE. will leave the
dock at 9:45 O'clock Thursday morning
and anchor off the yard. remaining
there uIl the ceremonies are concluded.
1t is now aurhoritatively stated that
Hon. Melville L. Ingalls,. president of the
Chesa peak & Ohio and Big Four sys-
tens. Will witness the launching of the
battleshipS.
Mr.. Ingalls, will reach Richmond next
Wed nestlay morning and Will arrive at
Old Point comfort the same evening. 1t
is said that he Will spend the night at
the Channberin and come up TO the city
on the following morning.
The Warwick Hotel is making prepa-
rationS to accommodate an unusually
large crowd and the first class boarding
houses will have All the patronage they
can accommodate. The Chambe,'ln and
HNgeia at Old Point are prepared 10
entertain the largest number of guests
a souvenir 10 commemorate the great
event has been designed by Mr. c. B.
Raarlay Of the firm IL Issro E. o.:
manufacturing jewelers.. 1T Is nHiae On
American tin, and is the size OF hto.i
dollar On one side is a picture OF the
hatteships as they appear ON the ways.
The other shows battlesh!p and these
words: ITO Commensurate the launch
ing of the Kentucky and kelrsarse.
March "a. 1885,
~ l1,-a1, OH, n the
huh depart intent. will publish a sstsuNt-
mir booklet. giving n full description of
the ships together With a dozen or mSyre
pictures.
MANNING OF TINE KENTUCKY.
Th.. Louisville Evening Post recent
ly published the following interesting
account uf the naming of the Ken
turkS:
AS uhe-'lime l1r launHhing the e: eat
battleShhp Kentucky draws nearer. m
lerest in THE event grows all over the
State and VIXEN Thursday, March -.
arrives. the boom of cannon and anV!.s
MN be heard at every croSS- Dads and
harriet ln the COMMONWEALTH, TO say
nothing of W'hat MAY occur in the lu!g-
..r towns tlnd cities. The Evening POST.
believing that the history CT how It haB
p..lic,l Ellt our Slale was honore,. -
the United, States&in naming TIE grand
vessel. interviewed Cuptuin Thomas O.
Hall. uh,. man WHO conceived the idea
of asking for the honor. and who late!
worked up the petition that secured H.
He said:
EARLY i'm 1890 the news was received
that Uncle Sam intended 10 construct
a number of modern cruisers for the
navy. About that time Went east.
and w h.le there went aboard two fine
,was. vessels that bore the names of
American cities on their bowsprits. 1t
then flashed through my mimi that the
name Lou SVille' w IEd look nice on
a big ocean rover. and I resolved then
that if energy could get it there, Ut
should 'be done. On my RETURN / men
toned my scheme to Charley German
and Ernest Horn. of the Fails City
LfthogE aphing Company, but they
Thought l was biting off too march. Yet
each sad go on, and after wrote my
petition with a pencil. Mr.. Horn copied
it for me ON a TYPEWRITER. Ina-cinG It an
attractive dtcMnent- The first man
met on starting out for names was Mr..
DENNIS Long. Sr.. then Jacob kr;eger.
including the entire judiciary of the
city. bankers, barristers, physicians and
leading political lights. Asher Caruth
was then a member OF Congress. lie
WOULD help do anything for Louisville
that would carry her name a;Moad. so
he put his name on my list. l Was fire.
q.len.tiy discouraged By moSShacks.
but energy was as often restored, aifu
in 1892 completed the PETITION. That
year the rendezvous of the worlds ma
vies was held IN Hampton Roads. and
l attended the event in the interest of
syndicate of newspapers. In going
to the Roads I first went to Washing
| ton and prescribed my document to
Seer etary Herbert. who remarked on
seeing ut, This is the first petition that
has ever been handed me from any
section of the country, but l am sorry
| to inform you that Congress has re-
Gently concluded not to build any more
| cruisers than those already named, for
twelve years: but if your people Will
make this request one for battleShrp
| to be called "Kentuky" I will make
| that the name OF No. 10 ! was not
prepared to reply to this proposition.
| then asked time TO confer with my
| friends at home, which was granted. I
went to Hampton Roads. and ON re-
turning home called on Mr. James r.
| PrAckner. Jr.. and asked him TO get the
board of trade to advise me how to
reply. TT was decided that a bird in