The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-29

is LAUNCHED.
Grand Daughter of LincOln's
Secretary Of the Navy.
Acted as Sponsor for the Third
of the Name.
VxyUTuFnrTT AHNUnDNT
WITHOUT ACCIDENT.
Anticipated Trouble Did Not
Put in Appearance.
First Battleship Built by Cover.
ment Since the Maine.

|
the sensational rumors of threat
ened vandalism the battleship
Connecticut was successfully launched
at the New York navy yard today. On
the stand at the bows with Miss Alice
B. Welles, and Secretary of the Navy
Morton, were Adjutant General Corbin,
Governor Chamberlain of Connecticut
and other invited guests.
| AS the great hull began to slide down
the ways Miss Alice B. Welles, grand
daughter of Gideon Welles, of Connecti-
| cut, secretary of the navy, during the
civil war and who had been selected to
! christen the Connecticut, seized the cord
| attached to the bottle of champagne
and attempted to dash it against the
bow of the battle ship. She was not
successful however and a second at
tempt, made with the assistance of Ad-
miral Rodgers who stood by ner side,
also failed. Just before the big ship
took the water, however, a workman
| who had watched the scene from the
| deck of the craftreached down over the
bow, drew up the bottle and with a
strong blow smashed it on the iron
sides.
Many thousands of people wit
messed the launching of this, the first
battleship built in a government yard
since the iIlfated Maine, large crowds
gathering at the navy yard and at
various points on the Manhattan and
Brooklyn sides of the East river.
4 More than 10000 invitations were is
sued and few were not used
StreamerS and bunting were display
ed in profusion everywhere around the
| navy yard. The bow on the new battle
ship was tastefully draped with a large
American flag. Naval Constructor Bax-
ter in charge of the launching was con-
nected by telephone with all parts OF
the ship and on hearing that every
thing was ready he gave the NEInal to
| the wOrkmen. DaSSed the wOr6 Miss
| xUh
| against the bow and the great steel
hull was on its way to the water.
The ship started slowly at first, gain
ing momentum as it slipped into the
water. A chorus of whistles from the
| vessels in the harbor drotned the
strains of the warship,s bands and the
big steel hull rode safely on the wa
ter.
| owing to the rumors of the last few
days of an attempt to wreck the new
ship, at the launching, there was in
tense feeling of suspense among the
spectators and the officials and EN-
ployes at the navy yard lest something
mar the impressivenesS of the cere-
mony but every thing went off well.
The Connecticut is sister snip OF the
Louisiana, and both vessels were au-
thorized by an act of congress in 1907.
The Connecticut was built in a govern
I ment yard and under government super
by a private ship building firm at New
port News, Va. The construction OF
both ships has been followed with keen
interest as it was recognized that II
was a test of the governments S -ab1l1ty
to cope with private enterprise. Mucn
depends on this competition of con-
struction for if the Connecticut is com
pleted before the Louisiana, then most
of the government ship building will be
done by the latter, and it is expected
the New York navy yard. will be the
ship building center for government
work.
the finest and most powerful boat in
the American navy and will rank with
the most powerful battleshlps OF the
navies of other nations. NotWlthstand-
ing the fact that a new plant mad TO
be created for the construction of the
Connecticut this vessel is but eight per
cent behind the Louisiana although
laid down two months later.
The last vessel of any size construct
ed at the New York navy yard was the
ilI-fated battlleship Maine.
The keel of the Connecticut was lald
\ down on March 10, 1903 the stem was
erected on July %, the first armor placed
aboard April "a and the first boiler
shipped on July T.
The Connecticut is of steel Win
trial displa cement of 16, 600 tons and
maximum displacement of 17,710 tons
The vessel is 450 feet on the load water
line 1854 feet over all, 76.1 feet beam
and 24.6 feet draught. The engines VIII
be of the twin screw, vertical, fou1
, cylinder triple expansion type with
Combined horse power of 16,500 an6
these will accumulate speed OF
knots.
The Connecticut will carry three fun
nels, two military masts, two main ano
four secondary turrets and main @ @decH
central battery. The armor has tota
weight of 1892 tons.
On each side amdiships there is
steel belt 1913 feet long. 9 feet inches
wide and IL inches thick. Forward anc
aft of this belt is another inches tnicl
covering the magazines. This is ended
by six inch bulkheads. On the lower
deck for 284 feet the armor issix incheS
thick and on the main deck for 236 rect
where the central battery is, the armol
is seven inches thick. The protected
deck is 115 inches thick on the fiat anc
21A inches on the slopes. The main tur.
rets are inches thick with 121z Incl
faces. There are two of these. Tht
barbettes are covered with 10 inches O
armor, and the secondary turrets will
six inches of arnor with 61s inch faces
THE coming tower is protected witt
Il steel arn1or inches thick, and the sig
nal tower with inches of steel.
Her armament will consist of fou
12-inch breech loading guns, one pal
in the forward turret and another aft
and eight S-inch guns mounted il
pairs in four turrets on the super
structure. In the main deck batter.
there will be IL 7-inch rapid fir
guns mounted six to a broadside- II
addition there will be IL 14-pounders
LIZ 3-pounders, six 1-pound automati
guns two 1-pound semi-automatic
| and eight 3-inch guns. In the maga
zines she will carry so rounds for eacl
12-inch gun, 100 rounds for each
t inch gun, 100 rounds for each 7-incl
Lgun, 800 rounds for each 3-inch gun