The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-11

The battieship Iowa win be fioated from
the drydock at Puget sound naval station
this evening between $50 and O'clock
Such was the statement Of her COM
mander, Capt. Silas w. Terry. as he sat
In his handsome cabin yesterday.
As soon as she Is out Of the dock the
Iowa will anchor alongside the collier
now lying at the station and take on her
supply of coal This work will probably
occupy four days. The ship will then
be ready for sea. Her movements after
that are as yet problematical. Her next
objective point will be San Francisco.
where she will take on her ammunition;
but before sailing for that port 1t Is likely
that she will remain q few days on the
Sound visiting both Seattle and Tacoma.
Capt. Terry rather reluctantly consent
ed yesterday to receive the editorial dele
rates and their friends on board the bat
tleship next Thursday afternoon. His
reluctance grew out of the fact that the
vessel win be coaling at that time. and
he thinlkss the coal dust and disorder oc-
casioned by taking on the grimy fuel will
not be Q very pleasant thing for the dele
gates, and particularly tho ladies, to
encounter. Added to this, perhaps. IS
his own pride. such as every naval off,
Ger feels, In having visitors see the ship
only when she Is clean and In perfect
order.
Writes Daily to His wife.
As Capt Terry looked up from his desk
yesterday he was q good type of the
American captain. His robust form.
combining strength and ease, looked as
though he would be equally at home on
tho bridge in storm and battle. or in a
parlor or club room. His rudy face be-
spoke the touch OF the sea breeze. He
was interrupted In the pleasant task Of
writing q letter to his wife.
II have made 1t a rule lately" said he.
ito write letter to my wife every day.
have been married a good long while.
yet somehow II doesn't seem very long"
Then. when someone suggested that the
monotony Of life on board the Iowa while
she is In dock would not afford very copi-
Gus material for a daily letter. the
twinkle In the captains eye was q sur
ficient assurance that the task was not
at all difficult. and he told a joke or two
that officers who wrote home seldom
had cracked at the expense OF those who
wrote often.
"As to our movements? Well, we are
going out of dock tomorrow evening at
half-past o'clock. AS soon as we are
outside our first business win be to coal
the collier out there In the bay. The
coaling will probably take as Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
movements win be- am simply waiting
for orders OF course, in common with 9th.
er officers. think my first duty Is to have
be entirely ready till we have replenished
our ammunition stores at San Francisco
However much we appreciate the hospital
however much I might personally wish to
take the ship there and open her to the
general public. duty must come first.
Both to Seattle and Tacoma.
I'VE have kept the ship open very freely
tie Il and to speak frankly. their incessant
coming has been somewhat OF a nuisance.
But although I cannot say so ofiicially I
think It likely that the ship. will go to both
Seattle and Tacoma for a few days"
After a little jocularity about the rivalry
between the two cities, the matter OF the
Editorial Association and the proposed visit
to the naval station next Thursday was
presented to Capt. Terry. At first ne was
inclined to demur on account Of the fact
that the ship would be coaling. but ne
have the ship open to visitors at that
time.
You see." said he. as he glanced around
walls and the spick and span trim Of the
everywhere. We shall be at work coaling.
people come il they wish to. think there
are some pretty good men even with a
merry twinkle of the eye) In the newspaper
Wofid. YES let them come, hut tell the Ia
dies they will have to be careful OF their
fine dresses or they will get them spoiled
by the coal dust"
The iowa looks well SINCE the work on her
has been completed. All her officers. as
well az the officers at the station agree
that the work has been remarkably well
done and In remarkably short time Yes
terday the painting on her hull having dried
sufficiently, the water was turned into the
dock to a depth Of about TWENTY-FIVE feet
thus relieving the pressure on the caisson
"a - - l.
siderable extent the big weight OF II 600
tons that has rested for nearly a month
on the bottom of the dock without swerv-
ing or sinking 4 by even so much as a
thousandth part of an inch.