Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-11-10
To Go Overheard at the Ship
yard This Year.
COMUSLAUNCHEDY YESTERDAY
Ceremony VIA. Not Attended by a Large
Crowd, Ent Was Pretty and lat~re.t.
Ing Successful in All Dstn,ls.
Description Of ,he ah p.

The Newport Nnws s;i,;pbuildinG ana
j>Ey 10 K ;,ani any yes el,lly uut an
u,l,.r large Ship IL iht. watc". nlalsin.
she sixth VESSEL ialnc.el III The ship
yar,! THIS year. III" steamship ',u!l3ll.s.
building for The cromwell lines ser
vice between New York ana Ncw Or
leans, VAS laurcled At 80 O'Clock this
afternoon III the presence Of probably
1000 people What it lacked in NUN
brrs til. crowd mace uo III enthusiasm
ana When III. large, gracefully. shal,@,:
hui ,il",i from III" Ways ana slid oLt
upon the waters OF the historic DANES
with '!uck like bfo"anry. the 'in@,,,A-
TORS alll;.ud.d the latest achieI .neit
Of III. largest ANA best equipped ship
yard on American soil
At O'clock cutie a crowd had as
srinb!@d Ii the Forty second stTee.e en-
trance to the 9hipyartI. ~ that hour
the gates We're thrown open to ti?e pub
lie. The pcoplc continue: 10 arrive uiI-
til the time announced for the launch
ing TO- take place and when all Of the
timEers had been removed from under
the S!lipS side and everything WAS
ready for tile last preparatory step. an
audience II respectable proportions had
assembled.
The spons2r foE the CosnEs Wa Miss
.los"phinr itohrei Of Burlington: ~
tenant Commander ltuhrrr United
States Navy, Who viii 90 out on lie
battl"Sllip Kentucky as executive of. :
Ger when that Sl,'.ndi! product Of til,
NEWPORT %eNs Shipbulc'ins aad I'ly
DOCK Company goes III commission
Commander Echrrr. With MIS-. i;"Ilr,r
ana their daughter have becn III the
city for some time, staying At the Wa!'-
wick Hotel.
IN christening iarty w;ts aai
I,,.r i,, 4 s.,,
parents ana several friends: Genera.
Superintendent WaitG- =. Post. Of thC
shirbEiidin& c"nranE; other att"ch@s
u THO ship%aI%! ana several ladies yyho
had been invited TO witness thn Inter
cnting event from the ch,st@nin#
stand.
The work Of preparing The bis "hiu
fnr lanDchin" vas commenced III an
early hour. Til" work Was d"na un,!,rr
the direction Of tha s,,rolint cntruj oc
hull construction. MI. NJ y ID. Dough
~ who has launched more Shi!,S <u1-
crsStul'% than any other shirhGlti&r in
the country. Wll.n Mir Doughty l,rc-
rarcs 4 shin fOr launching; al Of ne
nran=emcnl must ~ per'cGt. II
makes no difference whether the vessel
is 4 battlcship, = larE,. merchant ship
or 4 tug--ali Of the details mus lie per
frctc'l before tho work Of removing the
timhc:s frnm I'll" ships sides is com
mcnccd. MI Doughty personally in
y
the laun@i:ine and when the Dig hull
finally stat,tsi down the ways hc is ~
coniideHt rs he wants to i" that liz.
launching viii be Il success.
Ahnut w" hours before t!,e ,mc SCI
for the event q large force of men was
Tut u work under lhr lu.yin:z sides u
III" monster hun. Dn% ~ one tho shores:
ana Supporting ii!nbo"s We're taken
:WHs- ana ~ I:3n u'cla.l5 nothing lc-
strained the vessel friru Sliding. ,lnwgI
~, 1,,,, ,I,. ~,
h"W, Which held the sliding ways IL
til" ground WAYS. Two .nrn NTH ~
great saw were put to work StTriin;.
This heavy 1ilnitcr and The Spectators
waited il hroa'hicsa s,is!'an&c Whit.
;hcy listened u the hlzzin& "i th" saw
aS l,e bi@ instrument, cut It's Way
through the srl,. piece.
III The ni"an!iriiu ,he christening l.Ii :
ty HAD reached tile stand .,na tls. Ladies'
ana gentlemen Who Wer5. In. guests Of
tho :'nnnE on this occasion took th.i:
places near In" SHARP i'!"w ni the tow
c;inS hull. Miss R"i!rr, stood close tn
The bow, holding III her right hand a
bottle "f champagne which was en-
cnsed in 4 s:lllicn net an! wa: Suspended
from the top ur the ship wilh /, ION.
cord.
Finally the swapping Of the tlnbe.
was heard and the climax WAS at hand
Th" ship seemed to CULVER on the way
and then it started u move very slowly
down the CREASED ways. The instant
The vessel moved frlm the bed It had
occupied since the kecci was lll SOM
months before, Miss E"hi.rr i;ru:spr,>
the bottle II chafli:.sn. firmly with
her right band and lhcn gracefully
threw il ont against the ships boz.
As she cast AVA. tra bottle shc namal
the new Cromwell liner IN these words:
Il christcn thee. Comus.'
Instantly there was u crash heard
cniy ~ those "a the stand. but tho