Iron County register., 1898-12-01
|MHIESH|P WISCONSIN.
Hull of the Naval Monster Named
for the Badger State Launched
at San Francisco.
THE AFFAIR WENT OFF WITHOUT HITCH.
Californis Released the Last Block, and
Miss Elizabeth Stephenson, Daughter OF
Wisconsin's Governor, Broke Two Bot
ties OF Wine In the Christening Act.

ties OF Wine In the Christening Act.
San Francisco, Nov. 27.-At the
Union iron works another great ma
rine fighting machine was added to
the already large feet of Pacific war
vessels. The vessel which slid from
the ways was the battleship Wiscon-
sin, the largest vessel built for the
United States government by the
Union iron works. The launching of
the big vessel was effected without a
hitch and she now rests calmly on the
waters of the bay.
The Gathering Crowds.
All morning long the street cars let
down their loads of people at the ship
yard and all the available boats ON the
bay were pressed into service by peo-
pie axious to see the baptism of the
great vessel. Thousands of people
saw the plunge from different points
of vantage, and the platform, es-
pecially set aside for the guests of the
Union iron works was crowded to its
full capacity. The Wisconsin delega-
ton of "Christeners," which iourneyed
all the way from the Badger state to
places of honor upon the platform
with the representatives of the state,
the city and the great iron works re-
sponsible for the safe delivery of the
craft to the government.
Making Ready for the Plunge.
For an hour before the plunge a
large force of workmen tore away the
chock blocks which supported the YES
sci, and they finished their task al
most to the minute of the prescribed
time for the launching, leaving only
one chock to restrain the monster,
and this was the support that little
Miss Lucille Gage, daughter of the gov
ernor-elect of the state, had been as
signed to remove by means of gull
lotine and the inevitable electric but
ton. At a given signal the little Miss
pressed the button and the crash OF
breaking tinbers announced to the
thousands Of anxious spectators that
the vessel was about to leave the ways.
The Christening.
Slowly the iron monster moved to-
wards the bay, and all eyes were
turned to watch Miss Elizabeth Steph-
enson break two bottles 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-bedecled bottles and brought
them down on the nose of the vessel.
The roar of applause which greeted
this final act was almost deafening.
The controversy over the kind of wine
to be used was settled by the use OF
bottle of French make provided by the
Wisconsin christening committee, and
another of California champagne, pro-
vided by the Union iron works.
The vessel gathered momentum as
she proceeded to the water, and after
leaving the ways f1oated along until
brought to a. stop in the basin, where
the work of completing her will go
on. The warships in the harbor fired
salutes as she struck the water.
An Amusing Feature.
An amusing feature of the launch
ing was the wetting of number of
people who were standing on the adj
joining beach. The rush of water fol-
lowing the baptism was SO great that.
the people on the beach could not es-
cape it, and many of them were thor
oughly wetted. A number of White
Hall boats narrowly. escaped capsiz-
ing.
Prior to the launching a gigantic
flag OF the Union, measuring 27 feet
long and IA feet wide, was presented
in honor of Wisconsin. The flag was
the result of the combined efforts of
300 children of the Irving NJ. Scott,
public school, who, at the suggestion
of their teachers, commenced work
upon the flag ON October &c of this:
year.
Following the presentation of the
flag, a poem ''To, the Wisconsin, was.
read by Miss Clara liza Price, its, au-
thor.