The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-24
THE Liner KOREA
LAUNCHED YESTERDAY AT NEW
PORT NEWS.
25,O0O PEOPLE PRESENT.
LARGEST EVER BUILT FOR AMERI-
CAN MARINE.


This Side the AtIantic-Has "a Dis
placement of $4,000 Tons on a
Draft of 81 Feet, "A Length of 572
and a Beam 63 Feet-Miss Kathe-
rine Tweed the SponsOr-The KO-
rea Will Ply Between San Fran
cisco and Hong Kong.
Newport News, Va, March 23.-The Pa
cif1c Mail liner Korea, the largest vessel
ever built for the American merchant
marine service, was launched at the yard
of the Newport News Shipbulding Com
pany to-day. A crowd of 10000 people
witnessed the event. Miss Katharine
Winthrop Tweed. daughter of the presi-
dent of the Pacific Mail Company, christ
ened the Korea.
The Korea is the largest steam vessel
ever built on this side of the Atlantic.
With length of 572 feet inches and
beam of 6S feet. she will displace 1S6OO
tons, on a draft of q feet. Some idea
of the size of the Korea may be derived
from the. fact that from the top to the
bottom of the bare hull is a distance of
forty feet, while the distance around her
rail Is nearly quarter of a mile. She
is to be fitted with engines of $4,000
horsepower, sufficient to propel her at
speed of from eighteen to twenty knots.
The Korea will accommodate 1,4OO pas
sengers, of whom 200 will be first cabin
passengers. She is designed for the Pa
cifc Mail Steamship Company to ply be-
tween San Francisco and Hong Kong.
At an early hour men, women and chill
dren began to wend their way to the
shipyard and Washington avenue, the
citys principal business thoroughfare,
leading directly to the great plant, was
thronged with moving humanity all tho
morning, and well into the afternoon, un-
ill the departure of the trains and steam-
ers.
Cheers heralded the approach or the
christening party from the shipyard Of
fees, and the crowd struggled for the
most desirable points of view. Headed
by President c. B. Orcutt, of the New
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, and Gen. Supt. Walter A. Post,
who escorted the fair sponsor and her at
tendsnts, the party proceeded to the piat-
form at the Korea's bow.
At the word of command from the SUI
perintendent of construction, M, V. ID.
Doughty, the wedges were driven home
till the last was securely placed and the
big mass of steel was raised clear of the
keel blocks. The time for the tons and
tons of shapened steel to leave the ways
was drawing near and every eye was
strained in the direction of the ships
bow, where the sponsor and the guests
for the occasion were impatiently await
ing the supreme moment Miss Tweed,
striving to suppress her excitement stood
well forward in the christening booth,
holding in her right hand the traditional
bottle of champagne, which was -encased
in a silken net with vari-colored ribbons
floating from its neck, the receptacle be-
ing suspended from the lofty deck OF the
vessel by a long cord. Around the spon-
sor were gathered the prominent guests
and her attendants.
AS the sponsor poised the bottle in her
right hand, ready to name the vessel, the
suspense was intense. Suddenly there
was a snap and the cracking of timber and
the big hull quivered for an instant before
starting, the spectators giving vent to
suppressed cheers.
simultaneously with the first movement
of the ship, Miss Tweed gracefully cast
the bottle of champagne against the re-
ceding bow.
Il christen thee-Korea," exclaimed the
sponsor with feminine sweetness.
The vessel buried her stern well above
the waterline, rose aft, gracefully dipped
her bowling stem and was off on the river
between the fianking rows of steamers
and tugs, noisy with their shriekng whis-
ties and cheering passengers.
The ovation from the crowds on shore
was tremendous, but that from the water
was equally so. AS the stern of the
Korea dipped into the water the steam
whistles on the craft in the harbor shriek-
ed their shrill, noisy welcome to the lat
est addition of Uncle Sans merchant
marine. The screaming footing sirens
continued to sound their inharmonious
notes until the Korea came to full STOP
after floating several hundred yards from
the shore. There was a scramble of tugs
to make fast the first lines to the new
conner, and several of them took the le-
viathan in tow, proudly escorting her to
one of the shipyard piers, where she will
be rushed to completion.
Following their custom. the officials of
the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company gave post-launehing
luncheon this afternoon at Hotel War
wick in honor of the sponsor, the guests
being those who were invited by the
company to witness to-day's event at the
shipyard.
Just as the Korea slipped down the
ways, George Bannaster. a colored man
among the employees gathered about the
vessel was struck by one of the falling
props and received injuries from which