Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-29
lin TER(ES [ In EVE NTS
Boo ked to Take Place in New
port News Next Week.
DATE FOR. Kll,El:;A.RsARdE's TRIAL
Official Announcement That She Will ao
Out on sept. 9th. Builders Trial for
Eel Norte. Keel OF the Arkansas.
Labor Day celebration.


Next week, in many respects. will be
a gala one in Newport News, and sew
[eral interesting events are booked to
take place.
Monday is Labor Day and will be
celebrated dittingly by the Contra,
Trades Union Of this city while on the
following day the beautiful battleship
kearsarge will so on her trial trip.
The recently completed Morgan Liner
Ell Nolte will leave the shipyard on one
of the other days of the week for her
builders trial, and the keel for the new
United States monitor .A,lla nsas will,
it is understood. be laid.
The celebration Of Labor Day will
be held at the Casino, as has been
STATED, under the mana cement Of the
Central Trades Union. and Will proba-
people. The entire day and a part OF
the evening will be taken UP by the
celebration, according to the plans as
arranged
In the morning there will be base
bail and football game, and in the af-
|ternoon there will be addresses made
by some of the most prominent labor
men in the State In the evening there
will be grand ball and cake walk
in the Casino hall. There can be no
crowded all day by people from all
lover the Peninsula.
On the following morning after the
Labor Day celebra ton, the ba,ttleship
Kearsarge win go on her builders
trial, and doubtless there will be hun
dleds Of people at the Casino and along
the water front to see the new war
ship start on her maiden voyage TO the
sea. The exact hour at which she will
leave the yard is as yet unknown, but
will be announced before the day in
question. 5a e.
The Kearsarge is the first battleship
to be built at the plant of the Newport
News Shpbuilding and Dry Dock Com
pany, and Will be one of the finest
warships in the United States navy
when she is commissioned and in ser
vice. She, with the Kentucky, Ili-
Will compare favora7oly with any war
| ships af1oat when they are all in COM
mission.
Great interest is naturally taken in
the handsome fighting machine for
several rea sons. The kearsarge and
Kentucky are the first two vessels
/ built for the United States government
With the guns of their main batteries
arranged as they are on the new ships.
The thi1teen-inch and eight-inch ri
instead Of being set up separately.
There are only two turrets on these
ships, one forward and the other aft,
and the eight-inch guns are mounted
Immediately above the ones of larger
calibre. This experiment is watched
| by naval men With much interest.
The Kearsarge will go over a course
from this city, outside of the Virginia
CapeS and return. 1t is not known how
long she will be away from the Ship
yard
| General superintendent Post states
I 10 ntri11 No 90 1,,,i ty-,
and no attempt Will be made to attain
a high rate of speed.
| In addition to the officials of the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
| Dock Company. the naval officers at
rached to the government department
alt the yard will go out on the ship
| which will be manned by a shipyard
Icrew.
The best part Of the Kearsarge's main
battery of thirteen and eight-inch
guns is aboard the vessel and before
September each of the large rifles will
be securely fitted in its proper place.
| None of the guns of the secondary
battery Will be aboard on the builders
trial. In fact, it will he some time yet
before these rifles are put on, as the
Navy Department has made no ar-
lrangements to ship them.
The Kearsarge is today the most pow
erful .battleship atloat. The superposed
| turret idea, which is embodied in the
armament Of the ship, was authorized
10y the Navy Department as an expert
| ment. The outlook is SO bright that it
ElS believed the two ships of this class.
kearsarge and Kentucky, will be grand
successes. With the lower thirteen-inch
turret and the upper eight-inch turret
forward and aft. the Kearsarge can
concentrate on one spot. directed prac-
tically by the same hand, a deadlier fire
than amy other ship afloat.
| .Ihe contract speed of the Kearsa rye
is sixteen knots. but it will not surprise
naval officers and the shipyard official 8
IT this splendid floating fortress exceeds
the contract in this respect IN
In appearance, the Kearsarge. is truly
q beautiful warship. She lis different in
design from all other Warships in the
navy and much more formidable Dur
ing the past week she has been given
q coat of pure white, which adds to her
appearance.
take place after the trial trip Of the
| kearsarge is the builders trial Of the
new Morgan Liner Ell Norte.
Although the date for this event has
not been positively decided upon, there
can be no doubt that it will follow i'm
imedlately on the heels Of the Kear-
lsarge's trial. 1t has been, semi official
ny, announced that it will take place be-
fore the tenth of the month and it is
Thought probably that it Will be on
telther Thursday or Friday Of next
week
1t is stated on what is considered
lgood athority that the keel of the new
monitor Arkansas win be laid during
the latter part of next week. Work on
has been going on for some days and
II is almost ready to he placed on the
ways. The laying of this keel will in
augrate the building of that class Of
i Warships at the local sfipyard, the Ar
kansas being the first monitor TO hs