New-York tribune., 1901-01-18
THE WTSCONSIN'S BIRTHDAY.
SOME UNNECESSARY AND BELATED WORRY
ABOUT THE DATE OF HER LAUNCHING.

SOME UNNECESSARY AND BELATED WORRY
ABOUT THE DATE OF HER LAUNCHING
The Thirteen Club is truly distressed at the
alarming prospect that the new battleship Wis
consin may not be launched on a Friday. In a
petition to the Secretary of the Navy the club
sets forth that February was set as the date for
the launch, and that day falls on Friday; that,
accordingly Captain Reiter. supervising the work
on the ship has recommended that the date
be changed and that Captain Chester who is
likely have command of the ship, has recon-
mended that she be launched either on Janu-
airy 2S on February 4. Accordingly. the Thirteen
Club, at its meeting held on January 13. resolved
that a petition should be forwarded to the Secre-
tary of the Navy, requesting that the original
be adhered TO.
The members of the Thirteen Club doubtless
shocked the notion Of the United States Navy
Department making any change in Its plans to fit
any such silly and wornout superstition as that
Friday is an unlucky day. This position will
doubtless commend itself TO educated and thought
full persons but it does not follow that there may
not be another side to the question. Silly and worn
the superstition is, sailors st cling to it, as
they do TO many another. They do not like to sail
on Friday and they do not trust ship which was
launched on Friday. Captain Chester may be per-
fectly free from superstition, and he may never
theess prefer to sail with crew which likes and
trusts the ship in which IT sails. rather than with
a discontented and worried crew, unreasonable and
ignorant such discomfort may be. And Captain
Reiter, though he is not to command the ship, may
be sailor enough to understand this deplorable con-
dition Of affairs
Sometimes the opinions OF others have to be n
sidered, even when they seem most foolish. The
British Government, for instance. has learned to
consider the religious beliefs of the natives Of
possessions even when those beliefs cannot but
seem superstitious to the officers Of the British
Government. Once q certain shipowner resolved
that he would settle the superstition about Friday
forever. He had the keel of ship laid Friday,
he had the ship launched Friday, and she sailed
her first voyage Friday. She
heard of again OF course. the incident settled
nothing. way the other but it signally failed
TO prove what 1t intended prove and the
supersttions Of the superstitous thereby
strengthened. If the Wisconsin were not launched
Friday. nothing would be proved. II she were
launched Friday and then TO grief, moth
ing would be proved either, but superstitious per-
would think that something was. and then the
Thirteen Club might be sorry that II spoke.
However the club is giving itself unnecessary
trouble just The Wisconsin launched
Saturday, November 26. 1898. By odd chance
dispatch appears in another column Of this very
paper TO the effect that the ship has been accepted
by the Government Perhaps the club think
ing OF some other ship, but when II sends around
its copies of petitions brstling with the name Of
the Wisconsin how is a poor newspaper to
know what II means?