El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-03-24
A Double Launching of These
Two Ships, Which Are
THE FIRST OF THE FLEET
OF Five Mighty Battleships Now Building
to go Into Comm ission-They Were Put
Displayed by tho 1 2 900 People Gather
ed to Witness the Grand Spectacle.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va, March "a
An immense crowd of people this
morning cheered the first-class battle
ships Kentucky and Kearsage as they
glided gracefully from the wavs at the
Newport News Ship Building COM
rany's yards into the historic Jam es
river. Fully twelve thousand people
one of the most remarkable in raval
history. All the railro Ids made
special rates for excursionists: in fact.
these are the first large crafts ever
built in a southern ship yard for the
navy and the possibility that both may
battle for this country in war with
Spain added to the interest in the
double launching.
The ship named after the Bourbon
state was cNristened with sparkling
water but the Kentucky had her
drink just the same, not only of wine,
but of Kentucky Bourbon. As the
bottle of spring water was broken
upon the stem of the vessel. a number
of Kentuckisns who had come prepar-
ed dashed numerous bottles of ''real
stuff" against ber bow. while a sailor,
chosen by his comrades, determined
that the ship should no. he "hoodooed"
OY DOb GdVluS net- uOZeu VI ClduO
agpe," spilled bottle upon her side
as she slipDed into the water.
Miss Catherine Bradley, daughter of
Governor Brckley, was sponsor for the
vessel named after the Blue Grass
state. She was assisted in the ceremo-
ny bv four Kentucky bellies
Mrs. Wiuslow, wife of Lieutenant
Commander Winslow. U. S. NJ, christ
ened the Kearsage Lieut.. Command
=
low, who commanded the old Kesrsage
in her memorable fight with the Ala
bana.
The Kefrsage was first launched.
She moved eff beautifully, when there
came the we'll known crackiog and
>trainine of rending timbers. "Now,
no~," shouted hose on the platforms,
and at once Mrs. Wipslow raised her
gaiiy decorated bottle and bring ng il
down ON the scarcely moving prev IS lid,
II christen thee Kesrsege.' Slowly
the ship gairei headway until with a
purge she dashed into her natural
ele nent, and proudly foatsd on the
*osom of the James AS the vessel
struck the water she was grt e'ed with
cheers from the multitude and blasts
from the seam Whistles of the fleet of
yachts.
An hour later the program was re-
ptdtcu, anu btiS hSubuChy wac SCb .
down the ways to fioas IN the salt wa
ter. Miss Bradley broke q bottle of
water on the stem of the ship, saying:
'I christeu thee, Kentucky" AS the
bull slipped into the water the Ken
lucky was greeted with even greater
demon stration 1.-THE n as the Kearsage.
The Assem- bled thousands applauded
Gnd shouted. 1t was an immense pa
triotic event.
WASHINGTON March 24.-The Ken
lucky and Kearsa ge, launched at New
port News today, are the first of the
fleet Of five mighty bsti leships now
building to go il to comm sion. Their
keels we're laid Jure e 80, 1896. and their
launching with eighteen months of
this is record of which no h the
navy depar ment and her bui ders are
Justly proud. By the terms of the coz
tract trey are to be tureed over
uary 2, but in case of emergency it is
believed thev couli be made ready for
service with four months time. With
their bunkers filled with coal and a
speed of ZEN knots au hour they will
have a very wide radius of action and
th cir very moderate drsught will en-
abe them to enter harbors where no
other fighter can follow, quality
which is Of very great strategic ad-
Vantage. Iu0 CUIUTdCt URLS lOr
speed of Is knots and the builders ex-
pect to get a good premium for over
topping th 8 figure. The most st ikin 2
| feature Of the big boats is tae double
storied turret which are design to
contain the greatest guns atioa.. Tnis
| turret design was adopted after very
considerable discussion AMI investiga-
| ltion-discussion on the part of militia, Y
| men and Investigation on the part of
| the secretary of the navy-and W ,s
| finally accepted in order to avoid
| a short coming of the Indiana, where
there are four turrets at the four cor
ners of the central amored battery.
This wss done in order that four
eigh: finch guns might be trained on
either beam or directlv ahead, but it
WAS found by ,tual experience that a
blast from he .uns intsrfered w tn
the wo' king Of the thirteen-inch bate
ry. The double decked turret of the
new ships is designed to overcome
such int rference Another great ad-
vantage of this arrangement is that
the room taken up by the two ex ra
turrets is available for other purposes
Another prominent feature of the
armament of The Kentucky aud Kear.
sarge is their powerful broadside bat.
| teries of fourteen ive-inches rapid-fire
guns. These guns are ARA nged within
| q central battery on the main deck be-
tween e turrets, each of them fri g
through an arc of ninety oegri es
Though the shell for the fve-inch guns
only weigh so pounds ss com oared with
25O pour DIS for the shell of the eie ht
inch guns, the apidity Of the for. err il
so great. each balchilg forth six sho'i
per minute, that three times the weigh
10 metal can be thrown by the smaller
gurs n a given time.
The protection of the hull consists o
an armor belt u feet vide at the wate,
line. 1t has m ximum thickness o
l6t inches and tap RS 10 81 inches at b.
lower edge, which is four feet below
the water line Two sets Of triple OK
pansion engines driving twin sore KS
will propel the ships, and five larg,
boilers working at pressure of lSl
pounds, will generate the needfu