The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-02-16
OALII ONIVIA TIU SINUT Gu.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal.
LOUISVILLE. Ky. NEW YORE w
The Christening of New Vessels.

| OF late years there has been no small
amount of controversy as to the proper
method of christening new vessel as she
slides from her birthplace. There was a
| great deal of unpleasantness engendered a
| few months since between two lady as
! pirants for the honor of breaking bottle
over the bow of the battleship Kentucky
| at the time that vessel was launched-one
was bent on christening with Old Kentucky
whiskey and the other preferred to use
water. The latter gained her point. The
latest contention in this line is over the
launching of the battleship Illinois. I'm
successful in their efforts to induce Gov
ernor Tanner of Illinois, to substitute
water for wine in christening that vessel,
and failing of the positive assistance
sought from President Mckinley and the
Secretary of the Navy, the officers of the
w. 9. L. U. have appealed to the ship
builders, urging the use of water instead
of wine in the ceremony. Seven years
ago the four masted schooner Three
Marys was launched from the yard of
VIM. Rogers, Bath Me- The ceremony
on that occasion was certainly novel and
impressive. As the vessel slid down the
incline plane, the Right Reverend James
A. Healy of Portland, Me-, and of the
pared himself in his vestments, paced
the deck of the new craft and christened
with holy water every part of her, and at
the same time pronounced his holy bless
ing in reverence and solemnity, assisted
by brother priests The Three Marys
was built for John b Manning, of this
city. As this triune name is scriptur al it
was considered proper that such a
ceremonial blessing should be pronounced
at her birth. 1t was Mr. Manning's tr-
butte of love to his mother wife and
daughter, each of whom bear the name so
sacred in the Church, that this ceremony
was performed instead of the meaning
less farce of breaking a bottle of wine
over the vessels bow, Jewish custom
at marriage feasc. Following was the
invocation at the christening of the Three
Marys:
''The Lord be with you and with Thy
spirit. Let us pray. Lend ear, O Lord
to our supplicatons and with Thy holy
right hand bless this ship and all whom
she may carry as Thou didst deign to
bless the Ark of Noah when cast in the
flood. Support her, 0 Lord, with Thy
right hand as Thou did st support the
blessed Peter on the water, and send Thy
Holy Angel from Heaven to deliver and
guard her from every danger together
with all she carries; and having overcome
all dangers of the sea, may st Thou direct
Thy servants, her sailors, into safe har-
Dor and guide her in safe course, and
when her voyage is ended and her duties
discharged may st Thou deign to bring
her to home port in safety and prosper
ity. Thou who Invest and reignest with
the Father in unity with the Holy Ghost,
forever and ever, Amen
The Bishop then pronounced his Episco-
pal blessing: MAY the blessing of the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost descend upon
and remain with you forever and ever,
Amen This was the only occasion of a
Divine blessing to ship by the Catholic
church except in 1872 The only in
ance similar, of religious dedication of 6
ship in Bath was about seventeen years
ago, when the missionary ship The Morn
ing Star was blessed by services and
prayer ofithe Congregational denomination
Christopher Columbus had each of his
three caravals religiously blessed by his
friend and priest of Queen Isabella, as he
was about to sail from Spain in August,
1892, in search of Western land TAmeri-
can Ship builder.