The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-19

! honor Of breaking the traditional bottle
! of wine on the Prov of the big fighter as
it slid from the ways. The fact that
the launching of the ship was the most
| successful ever witnessed at Cramps is
! regarded as an omen of good fortune. So
! eager was the Alabama to get into her
! native element that before the saving OF
| the "shoe" which holds the cradle in place
! had been completed, the monstrous hull,
tusging with a weight Of thousands OF
tons on the strips of oak, tore them apart
and the big mass Of steel glided gracefully
into the water a few seconds ahead OF
schedule time. Miss Morgan stood on a
dais built on the launching platform, d.
rectly under the bow of the Alabama. She
was attended by her father, Senator Nor
gan, and her sister, Miss COrnelia Morgan.
AS the ship began to tremble preparatory
to sliding off the CREASED ways she took
a firm grasp on the gaily bedecked battle
of native Alabama wine, which she held
in her right hand and, swinging it above
her head smashed 1t against the nose of
the ship. saying as she did sol
II crown thee with magnilias, brave
ship. and christen thee with a proud
name, Alabama"
The bow of the boat was hung with
great festoons Of magnolias, gray moss
and roses gathered by ladies of the state
of Alabama and sent her for the occa-
sion.
Only a few hundred people witnessed
the launching. as against the thousands
that are usually in the yard on such oc-
casions. For some time past the yard has
been closed to all visitors, and the rule
was not relaxed to any extent today.
Fear of Spanish treachery has made the
government and the Cramps extremely
cautious, as a single bomb exploded by
a hostile visitor would do almost meal
cuIable damage. The wartime launch
ing was for this reason almost "a private
affair
After the Alabama had come to a stand
still in the Delaware, tugs lowed her
back to her dock and workmen swarmed
over her, beginning at once the work of
preparing her for service. If the armor
is contracted for now and delivered
promptly the ship will be ready for COM
mission within year.
It is a curious coincidence that the yard
number of the Alabama, 900, is the same
as the yard number of the old Alabama
built for the Confederacy in an English
shipyard during the rebellion.
The battleship at present looks like a
great red giant, prepared at the word to
spring forward and be completed. II will
be several months, however. before she
will be ready TO be turned over to the
United States government. IF the officials
at Washington desired it and issued an
imperative order to that effect, the ship
could be made ready for war duty in
about six months, but this would necessi-
tate the putting on of a double set of
workmen to labor both night and day.
Under ordinary conditions she viii be
ready in about a year from now. for il
takes something like three years to plan
and complete a vessel of this type. Be
sides. it is said there may be some dIIfi-
Guilty in obtaining The great amount of
armor that will be required owing to the
fact that the government has not taken
kindly to the high prices which have been
in vogue for some time.
The Alabama Will be one of three power |
full seagoing battleships, for the construc- |
ton of which provision was made by the !
act of congress of June TO- 1895. BY this !
act the cost of each of the three ships, /
exclusive Of armament, was limited 10 /
So. $50 900. The Alabama and her sister /
which are now in process of conrrrh /
ships, the Illinois and the Wisconsin, !
which are now in process Of construction, |
are combinations of the best features of (
the Iowa and Kearsarge types. modified /
by such advances and Improvements as /
experience has suggested 10 be most de- /
sirable.
The Alabama is the first to be launched .
o. the three new battleships of her type,
The other two being the Illinois and Wis
consin. She presents marked divergen-
,ies Of design from the first three, the
Oregon. Indiana and Massachusetts.
These differences involve both the arrange
nent Of the battery and the disposition Of
he armor, as well as a considerable in
,rease in size and Displacement
The first type had the armor arranged in
4 water line belt and casemate amid
ships with the ends forward AID aft of the
'eh protected by submerged armored
'0N'No' gnu s1~AA botNeAaeS were mounted
IS follows:
-Four 15-inch guns in two turrets: eight
-S-inch guns i'm four turrets one At each
.orner OF the suporstructu-e. and four g.
nch guns mounted a. the corners Of the
asemate below the sUperst-ucture.
In the Alabama the water line aruor IS
arried clear forward. The protective
ieck. instead OF being submerged. as IN
ormer ships, IS raised 70 the level o. the
'elt by slopes al each side the same as in
protected cruisers. The S-inch guns OF the
indiana type are done away with entirely. :,
he main battery OF the Alabama tvne
consisting % four I2-inch guns in turrars
nd Il 6-inch rapid firing guns. o. which
Q are mounted on the gun deck, es-ht in
roadside between the turre,s and TWO
.-ing straight ahead forward II 1he fore
urret on the sun deck. Four are mounted
n small redoubt or casemste deck. TWO
i3eS- The broadsiGe 6-inch guns. Instead
4 being mounted in projecting sponsors.
re mounted n recess ports in order 20
ecure extensive train forward and abaf.
he beam.
The general dimensions Of tie Alabama ;
lass are as follws: Length ovar all ga Z
eel. breadth - feet. freeboar5 . fea-
reeooard aoafr the after tu-rer. I3 feet
inches; draught 3 feet inches. ds- /.
lacement 1850 tons. The guaranteed
peed is TO be Is knots AID the estimated
orsepower zn.eu .