The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-27
WISCONSIN IN WATER
ANOTHER BIG BAT'TLEsHIP FOR
UNCLE SANS
NAVY
GREAT ENTHUSIAST SHOWN
Perfect BedIam of Noises Greeted
the First Plunge of the Warsi,iD
Into the Water-Crowd of PeO-
pie Lined the Docks for Hours
Prior to the Launching De-
scrfDtion of the Ship.

scrfDtfon of the Ship.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 26.-Today
a. the Union Iron works another great
marine fighting machine was added to
the already large fleet of Pacific war
vessels. The vessel which slid from
the ways today was the battleship Wis
consin, the largest of the vessels built
for the United States government by
the Union Iron works. The launching
of the big vessel was effected without
hitch, and she now rests calmly on
the waters of the bay
When the big vessel slid down the
ways at 9:22, the warships in the har-
Dor fired salutes and there was a ter
rihc din from the steam whistles. The
controversy over the kind of wine to
De used in the christening was settled
this morning by the use of two bottles
or champagne, one of French make
provided by the Wisconsin christening
committee. and another Of California
champagne, provided by the Union
Iron works.
All the morning long the street cars
let down their loads Of people at the
snip yard, and all the available boats
on the bay were pressed into service
by people anxious to see the baptism
or the great vessel. Thousands of peo-
pie saw the plunge from various points
or vantage, and the platform especially
set aside for the guests of the Union
iron works was crowded to its full ca
pacity The Wisconsin delegation of
christeners," which journeyed all the
way from the Badger state to witness
the event, were given the places Of
honor upon the platform, with the rep
resentatlVes Of the state, the city and
The great iron works responsible for
the safe delivery of the craft to the
government of the United States.
THE FINAL PLUNGE.
For an hour before the plunge
large force of workmen tore away
chock after chock which supported the
vessel They finished their task al
most to the minute of the time pre-
scflbed for the launching, leaving only
one chock to restrain the monster and
TINS was the support that Miss Lucille
Gage, daughter of the governor elect
OF the state, had been assigned to re-
move by means of a guillotine and the
inevitable electric button At a given
signal the little miss pressed the but
ton, and the crash of breaking timbers
announced to the thousands Of anx-
tous spectators that the vessel was
about to leave the ways
Slowly the iron monster moved to-
wards the bay, and all eyes turned to
watch Miss Elizabeth Stephenson
break the bottle of champagne upon
the bow of the vessel. Just as the
mass of iron and steel touched the
water, the fair christener raised the
ribbon bedecked bottle and let it split
on the nose of the vessel. The roar of
applause which greeted the final act
was almost deafening.
The vessel gathered momentum as
she proceeded to the water, and. after
leaving the ways, floated calmly along
until brought to a stop in the bay,
where the work of the company build
ing her will go on.
An amusing feature of the launching
was the wetting Of a number Of peo-
pie who were standing on the adi1in-
ing beach. The rush vr water follow
Ing the baptism could not escape it,
and many Of them were thoroughly
Wetted. number of Whitehall boats
narrowly escaped capsizing.
Prior to the launching gigantic
flag of the Union. measuring twenty
seven feet long and fourteen feet wide,
was presented in honor of the Wiscon-
sin. The flag was the result Of the
combined efforts Of 800 children of the
Irving NJ Scott public school, who, at
the suggestion of their teachers, COM
of this year
Following the presentation Of the
flag. a poem, ITO the Wisconsin," was
read by Miss Clara LA Price, its au-
thor.
WHAT THE SHIP is LIKE.
The batleshiD Wisconsin, designed in the
bureau Of construction and repair of the navy
department, is a sister ship OF the Alabama
building in the Cramps yard at Philadelphia,
and also the Illinois. building at Newport
News.
The dimensions of the Wisconsin are as fCS
lows: Length. on load water line, 36s feet:
beam extreme y feet 2lR inches, draft
normal DISPLACEMENT of 11,525 tons, % feet 6
inches. Maximum displacement all smmunl-
ton and stores on board. 12S25 TONS maxi
mum indicated horse power (estimated) 10000;
probable speed. 161e knots. Normal coal sun.
ply SEQ tons; coal supply loose storage 200
tons; full bunker capacity. 400 20 ], $50 tons.
Complement of officers. 10. seamen. marines,
etc. 40.
The main battery will consist of 1 13-inch
bresch loading rifles in Hichborn balanced
turrets. oval in shape. and placed in the cen.
ter Mne of the vessel and IA 6-inch rapid fire
guns. The secondary battery will consist OF
l6 6-pounder rapid fire guns, 1-pound- r rapid
fire guns, two Colt guns and two Aeld guns.
She will carry four torpedo tubes. The 81
inch guns have an arc OF fire OF 135 degrees
on each side of the center line; and the u
inch en- arc of 80 degrees on the broad side
with The advantage OF those on the upper
injury TO- or near either OF these 6-inch guES
will be confined 10 its own compartment a.
a 1Ie-inch steel splinter proof bulkhead sepA
rates each Of these guns from its neighbor.
The turrets will be operated by elec,ric
power; also the ammunition hoists and the
dynamo and auxiliary blowers for ventilating
purposes. There will be some eighty od1
auxiliary engines in the vessel, thus addin>
greatly TO the efficiency OF the ship in tn
celebrity and certainty with which the work
can be done. The cranes for handling tbs
boats are operated by steam: also the deck
winches. pumps. wird,ass and steering gea
Ghis latter is located beneath the protected
deck. and several feet below the water line).
The Introduction of these auxiliary engines
are brought about mainly by the variety ane
nature of the work to be done and the de-
mand for the latest and best in every branch
of mechanics represented in a man-of-waA
Manual labor is therefore reduced to a mini
mum; a condition OF affairs which must re-
suit 10 a greater interest and DEVELOPMENT
Of the crew in their special duties as now
required in q modern battieship, where fight
ing and all that leads up to thorough en-
cheney in that Hire of art. is not hand capped
by the constant drudgeTy so universal In the
Old-tine vessels n navy.
Expense of Elephants.
It IS somewhat interesting to compare the