The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-05-21


drew near the line of steel clad thun-
derers Of the deep. with Jackies lin
ing the rails, the marine guards drawn
up aft and officers in full uniform on
the bridges. a puff of smoke burst like
a white balloon from the port quar-
ter of the battleship Wisconsin, Ad-
miral Casey's flagship. Boom came the
report. 1t was the first gun from the
ship, the first of twenty-one. Each of
the warships the big savage battle->
ship Iowa, the long, lean cruisers Phil
adelphia and Adams, the little torpedo
boat Farragut and the revenue cutter
McCulloch, which was with Dewey at
Manila, turned loose their secondary
batteries as the Slocum steamed slow
ly by.
Opposite, the president witnessed a
smart exhibition of a Jack Tar's skill.
A flag at her peak fouled and in a
twinkling, a nimble sailor ran aloft
and loosed it. Beyond the warships
the little tug threaded her way through
the holiday fleet Of steamers, yachts,
tugs, barges and every variety Of water
crafts jammed about the front of the
shipyard. Each was black with cheer
ing people and there was hardly one
of them which did not have saluting
gun of some sort to add its voice to
the roar of welcome that greeted the
president from the dense crowd of
workmen gathered upon the pier.
Ashore. to the right, was a stand
covered with acres of people and be-
yond that a hill alive with them.
Upon the pier a broad aisle of white
muslin ran through the workmen
packed on either side. Up this path,
arched over with the flags and ban
ners, one of them bearing the inscrip-
ton THE Oregon Has Made Her
Record; Watch the Ohio" the presi-
dent and his party moved TO stand
where the representative Of the 4,500
employees of the Union Iron Works, in
a neat speech, in which he asked
heartfelt blessing upon the head of the
president and expressed tender SYM
pathy for his suffering wife, presented
the President, as token of the esteem
of the workmen, with a gold plate, en-
graved with suitable inscription
The presidents response aroused
much enthusiasm. He told his audi
ence of his friendship for the working
and touched the hearts of the surging
crowd before him as he spoke eloquent
ly of the patriotic response which Cal
ifornia had made during the Spanish
war. When the president spoke of
the contentment of the working classes
there was one discordant note. A big
strapping fellow, perched upon an ad-
jacent scaffolding, with his mind full
of the threatened strike, shouted:
How about next week?' A hundred
Of his companions looked up and mo-
toned to him to cease.
speech came the launching. A platform
had been built around the PROV of the
big iron monster, which lay in the very
slip in which the famous Oregon was
built and from which President Har-
rison launched the moritor Monterey
u
form were the president and members
Of the cabinet, Governor Nash, of
Ohio; Miss Deshler, his niece, who was
TO christen the ship, Miss Barber. who
was to act for Mrs. Mckinley and
many uniformed officers of the army
and navy.
Immediately at the right was a red
coated band. Below, workmen were
knocking away the last keel blocks un-
It'd the great steel hull rested upon her
cradle. and only a single beam, set like
a trigger and ready to fall aside at a
blow, held her in place.
Miss Barber and the president stood
before the electric appliance which
controlled the guillotine that was to
sever the rope which would loose the
weight that was to knock out this last
beam Miss Barber with her finger
on the bottom. was looking intently
at the indicator.
At 12:221a, there suddenly shot into
the face of the indicator the word
ready Miss Barber pressed the but
ton. The last block fell away. At the
same time Miss Desheler let go of the
bottle Of champagne suspended at the
side Of the bow. by a red, white and
blue ribbon and as it crashed against
the side she uttered the words: "I
christen thee tOhic.''
Released from its bonds. the heavy
hull Of 1900 tons of steel went plough
ing through the thick grease of its
cradle. Slowly at first. then faster and
faster she slid down the ways taking
the flood majestically and piling UP the
water in great waves before her..
The trip back to the city was almost