Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-30
YARD HAS ANOTHER
SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHING
Mallory Liner BRACES Put Over
board; ChrIsleRed by Hiss
HALLE Bryan.
CR0W0 BRAVES Rain STORM
Fifteen Hundred People stood In
Downpour to Sec New Craft Make
Journey to General Mana
ger Raymond and Purity Here
Luncheon rendered Fair Sponsor


the Brazos river in 1921 Tho first set
Element of Anglo. Americans In Tex
aa, the immense freight and pussen-
ger steamship l}raZos was SUCCESS
fully launched from ship ways No. 3
~ the plant of the Newport News
Shlpbnllding 6 Dry Dock Company
nj exactly 1851 o'clock yesterday
afternoon. In spite OF tho rainy
weather more than thousand PEG
pie, Including u score of loyal Tex
ans, saw tho massive black hull glide
gracefully down the ways and out OH
the waters Of james river
Luncheon At Warwick.
AS soon as tito new craft was safe-
~ atloat the christening party and
other invited guests went to Hotel
Warwick whore the shipyard OIL
Gals gave an Informal luncheon in
honor of the sponsor. Covers wero
ibid for about 90 and the function
proved most enjoyable one Cen
s eral Manager Walter a. Post presid-
ed as tonstmaster, and several In
formal pasts We're responded to aft
er tho luncheon was over
General Manager II. IL, Raymond
represented the Mallory Steamship
Company and those In the cllrsten-
Ing party wcre Miss Hally b. Bryan.
Mr.. and Mrs. j. nj. Culp and daught-
or; Judge md Mrs. Edward Parker:
MIR. and Mrs. IIlclSllng; Mr.. and Mrs.
o. G, Galbraith; Mrs. Dilbrcil. Miss
Lamb aud Miss Shepard; General j.
Nj. Wilson; Lieutenant Commander
w. X. Harrison, u. s. NJ. DR.. Hayes
and Messrs. c. D. Mallory, c. W.
Mccoy, II, G, Warneld. II. NJ King,
q D. Lorentz, Ralph Shropshire, j.
s. Raymond, A. w. Pye Shepard and
Lamb.
The party arrived ut Old Point
Y frpln.,aifSw Yock. yesterday morning,
afi after brenkfasting at the Cham
berlain Hotel, came To this city on
tho parlor cur Old Point over the
Newport News & Old Point Railway.
Tho members of the party went at
once To the shlpyard and inspected
tho plant before ascending the
launching stand at tho bow of the
Drazos shortly after 12 O'clock. An
of the guests left for their homes last
night,
Preparing for Launch.
II was Intended to send tic Brnzos
down the ways at 1 O'clock and near
ly two hours before that time force
of several hundred worlsmen went to
work under her hull driving homo
the wedges 10 transfer tho hull from
the stationary keel blocks to the
launching cradle. When the gates
OF the ward were thrown open to the
public Mt 1915 o'clock the wedges
had been sent home and the support
Ing shores and Keel blocks were be-
ing removed by the workmen.
While that work was In progress
General Manager Walter A. Post in
structed Miss Bryan in tho nrt OF
ship christening. Tho sponsor was
very comuosed and she coolly walt
ed with the champagne bottle tight
" graaped in her right hand for the
supreme moment.
Another Successful Launching.
Steadily the workmen hammered
away at the blocks and ten minutes
before thc hour set for tho launching,
the signal was given to "saw her
on. Immediately two cross-cut saws
began eating through the sole pieces
great onk planks-that alone held
the ship n captive. 6efore the saws
were half way through the planks
there was loud cracking and
trenlor seemed to pass through the
hull of the big ship. After lingering
fer a second, the hull began to move
slowly down the ways then gather
Ing momentum 1t sped along at an
unusually rapid pace and the stern
struck the water with a great splash.
Ten seconds later and the bow had
cleared the ways anu another sue
cessful launching was recorded In
the history OF Americas greatest
shipyard.
When the vessel foated into the
channel she was captured by the
shipyafd tug Dauntless and towed to
one of the piers where the work of
completing her Will begin ut once.
Dissertation of Steamer.
The "Brazos' is twin screw
steamer. larger than any vessel in
+ the Mallory service. and, In fact, she
VIII be one Of the largest of the mod
ern fleet of coast-wise steamships.
Her principal dimensions are:
Length over all, 4l5 feet; beam, 81
feet depth, 81 feet; gross tonnage.
$500 tons; cargo storage capacity
under deck. $4,000 cubic feet equal
to about 10000 bales of cotton. She
Is designed To carry $500 tons of
cargo. exclusive of coal. water, stores,
etc.
Propeilng power consists of two
vertical Inverted cylinder, direct act.
Ing quadruple engines. having cylin-
ders 23 inches, 3S 1-3 inches 4Sh
Inches and 40 inches In diameter
With n common stroke of 81 inches.
steam being supplied by eight re.
turn tube Scotch boilers. She Will
be capable OF maintaining speed of
JIG knots per hour at sea. which will
Z insure a trip between New York and
Galveston, the trade for which she
x as built. in less than five days
fS 1o4 first class passengers, state.