The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-28
THE PRESIDENT.
leaves Washington on Special Train Tor
Newport News.
nv Associated Press.

vAsuTNGToN. ID. c., Dec. 27.-Mem-
Aors of the Presidents Cabinet, with their
Families. and several chiefs OF the Navy
Department, guests of the Newport News
iya.) Shipbuilding and Dry-Dock Com
hany, left here for Newport News at ~
k'clock this evening by special tram TO
attend the launching of the battleshlp
Missouri at Il o'clock tomorrow morn
h1g.
c. B. orcutt, president of the Snip
kuildinc Company, accompanied tho par
g. A large number of Senators. members
bf the House and others, including Sena-
to- Francis NJ Cockrell. of Missouri, and
his daughter, Miss Marion Cocllreil. who
is to ac, as sponsor at the launching.
sailed for Newport News tonight, ana
hin arrive there early in the morning
THE MISSOURI.
The Missouri is sister snip OF INC
nhio and the Maine. Her contract price
was s2SS5, ,ooa Her keel was iaid Fep-
eIary 7th, 1900, and on the latest construc-
lion report she is set down as 5l per cent cent
eompleted. The Missouri's contract speed
Is Is knots an hour. so that she Will RANK
hcxt TO the batueships oil the GeoFsia
slass in regard TO speed. Her compile
s,ent will be forty &tticers ana i've nun nun
lred and eleven men.
The hull is built of steel and is uii-
shcathed II is 3SS feet long on the load
Eater. line; - feet 2i2 inches in extreme
breadth. and at a mean drauSht oil . leet
h inches displaces 1880 tons. The hun Is
protected abreast the boilers and engines
hv a side armor belt Of from ila to IL
irches thickness and by the casemate ar
h,or 6 inches thick. In the casematc are
Slaced ten OF the 6-inch guns the vessel
tsrries Above this on the upper dech
FOUR 6-inch guns are placed, IN the VI
rinity OF which ,siN-inch armor is worked
tsr enough forward and aft TO afford pro
section to the crews of the guns.
THE SHIF'S MEALS.
Protection is afforded tho Nltals OF
The shin below the water line by a pr1-
sccted deck with ar,nor from ; -3-i 70
inches thick The main battery OF the
thip consists Of four Finch rifles placed
In two balance turrets and sixteen o.
inch guns The turrcts arc turned ny
Electricity aud can reNolNe through oho
hesrees in one minute. Ten of the 6-inch
guns are within the casemate as before
Statcd; two others are on the berth 1or-
Gard in 6-inch armored spoEsons ana tour
srs on The uoner deck ihose IN 'he
eponsons toward and two on inc upper
deck car fire directly ahead and the
icther two on ,he upper deck directly
astcrn, in addition 10 having a broad
side ire The secondary battery con-
sists of six S-inch guns, eight 6-pound-
rrs. six l-pounders, TWO Colts and TWO
s-inch field guns.
A MEM FEATURE. =
new feature introduced into the Of
yensiye ROVER OF the ship as two sub
merged torpedo tubes While German
Uarships have been equipped with these
-uhcs for a number Of years, the Mis-
souri and her CO IS are the tirst battle
ships of our navy TO be supplied with
rheri.
There are two military masts fitted
with the usual signal yards, tops and
!onmas,s. one mas as usual being over
,he forward coming tower The Mis-
fcuri carries "A boats. Of W'aich one is a
-orty foot steam cutter and another 50
foot steam cutter of the usual navy type.
s'he boats are handled by four cranes
operated by steam and each of which
raa Eft the heaviest boat that 1t has to
handle at the rate of forty feet per min
ute.
Bilee keels 10 reduce rolling are fitted
30 the vessel, experiments in recent years
sn our own and foreign navies having
demonstrated the great efficiency of these
kaels II, preventing excessive rolling.
Hydraulic gear is used in steering thu
r.>sso and can pat the ruddcr from hard
s;yors to hard as;arboard IN twenty sec
nBss when the vessel is moving at full
s3ced. Electricity is used for lighting the
sesse. and operating the tu:rets and
Au.iSas spd for ccirl,aalaniAatS,>- hatwSass