The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-12
BIG SHIP GEORGIA
RIDES THE WAVES
FAIR SPONSOR CHRlSTENED
LARGEST VESSEL THAT WAS EVER
BUILT IN MAINE.

Weather, at First Bad, Cleared for
the Brilliant Event of the Launch
ing of the Great Battleship-With
steam Up and NIasts, tunnels aud
Coming Tower standing, the
Georgia Bore an Almost Completed
Appearance.
Bath, Me. Oct. 1.-THE largest yes
sci ever built in Maine, the twin screw
first class battleship Georgia, was
launched from the plant of the Bath
Iron Works. AS she started from the
ways she was christened with cham
payne by Miss Stella Tate, daughter
of the late Maj. William Tate and sis
ter of Congressman f. Carter Tate.
Naval officers and officials of the fed
eral and state governments of Maine
and Georgia witnessed the launching.
The weather was not wholly favor
able, drizzling rain having prevailed
during the forenoon. The sky began
clearing, however, a short time before
the launching.
The big battleship was gaily decor
ated with flags and bunting, as were
also the yard buildings, IN honor of
the occasion Excursionists from all
sections of Maine had come to witness
the launching, and the party enter
tanned by officials of the company in
cluded Gov. Joseph M. Terrell of
Georgia, Mrs. Terrell. Judge and Mrs.
Hamilton McWhorter, Miss Camelia
McWhorter. Congressman F. Carter
Tate, Mrs. Tate. Miss Stella Tate. Con-
gresham w. c. lAdamson and Lieut..
Col. H. S. Colding. all of Georgia.
Sawed Wood to Launch Her.
Miss Tate was escorted to the launch
ing platform by Vice President John
S. Hyde and instructed in her duties
as sponsor Mr. Hyde also had per-
sonal supervision of the launching. A
method somewhat different from the
usual one of releasing the hull by Sc
vering a cord was employed to-day,
when sawyers standing beneath the
vessel severed the monstrous shoe
pieces with cross-cut saws and the
vessel was started towards the water.
AS the battleship began to move,
Miss Tate broke a bottle of cham
payne across the bow, naming the
craft in honor of her own state, and
as the stern parted the surface of the
Kennebec, the Georgia was saluted by
numerous craft and manufacturing
plants along the shore, all of which
was answered by her siren and whistle
as the battleship was launched with
steam UP.
Both military masts were in posi-
ton, as well as the coming tower and
the three smoke tunnels, which gave
the vessel more the appearance of a
completed battleship than any pre-
viously launched.
Following the launching a luncheon
was served.
1t is practically assured that the bat
tleship will be put in commission at
Savannah. This will occur some eigh-
teen months from now and will be
made a gala occasion in Savannah.
The Governor and his staff will prob
ably be here, and in other respects
the Importance of the event will be
recognized.
One of the Most Powerful.
The Georgia is one of the three bat
'tleships authorized under an act of
Congress, approved, March 8, 1899, and
is also a duplicate of the two author
lied and approved June Z, 1900. Bids
for these five battleships were OPEN
ed at the Navy Department, Nov Is,
1900, and in February, 1901 the Bath
Iron Works was awarded the contract
for the building of the Georgia, a sis
ter ship of the Virginia, Rhode Island,
New Jersey and Nebraska, at a con-
tract price of $780, 900.
The Georgia belongs to the most pow
erful type of battleShips afiOat and also
to the largest class. She has trial
displacement of $1,000 tons, and is ABS
feet long, rs feet 10 inches beam, and