Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-05


virginia House OF Delegates; Senator Ma
son and Mrs. Mason, and the misses
Mason, OF Illinois; Secretary Finney. pri-
vate secretary TO the Secretary OF the
Navy. and the Misses Finney; Interstate
Commerce-Commission Knapp. yeo-
mans. and Thomas, accompanied by their
wives; Past-Assistant- Constructors Evans
and Iahn; Congressman Foss, OF Illinois;
nt-Secretary-of-War Meiklejohl.
commander and Mrs. Hawley.. Interstate
commerce Commission Secretary f. A.
Moseiey; Captain Paget, British naval at
tache; General Mertwago, Russian naval
attache; Mr.. Kennedy Italian naval at
tache; Nj. Boeufve, French naval attacne;
Mr. Sicard. son of Admiral Sicard, and
wife; Public-Printer Frank Palmer; Mr..
Canaga, chief of bureau. and Mrs. Ca
naga; Mesdames Faucet and Dupour.
Dr. and Mrs. Green. General Dumont and
son. Mr.. and Mrs. r. Patterson. Mr.. and
Mrs. Hood, Mr.. and Mrs. Slower. formerly
OF Newport News: Chief OF Bureau and
Mrs. Dashiell. Mr.. and Mrs.
Deering, Dir. and Mrs. Whitaker.
Bureau OF Construction; Mr.. and
Mrs. Rouser Professor Alger. Lieu
tenant Seymour, Lieutenant Denfeld.
On the christening stand with Miss
Letter and the Governors were her father
and mother, Mr.. and Mrs l.. u. Letter;
her brother, Colonel Joseph Letter, OF
Governor Tanners staff. the recent Ma
poleon of wheat speculation; Mayor Car
ter II. Harrison and wife, of Chicago;
Mrs. ]. A. Drake. daughter of Governor
Tanner. and Mrs. John Peters. Mrs. John
A. Logan went on the stand a few
minutes before the vessel went off the
ways, having previously been engaged In
To-, 81, -
the army and navy on the platform. every
enc OF whom seemed an intimate ac-
quaintance.
The crowd waited. The sound OF ham
mers far down beneath the giant null
continued without intermission, punctu-
ated ever and anon by the rumble of the
falling timbers. The band played every
patriotic air in the repertoire of national
orchestras, and the people cheered i'm
partially.
THE SUPREME MOMENT.
Suddenly the clear ring Of a saw cut
| ting through hard wood was heard. In
| stantly every eye was fastened on the
| fair sponsor, for the people knew the last
| impediment in the way of the huge fight
er's initial plunge was about to be re-
moved. Miss Letter had arisen, and some
what nervousy grasped the bottle of
| champagne.
The scene at this moment was inspiring
| and ideally beautiful. In fair view OF
| those on the platform were the thousands
| in the amphitheatre and crowded in the
| yard. Back of them were the Kearsarge
| and Kentucky, well on to completion.
| and out in the broad river, its bosom as
| smooth as a sheet of FURNISHED steel,
were the gay crafts crowded with spec
| tators-steamers, sailing vessels. tugs,
4 Ill rod fra
| gayest Of bunting, the national emblem
giving character to the adornment of
| each And over all fell the gracious
| October sunlight, smiling upon river and
| town. and the waiting thousands, seeming
| to express the blessing of nature at the
birth Of national defender.
When. at l2:3s. the heavy timber was
| heard to fall. the suspense and suppressed
! excitement was intense. Eight naval of1-
GERS standing close to the stern OF the
| vessel snatched their swords from their
scabsards and uplifting them high, placed
the points against the stern-post. as If in
| the manner of knights of old registering
a vow of fidelity.
THE TRIP TO THE WAVES.
Almost imperceptbly the giant hull be-
gan moving toward the water Miss
Letter poised the bottle in the air. ther
hurled IL against the red iron Of the hull
Accompanying the sound Of crashing
glass were the words. spoken in wo'
mans clear voice:
'I christen thee 1llinois!'
There was a roar of applause from th'
Thousand throats, dozens of steam
whistles added their share to the din
band on board the moving monster
struck UP the old Confederate wartime
"Dixie." and the great hull, with more
than hundred people aboard, uashe'
down the ways with the speed OF race
horse and far out into the James.
The cheering and the din of the steam
whistles lasted for several minutes Thos'
on the platform crowded about th'
fair sponsor, congratulatng ner S sp1" ',a on
aroceful manner in which she had dis
charged her duty, and then there was
General movement for the steamel
Sewnort News. on which the invited
e1ests of the ship-building company wer'
taken TO Old Point