The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-09-15
CAPTAIN FOLGER
HIGHLY PLEASED.
Stark County Boy to Be Captain
of a Fine War Vessel.
TRIAL OF THE KEARSARGE
Interesting Story From a Special Cores
pondent of the News-Democrat
Who witnessed the
Initial Run.

A special correspondent of the News
Democrat sends a story of the trial trip
of the Kearsarge, one of Uncle Sans
most powerful fl hting machines. Stark
county people will be especially interes-
ted in the story, as the war ship will be
commanded by Captain Folger, when it
is placed in commission. Captain Fol-
ger is Masillon boy, a son Of the late
Robert H. Folger, who was for many
years a member of the Stark county bar.
Newport News, Va, Sept. 9. 1899.
Not Aladdin Magician
Ever such a work began,
Gazed at such wonder
AS 1 stood it's roofing under"
When Keats penned these lines his
prophetic soul must have been stirred
by an occult kodak of the batleship
Kearsarge. Certainly they are singul-
arly appropriate to a proper description
of that new giant king of fighting
machines to be soon added to our al
ready somewhat respected navy-the
great Kearsarge. The builders trial trip
which took place on Sept. 5, was flat
tering success, and demonstrated that
the Newport News Ship Building Co. is
essentially onto it's job when it comes to
furnishing this home of the undoubtedly
brave, and more or less free, with the
proper instrument to insure discreet
treatment at the hands of the star
performers of the European Concert.
Or any one else who has no troubles of
his own and wishes to lay in a small but
final stock.
Your correspondent was kindly in
cluded by Gen. Supt. Post in the list Of
the few guests to witness the builders
f,io hat Ha1iUhtfi11 q M
extremely interesting experience is far
short of eXaggeration. Promptly at a.
m. the men began to cast off the lines
and ten minutes later the beautiful yet
terrible big fighter was under way,
bound for blue water A picked crew of
200 men from the shipyard corps, some
so guests and the naval officers, COM
prised the human freight, and down
in the galley and the officers ward
rooms the company had located the
commissary with a dozen able aids
from Hygeia hotel at Old Point.
The rumpus raised in the water as we
passed down into Hampton Roads serv-
ed to rouse the sleeping oysters in their
folding beds and some of them got into
quit a stew. That incident was drowned,
however, by the boisterouS welcome
accorded the warlike debutante by the
steamers we began passing in the har-
Dor. Three blasts of the whistle, (ans-
wered by the Kearsarge by an equal
number of walls from the noisiest siren
on earth), from each craft we passed, at
probably half minute intervals for a
half hour served to ditch all somnOlent
tendencies. Foreign ships dipped their
colors to US, a courtesy accorded by all
foreign merchantmen to warships. At
Old Point, Captain Chester came out in
a steam launch and was taken aboard.
He is to command the new Kentucky,
twin to the Kearsarge, when the former
goes into commission. Captain Folger,
who will command the Kearsarge, when
Uncle Sam accepts her, escorted him
to the bridge where they were interested
assistants to Mr.. Post.
Capts. Folger and Chester are prob
ably the smallest naval commanders
in the naval service anywhere. Neither
of them will scale much over lao pounds
and both are blessed with an unassum-
ing and cordial personality-rather an
unusual quality for small sized men in
lofty official positions.