Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-15
NEW CRUISER NAMED
Montana Enters the Water at
NeW9ort News Yards.
GIVEN = EOlSY RECEPTION
Bottle E. :. n by Miss Minnie Conrad
CT Butte.
LUNG - SPONSORS HONOR
Her Fat a native of Virginia, One
of 81 1y's Men"-Dimensions
o. the Sew Warship.
GIVEN = nOISY RECEPTION

NEWPORT NEWS, Va, December Ia
Notwithstanding the unusually early hour,
the armored cruiser Montana was launched
in the presence of a large crowd at the
yards o. the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company at 500 O'Clock this
morning. Kiss Minnie Conrad of Great
Falls, daughter OF Mr.. w. G. Conrad of
that city. acted sponsor and broke
bottle of American wine the vessels
prov as she started toward the. water from
the position she has occupied on the ways
since her keel was laid.
II christen thee Montana" she exclaimed
as the bottle of sparkling wine crashed
against the sides of the vessel. The huge
hull moved off slowly, gradually gathering
momentum. and took the water gracefully,
gliding out/on the placid surface of the
James. She was greeted by the whistles of
all the craft in the harbor, those from the
surrounding shops and factories and the
cheers of the large crowd surrounding the
ways and on board the merchant and pleas
ure craft on the water.
Accompanying Miss Conrad was her Sis
ter, Miss Josephine Conrad. as maid of
honor, and her father Representing Gov.
Hooe O., Montana was Martin McGinniss
who once represented Montana in Congress.
General Superintendent Walter A Post
represented the building company and SUI
perintended the arrangements Of the launch
ing.
The Launching Breakfast.
Following the launching, the launching
party and a number of invited guests of
the company repaired to the Hotel War
wick, where an elaborate breakfast was
served in honor of the sponsor About 100
guests were seated at the table, which was
PRESIDED over by Supt. Post.
Miss Minnie Conrad is young woman of
rare beauty, charming personality and in
telligence Although a native of Montana,
she spends a great deal of her time in this
state. Her father is native of Virginia,
and a present owns one of the handsomest
old southern homes and plantations in the
valley of Virginia. near Wildwood, Clarke
county.
Mr.. Conrad served in the confederate
army during the civil war, being a member
of Mosby's Rangers. At the close of he
conflict he went west and located at Great
Falls. where he has been exceptionally for
tunate and is one of Montana's
wealthest bankers, mine owners and
ranchers. He Was a candidate for the
United States Senate against Senator
Clarke.
The cruiser Montana is built under an act
of Congress, approved April %, 1904 which
provided for the building of two armored
cruisers of 14,500 tons trial displacement
The sister ship to the Montana is the North
Carolina, also building at the yard of the
Newport News Shipbuiding and Dry Dock
company. which was launched October g.
X
elusive of armament.
Dimensions of Vessel
Following are the dimensions of the YES
sci: Length load water line, 500 feet:
length over ALL 504 feet 51s inches; breadth
extreme, - feet 1Oh inches; depth amid
ships nodded ~ feet 2as inches: draft mean,
p feet u inch; displacement, 15aSOS6 tons;
displacement on tria, II 800 tons; total coal
capacity. 1000 tons; maximum speed aver
age of four hours run, - knots maximum
indicated horse power main engines % COO
She will have the following armament:
Main battery, four 10-nch breech-loadine
rifles sixteen 6-inch breech-loading rifles
four 2l-inch submerged torpedo tubes Sec
ondary battery: Twenty-Five 3-inch randi
IRE guns, twelve 3-pounder semi-automatic
1apid-fire guns. two 30-caliber automatic
guns two 3-inch field guns. The hull to be
steel throughout.
The hull is protected by water-line belt
OF armor, worked in vertical streaks amid
ships, where it is about IL feet J inches in
helght extending from the protective deck
40 the gun deck port SllS; to be of uniform
thickness of inches throughout the ma
chlnery and magazine space and 8 inches
forward and abaft of this
Inc upper side armor is disposed of in
wake of a 6-inch battery and > inches
thick throughout the machinery Nickel
steel ) inches thick is disposed of in the
wake of the 3-inch battery. Athwartships
srmor of 6-inch uniform thickness is fitted
from the protective to the main deck
lie 10-inch barbettes are To extend from,
the protective deck to about : inches above
the main deck. and are TO consist of S-inch
armor in front and 4-inch at the rear below
ana 6-inch armor above the gun deck The
lee inch turrets will have a front plate o
Inches thick, rear plate inches thick. side
plate inches thick and the top plates %
,hcnes thick The coming tower will be
thick N'