The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-17
Big STEAMER LAUNCHED
MINNESOTA, THE GREATEST CARGO
CARRIER In THE WORLD.
Built for the Great Northern Company
and Christened by Clara Hill-630
Feet Longtime Decks.

NEW LONDON, Conn.,, April 16-In the
presence of thousands of spectators, in
Guiding many visitors from New York.
Boston and other cities, the steamship
Minnesota, the largest vessel ever built in
this country, and the greatest cargo-car-
rier In the world, was launched to-day at
the yards of the Eastern Shipbuilding
Company at Croton. The sponsor of the
mammoth ship was Miss Clara Hill. daugh-
ter of j. j. Hill, president of the Great
Northern Steamship Company. for whom
the vessel was built to become a part Of
the company's Pacific and Oriental carry
ing service.
AS the last restraining link that held the
ship to its place on the ways was severed.
Miss Hill broke a bottle Of wine over the
steel bow and named the craft the Mime
sofa. With a gliding movement, barely per-
ceptible at first, the vast mass Of steel,
weighing thousands of tons, started down
the ways, and, gathering speed rapidly,
plunged into the water with a wave under
her stern that seriously threatened the
safety of the hundreds of small craft in
the harbor. Although her momentum
seemed sufficient to carry her far over to
the other side cf the wide harbor, the pre-
cautions taken to slacken her speed were
sufficient to bring her to standstill with
in mile of the Croton shore. Tugs then
took her in tow and she was guided to a
dock, where she will be fitted up for service.
After the launching luncheon was served to
the guests of the shipbuilding company in
the mold loft of the yard.
There were more than four hundred
guests at the launching. Mr.. Hill was re-
ceived with enthusiastic cheering when he
arose to speak. I'm railway transportation
we lead the world" said he. I'm the United
Kingdom it costs $3.50 to ship ton Of
| freight 100 miles; in Germany, 81; in France,
| x.75; In Russia, $780, whereas the average
| for the United States is only " cents. 1
| hope 1 may in some manner have contrib
| uted to this result. But in steamship trans
| portation We are children. To-day any old
| tramp steamer of any nation that spies an
a bundle of freight will shout, Drop that
| bundle! and Immediately the bundle drops.
| With the great vessel out there riding at
anchor don't want to be told to drop any
| corners that I will not drop it. Once the
American merchant marine was the envy
| treatment at the hands of the government
our flag shall again be supreme on the high
| seas"
| In expressing his sentiments regarding
the merger agitation Mr.. Hill, after thank
| ing all present for cooperation in the sue
cess of the launching, said: I'm order to
| develop lr commerce with the Orient and
| meet the competition of nations there must
exist a power of control that can collect
and forward 1t. But now we are told that
such power Is crime; and that he who
s it is crime now plead
| that may be imposed.
| Charles N. Hansen. general manager of
the New London ship yard and presiding
| officer of the ceremonies, then introduced
/ Judge Burke, of Seattle, who declared
that Mr.. Hill. with his three railroads and
| his shipping, had done more for Puget
| sound and the far Northwest than all other
| developing forces combined. Mr.. Hill, he
/ said, had created the Puget sound lumber
| industry by reducing rail rates on lumber
| so per cent, making it possible to ship Pu-
| get sound lumber over all the United
| States, and now he was extending his trans
portation energies from the railway. termi-
/ nails across the Pacific ocean to give the
merce of the Orient.
| Governor Chamberlain, of Connecticut
paid a tribute to the builders and to Mr.
| ernor Walter. John w. Gates and Lewis
| Nixon also spoke.
The Minnesota is of the indetermina. e
| cargo and passenger type, and built under
| Lloyds survey. She is $50 feet long, 70 feet
inches wide, Sc feet high to upper deck
| IS feet high to captains bridge, III feet high
| to top of mast, is. rugged a four-ma steo
schooner, with pole masts, and has five
| continuous decks named follows: Orlop
| lower, tween, main and upper, all plated
| WITH STEEL lie lOuI utChS WHICH are mol
continuous are the forecastle. promenade
| bridge and boat decks, and on top of al
comes the captains or navigation bridge
making nine decks In all. The stem, stern
| post, rudder and struts for shafts are OF
| cast steel.
The vessel Is divided transversely into
thirteen water-tight compartments: the en-
! CINE and boiler rooms being divided longi
tudinally by a water-tight bulkhead make.
four water-tight machinery compartments
The, double bottom is feet deep, and ex
sell The space can hold about 1900 tons o.
water ballast whenever required, and is di
vided into IS water-tight compartments III
| addition to above, water tanks are located
In the tween deck, one on each side of cen
ter; two of these tanks are fitted forwarc
| of machinery and two abaft, and contain in
| all over 1000 tons of water. Altogether Thu
hull is divided into IS water-tight compart
| ments.
IA full description Of the Minnesota wa
| printed in the Journal this week.