Evening journal., 1898-05-06
ST. PAUL STEAMS OUT.
The Large Cruiser Took on
Coal as Well as Ammunition.
HER POWERFUL SEARCH LIGHT

THE GLARE OF HER POWERFUL
ELECTRIC LAMP STARTLED AND
BLINDED PEOPLE ON SHORE AT
PIGEON POINT LAST NIGHT.
No n,ore graceful warship ever start
"a w her career Of destruction than the
e. pani which shipped her hawsers az
Cromns' shipyard shortly aiter
o,cIocis Yesterday morning, and steam
- AVN tho river Within two weeks
eSo nos been Transformed from peace
ahIe shin engaged In building up inter-
national commerce, into s"lI auu
merciless destroyer Of commerce on TUG
n was fortunate provision Oh tne s.
act of Congress under Whlcn Tue %
paul and her sister ship, tn St' bouls, b',l,i,
were built at Cramps yard, ana car ~ isu
the United States mails az Ioss 49, ~
water that the government res srteu oone. eno
,,ighf 10 take them into service IN case
~ on emergency like that VIII. ich has
now arisen. They have both gained
fame for their speed as they Garteu
hack and forth across the Atlantic lihe
a weayer's shuttle. 1t Is believed vnat
tbev will add to their fame and MAKE
new record Unparalleled in the histol y
of naval warfare by opening up ne"
delds of usefulness as scouts to dis
cover and "round up" the skulking
warshfps of the enemy, or transport
with speed the,men and supplies neeu-
ed at a critical moment. ..,
The ST.. Paul, II Is said, has started
out on a scouting mission Her me
lines showed dimly in the heavy atmos-
phere of yesterday, as her grey War
paint shaded off into the denser gray
of the fog. Her long guns, painted IKE
the shin. stretched out towards the CITY.
She sat low in the water, as she mad
taken on as much Of her coal and am
munition as was considered safe before
dropping down the river.
Captain Sigsbee, from the bridge Ill
rected her movements, which were
aided by tugs as she started from the
wharf The sailors and marines were
on deck and the wharves were linet
with the relatives and friends who haC
come 10 say a last good bye. AS th'
vessel commenced to move might.
cheer was sent up by the crew, and l
met with as hearty a response from th'
shore. The whistles from tugboats ant
steamers, and from the many factorie
on both sides of the river set up thel
shrieks. mingled with the grOans OF
steam siren and a pandemonium @
noise reigned as the vessel steame
slowly down the river.
No stop was made at League lslan'
but as the new commerce destroye
passed there at 9.45 O'Clock the lads o
the receiving ship Richmond, the Navi
Reserves of the monitor Montauk an
the crew Of the Vixen ran to the rive
end Of their vessels. The cruiser an
the Richmond exchanged signals, an
the crew and the three or four hundre
men at the yard exchanged cheers. TT
st. Paul was soon lost to sight in II
misty rain which had then set in.
She steamed down the river to
point off the pier Of the WilmingtS
and Northern railroad, just below w
mingion, where she dropped anchS
Here she completed loading her CO.
which came down later on barges whi
had for several days been lying
Cramps wharves Other barges load
with powder from the mills of the d
Pont Company came out and put thu
cargoes on beard the cruiser The c
tire loading was completed shortly
fore dark She remained at her a
chorage last night, and treated the w
minton people to an exhibition Of J
powerful search lights, which, in
haze atmosphere, made the sky 10
like the aurora bOrealis.