Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-04-18


almost noon when the big ship glided
from the ways to take its place in the
list of the American navy.
A distinguished party attended the
event, headed by Governor White. of
West Virginia, and his official staff,
and including the West Virginia SEN
ators and representatives and promi-
nent officers of the army and navy
who came from Washington. The
christening ceremony was performed
by Miss Katherine White, daughter of
the West Virginia governor, and who
had as her maids of honor, her sisters,
the Misses Grace and Ethel White and
Miss Ashton Wilson, daughter of ex-
Governor Wilson.
AS the sound of the hammer under
the West Virginia's keel slowly died
away the waiting multitude was
breathless in anticipation of the rapid
ly approaching moment when the 5000
tons of shapely constructed armor
would leave the ways. Suddenly from
the depths below came the measured
sound of saw. AS though by magic
command every sound was hushed and
stiffness fell over the expectant
mass of humanity; every ear was
strained to hear the sound of the
mighty steel blade as it slowly cut its
way into the large oak plank which
alone separated the sliding and the
creased ways AS the bottle of cham
payne was surrendered to Miss White
the silence that pervaded the yard was
oppressive. Suddenly there was snap,
the cracking of timber, and for an
instant the monster hull quivered on
| it's bed.
Gathering strength and clutching
the gaily decked bottle more firmly as
| the ship started down the creased
ways, Miss White, the proudest young
woman in America, quickly broke the
bottle against the receding bow. AS
the beautifully decorated bottle was
crushed into thousand fragments
against the impressionless steel PROV
of the mighty warrior the fair sponsor
drew breath of graduation and from
her parted lips with womanly sweet
ness fell the words: 81 christen thee
West Virginia"
The great cruiser, radiant in bunt-
| i,g, red, white and blue, swept grace
| fully down to meet lne blue waters of
| the James, and in their embrace COM
| plete the symbol of the starry flag
was laden with caps and hats as the
enthusiastic multitude gave full vent
to their patriotic feelings. The big
hull had meanwhile fioated gracefully
out to midstream where she was
brought to and anchored. For quar-.
ter of an hour the tugs and other small
craft with which the river was filled,
kept up an incessant footing of their
whistles in honor of the latest addition
to Uncle Sans navy. When everyone
had finished cheering the christening
party, numbering some 500 persons
| boarded the steamboat Newport News
which conducted them to Old Point
Comfort. Here they were the guests
at an elaborate banquet furnished by
Calvin b. Orcutt, president of the
Newport News Shipbuilding e. Dry
Dock company, the builders of the
West Virginia and a number of the
other crack cruisers and battleships of
the United States navy.
The cruiser launched today, when
completed, will be one of the fastest
ships in the service. She will be 502
feet over all, nearly 20 feet beam, will
displace more than $4,000 tons, and
| draw "a feet of water. Two sets of
| triple expansion engines will develop
$4,000 horse power, which will drive
her at a speed of 22 knots. Her bunker
capacity will be 1850 tons, and she
| will carry 43 officers and 7S3 men.
An armor belt, six inches thick at
the maximum, will protect her, and
| four S-inch guns in turrets will consti-
tute her main battery. Fourteen 6inch
rapid-fire guns will make up her broad.
sides, and she will carry a secondary
| battery of eighteen 3inch, twelve 8.
Founders, four 1-pounder automatics.
four 1-pounder rapid-ire, six Colt au.
tomato, two machine guns and two g.
inch field pieces.
The West Virginia is of the same
! type as the Nebraska, California, Mary.
land, Colorado and South Dakota, all
! OF which when completed will be su.