Smyrna times., 1909-02-10
STATE TAKES PRIDE IN THE
LAUNCHING OF DELAWARE
GREATEST OF WARSHIPS LEAVES
THE WAYS AT NEWPORT NEWS
Governor PennewiII and Many Distin-
guished Delawareans We're Present
Miss Annie CahaII, Sponsor.

NAONGIiOi GtttGW4i anu iFtdIy OiSllu-
guished Delawareans Were Present
Miss Annie Cahall, Sponsor.
Under the brilliant sun of a superb !
winter morning the United States ,
battleship Delaware, a fighting ma :
chine that will be more powerful than
any craft of war yet designed by for
eign naval architects, was successful
ly launched at 10. OF o'clock Saturday
morning at the plant of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and DrydOck
Company, Newport News, Va. With
the first perceptible movement of the
massive hull, Miss Annie Pennewill
/ Cahall of Bridgeville, niece of the
Governor of the State whose name
| the ship bears, hurled a bottle of
Delaware champagne against the |
hughe steel prov, exclaiming: q
christen thee Delaware: God be |
with thee, Delaware, in peace and |
III war Then while ten thousand |
Virginians and Delawareans shouted |
with Joy, and scores of steel throated
whistles shrieked out their welcome,
the great red coated hull glided
down the ways as easily and grace
fully as sleigh glides down snow
covered incline. When the bow left
the ways the ship settled down in the
water and as the cheers of thousands
and the sounds of the whistles died
away it foated on the bosom of the
historic James, on which so many of
! America greatest ships of war have
come into their own.
!, Distinguished Guests On Platform
, The launching platform at the bow
I. of the ship held party of distinguish
: ed guests. These included Herbert
L. Satterlee, Assistant Secretary of
the Navy; William A. Jones, Con-
, gresham from Virginia; Anthony
Higgins of Delaware, former United
States Senator; Congressman H. R..
Button, of Delaware; Simeon s. Pen-
I. newill, Governor of Delaware and his
. staff, ircluding many ladies, and
!, Miss Annie Pennewill Cahall, the
- sponsor, and her maids, Miss Ellen
Dupont and Miss Frances Hazel and
many others. Fully an hour before
"a the time for the launching hundreds
ef people began assembling in front
S, of the shipyard gates, waiting for
OF the time of their opening. Several
er excursion crafts with people from
g, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Old Point
ad aboard, and the United States army
s, transports Meade and kirkpatrick
as which were anchored in the harbor
d, steamed up the river and anchored
ds off the shipyard. Ala of the vessel
ed were gayly decorated with small flag
ay Thousands of persons swarmed int
rn the yards when the gates were opene
m to the public and took up positions o
". vantage around the ship and on tn
la piers near the launching stand. A
er- exactly 10 o'clock the hull began
l., tremble, there was an ominous creak
rs, ing of the blocks AID two minute
I'd, afterward the ship got under way
es-
to Miss CahalI, of Bridgeville, Sponsor
err When the prov had moved about or
me foot Miss Cahall drew her right ar
wo back and with all her strength hurlt
an, the bottle against the prov, shatte
us mig it into a hundred pieces an
ted drenching many of those on Il
launching stand with the wine. tt
stern struck the water with a gre
splash, the bows soon thereafter sc
Ting far down into the water. tt
ship drifted out into the river, whe
on ee she was captured by tugs and tow
e?S % to one of the shipyard piers whe
m :" she will be completed. When Mi
II Cahall descended from the launch
booth she was loudly cheered by tho
De in the stand. She smiled sweet
NJ upon all, an6 after shaking han
with the Governor and the 9th
'o'' guests, she left the stand and took
carriage for the Hotel Warwic
where a post launching breakfs
was served in her honor by the sht
at building company. Compared w
e P. the battleships completed or unC
late constructor of the navy of any forei
in country, the Delaware surpasses
80, She is one of four sister ships auth
d at lied by Congress which will form
H. indomitable squadron. The other "
sday sells are the North Dakota, being br
M, at Quincy, Mass. t; the Florida, VIII
cry. will be built at the New York Ma
Yard, ,Nand the Utah, to be built