The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-07-15

= the prince Of Wales aboard, COL =
+ lided with barge off Portsmouth +
!. today The damage to the cruiser +
+ was slight and she proceeded on +
= her way after brief delay. No +
+ deaths are reported. +
1. + J. + + + 1. I. + !. + + + 1. + i. +
LONDON, July 15.-The prince of
Wales today completed preparations
for his visit to America and will sail
tomorrow on the new cruiser Indomi-
table, the famous mystery ship" for
tercentenary celebration beginning
next week. The prince will be given
an elaborate welcome to his majestys
great world dominion and will
dedicate a monument to Wolfe and
Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham
The Indomitable is now in readiness
for the transatlantic voyage and will
land its royal passenger in Quebec a
week from today, when the official re-
ception to the prince will take place.
This will be the princes second visit
to Canada, he having crossed nearly
ten years ago when on his worlds tour
from ocean to ocean, visiting the chief
towns. He also spent some time fish
ing and hunting in the northwest. This
time he will go no further west than
Quebec and will stay only a week.
His royal highness will be accom-
panied by brilliant staff, so that
none of the pomp and ceremony of the
British court will be missing. Among
the staff will be Sir Francis Hopwood,
under colonial secretary, who probably
knows more about the colonies than
any other Englishman and upon whom
the Canadians at least rely when
dealing with the mother country.
French and American squadrons
will be at Quebec and invitations have
been sent to France and all the col
onies to send delegations. Australia
will be represented by Lord Dudley,
the new governor-general.
On landing the prince will be re-
ce:ved by Governor General Grey and
will be presented with an address by
the Dominion parliament The next
day (July 23) the landing Of Cham
plain will be re- enacted, the old navi-
gator being shown arriving with
crew in ship like the one he sailed
in. The fetes will then be formally
opened by the prince. The program
for the following days is this:
July 24-Dedication of the battlefield.
Military and naval review
I,,lx
July 2s-Thanksgiving day. Services
in the Roman Catholic and English
cathedrals
July 27-Naval display ashore by 1O,-
900 sailors Representation of the bonn
bardrnent of Quebec by the British
fleet and army under Saunders and
Wolfe.
July 29.-Prince leaves Quebec.
"The Mystery Ship"
The Indomitable is one Of three sis
ter ships, the two others being the In
vincible and Inf1exible, which were vot-
ed in 1905, but not laid down till 1906
and which are to all cruisers of the
past what the Dreadnaught is to all
earlier battleships.
She is at once the fastest. the larg-
est and the most heavily armed cruiser
af'oat; indeed, in many respects she
resembles a fast battleship rather
than a cruiser.
The first point to notice is the i'm
mense power Of her artillery. She car
ries eight huge 12-inch guns, each 45|
feet long. and each capable IF firing
an $50 pound shell twice in the min
ute.
These guns are mounted in pairs in
our tLrrets and the turr-,s are 50 ar
ranged that all the eight big guns can
fire en- either broadside, aEd six of
them ahead or astern
The guns are directed from the FIRE
control stations, which are duplicated,
one IN each mast, the .lerails nf the |
system being absolutely confidential. |
But the general arrangement is that
electrical transmitters from the fire
control stations aloft send down to in |
d1cators at the guns the range in yards, |
the detection to right or left, the order !
TO commence or suspend fire, and the /
final signal. a loud ring on a gong, |
to fire the gun.
Some idea of the blast and the force
OF these guns can be gained from the
fact that during her trials two Of the
amld-ship turret guns were trained /
right ahead and fired simultaneously. /
A boat Vas handing on the davits, |
well out Of the actual path of the