The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24
LAUNCHING OF THE KOREA
The Largest Merchant Vessel Ever
Built in America.

A Great Crowd Sees the LeNiathan
Take the Water at Newport News
The Steamship Intended for Trans
Pacific Trade - Her Dimensions.
NEWPORT NEWS. Va, March 23.-The
Pacific Mail steamship Korea was launch
ed at the yards of the Newport News
Shipbuildng and Dry Dock Company this
morning in the presence of an immense
throuE of people. The vessel left the
ways at 1856 o'clock and the launching
was a perfect success. The Korea is the
largest merchant vessel ever built on the
Western Hemisphere and Will be used on
the Pacific Coast in the China trade. The
vessel was christened by Miss Katherine
Tweed.
Costing s.. 100000 when completed, nearly
6o5 feet in length and having a displace-
ment of nearly 1859 tons, the monster
Korea will be the queen of the Pacific,
and no vessel Of the same class in
the transatlantic service viii COM
pare with her in construction, equip
ment. and fnsh-a grand monument
to the skill of the American ship
builder. Three years ago tomorrow. with
the launching of the Kearsarge and Ken
lucky. the Newport News shipyard scored
a worlds shipbuilding record. This was
the first time in the history Of naval
architecture that two battleships of the
most formidable ana modern type took
TO the water within an hour of each
other
This was a red-letter day in the history
of Newport News. Never before had its
citizens welcomed so large throng of
visitors on the occasion of the launching
Of new ship for the merchant marine.
i1a ard ~ hp Lar hoy
gan to arrive last evening, but the great
er part of the multitude came this morn
ing. All of the railroads and steamboat
companies touching here. at Old Point
and at Norfolk ran excursions to the
launching.
While awaiting the arrival of the chris
tcning party and listening to the band Sc
lections and the discordant music of the
sledges as the employees of the shipyard !
busted themselves with the preparations !
for the launching. the thousands of spec
tators had an opportunity to look around
and get a view of the immense amount /
of work now under contract at America
largest shipyard. Above the ways on the
opposite side of the crane. under which
the Korea rested, lowered her sister ship,
the Siberia, which will be launched in
n few weeks To the north of the Siberia.
still on the ways. are building the Uni
ted States battleship Missouri and the
new Morgan Line steamship El Librc. To
the south of the Koreas position are the
WAYS vacated two weeks ago by the Nor
gan Liner FL Vale, on which the keel
will be laid at once for Ell Dia. also for
this line on the other side of the crane
under which FL Vale was built. is El
Siglo, another Morgan liner, and just
below this ship is the mammoth new 81.
',ooa dry dock. which is in the last
stages Of completion, and will be opened
N April.
II is probable that the Korea Will be
he first ship taken into this dock. which
: the largest on this hemisphere and one
# the largest in the world, having room
enough to take the monster Oceanic, with
hing like 300 feet to spare. Tied
H -~ are the battleship Illi- :
~ official trial {
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