The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-27
BattIeship Wisconsin Launch
ed at San Francisco.
TWO BOTTLES OF VINE
Smashed Over the Prov by a
Badger State Girl.

| large fleet of Pacific war vessels. The ves-
| sci which slid from the ways at 9:22 a m
today was the battleship Wisconsin, 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 a hitch and she now
| rests calmly on the waters of the bay.
For hours the street cars let down their
loads Of people at the shipyards and on all
| the available boats of the bay were press
| ed into service by people anxious 10 see
| the baptism Of the great vessel. Thou
sands of people saw the plunge from diff
| ferent points Of vantage, and the platform
especially set aside for the guests of the
Union Iron Works was crowded to its ut
most capacity. The Wisconsin delega-
ton Of ''christeners" which journeeyd all
the way from the Badger state to witness
| the event, were given the places of honor
upon the platform with the representa-
tives of the state the city and the great
| from works responsible for the safe deliv-
cry of the craft to the government
For an hour before the plunge a large
force of workmen tore away check after
check which supported the vessel and
they finished their task almost to the min
ute of the prescribed time for the launch
ing. leaving only one check to restrain the
monster. and this was the support which
little Miss Lucille Gage, daughter of the
governor of the state, had been as
signed to remove by means of a guillotine
and the inevitable electric button.
At given signal the little miss pressed
the button and the breaking timbers an
nounced TO the thousands of anxious spec
tators that the vessel was about 20 leave
the ways Slowly the iron monster moved
towards the bay, and all eyes turned 70
watch Miss Elizabeth Stephenson break
the bottle of champagne upon the PROV Of
the vessel. Just as the mass of iron and
steel touched the water the fair christener
raised the ribbon-bedecked bottle and let
il 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 foated calmly along until
brought TO stop in the basin where the
work of completing her will go on.
An amusing feature of the launching
was the wetting of a number of people
who we're standing on the adjoining beach
The rush Of water following the baptism
was so great that the people on the beach
could not escape and many of them were
thoroughly wetted. A number of White
hall boats narrowly escaped capdzing.
Prior to the launching a gigantic flag of
the Union, measuring q feet long and IA
Of he
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 on the flag on October % Of this
year
Following the presentation Of the nag,
a poem, 'aTo the Wisconsin" was read
by the author, Miss Clara liza Price.
When the big vessel slid down the ways
the warships in the harbor fired ealutes,
and there was a terrific din from the
steam whistles.
The controversy over the kind of wine
70 be used in the christening was settled
this morning by the use of two bottles Of
champagne. one of French make, provid-
ed by he Wisconsin christening committee,
and another OF tdiIIOl 1lt Ntie'44'P N'5''0'
provided by the Uniop Iron Works.
The battleship Wisconsin, designed IN
the bureau of construction and repair OF
the nN-y department, is a sister snip OF
the Alabama. building at the Cramps
ward in Philadelphia. and also of the
Illinois. building at Newport News
The dimensions Of the Wisconsin are as
follows: Length of load water line. S5S
feet: beam extreme. p feet 2ia inches;
draft on normal displacement of 1525
tons. % feet 6 inches; maximum displace-
rnent. all ammunition and stores on
board, 1885 tons: maximum indicated
horse power (estimated) 1000; probable
speed. 49, knots: normal coal supply. 500
tons: coal supply. loose storage. 100 tons;
fun bunker capacity, 1,4OO to 800 tons;
complement Of officers. 40; seamen, ma
rineS. etc. 4i9.
The main battery will consist OF four
1s-inch breech loading rifles in Hichborn
balanced turrets. oval in shape and placed
placed in the center line Of the vessel:
and fourteen s-inch rapid fire guns. The
secondary battery will consist Of sixteen
6-pounder rapid fire guns. four 1-pounder
rapid fire guns. two Colt guns and two
field guns. She Will carry four torpedo
tubes. The 1S-inch guns have an arc Of
fire Of l95 degrees on each side of the
center line; and the 6-inch an arc of 90
degrees on the broadSide. win the ad-
vantage of those on the upper deck Of a
direct fire ahead and astern. Any injury
n. or near. either of these 6-iuch guns,
viii be confined 10 its own compartment,
as \ 1iL-inch steel splinter bulkhead sep
arates each of these guns from its neigh
Dor.
The armor belt, which extends from the
stem % abaft the after turret, is 20 be
ISL inches thick at the top. and o. inches
mick al the bottom. except Al The for
ward end where it viii be tapered from
inches at the stem. This bet arnor viii
extend from feet below the normal load
line 20 SD feet above II. and viii main
tain the fun thickness amidships between
the turrets. and for the distance occupied
by the engines and boilers. Diagonal ar
NOR = inches thick. connecting this belt
srmor and barbettes and extending from
the slopes Of protective deck 10 top OF the
side belt. on eacn side. IS worked 70 give
protection from a raking fire. Abaft the
after turret the protection vii BE- com
pIesed by thickeuing the protective deck
10 inches on the slopes. with - inches
on the fla On the slopes Of this deck
forward i j. 5 inches thick and =. inches
on the fiat The armor on the l2-inca tur-
refs viii De i inches on tae front and J.
inches on tie rear and sides: While on The
barbetfes Tor these Surress. which are cir
cular N shape. VIII Pc Is inches OF tie
front and ID inches or me rear and sides
The sides % tae vessel above the be,-
arnor IL wake % the ls-iuch battery. and
forming The .asemste. Eiu De armored
WIKI 5lz inches OF steel. extending between
ise turrets Win diagonal armo- OF same