Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-11-15
Honolulu, November Is, 1909
BY ONE WHO WAS PRESENT.


LONDON--Of ali the imposing
sights one may witness in the Bri-
fish empire the launching OF the
greatest battleship in the world
seems amongst the most interesting.
] saw the Dreadnaught. launched,
three years ago. and today the Nep-
tune, and the fact that was with
the royal party on the launching
opportunity of viewing the whole
ceremony and all the attendant So
cial functions. The gracious, sim
ply dressed Duchess of Albany, King
Edwards sister-in-law, spoke clearly
and well. so that the hundred as
sembled must have heard the words
success to the Neptune and all who
sail In her." as she broke the bottle
Of wine, grown in British possess
sions, on her stem. No ship has
ever gone of the slip as spontane-
ously as this. There was not the
slightest hitch. Her vast weight
seemed as nothing, the moment the
duchess hammered the ohlsel to cut
the last remaining rope which held
her. She slid as rapidly over the
well CREASED slip as would a skater
over smooth ice. The admiral in
charge said her pace must have been
ut the rate Of 20 knots an hour,
when she took the water"
Her lines are far more magnificent
than those Of the Dreadnought, ana
In every way she is an advance on
that epoch-making vessel. Not only
Is she much larger, but all the ar
maments, electrical apparatus, WIRE
less. telephone apparatus and ac-
commodation for officers and men
are far better than those of former
leviathians OF her family. In the
cussion about the new armament Of
cussion about the nav armament or
having the officers quarters amid
ships or forward, which does away
with the time-honored quarterback.
Some say the navy loses by the
change. as the men were always
taught to revere the quarterback,
saluting 1t invariably on approach
Ing 1t. This custom originated in
the olden days when figure of
saint was conspicuous on this deck
and had always to be saluted. The
custom became an integral part OF
the navy, though as generations
passed no one knew why.
The immense space occupied by
the ship seemed weirdly void when
she vanished into the harbor, and
II was curious spectacle to see
dozens OF small boats rapidly filling
the place near the slip, their owners
with large nets. picking up the mas
SEES of grease which came of with
the ship. This product is refined
down again. ready to be placed un-
der the next ship launched, many
hundreds Of pounds of the greasy
mixture being required to insure a
smooth and rapid glide into the wa
ter.
II was a very gay scene. the flags
and decorations enhancing its pic-
turesqueness, while the brilliant
uniforms OF the officers and the
dresses of the ladies added their
mass OF color to the spectacle.
As ] was at the same table with
the duchess afterward l had oppor-
tunities Of admiring her charming
ly pleasant smile, sparkling eyes ana
gracious manner. A large model OF
the ship. showing her as she will be
when completed, with all her guns,
torpedo nets. etc, was afterward
shown to the luncheon guests of the
admiral In charge, When one real
ICES that these huge ships are not
80 much for aggression as they are
to insure the peace of the world
ana the protection of commerce, one
reels greater pride In them than one
could do were II otherwise. Il is
refreshing to remember that the on
~ ehmity the great nations of Eu-
rope feel for one another Is that
expressed through the columns OF
the yellow press. At Portsmouth
the rather superstitlous sailorfolk
consider the Neptune's future sue
cess Is assured, as everything In con-
hection with her progress SO far has
gone on without single hitch. Her
hrst commanding officer will not be
appointed until about one month be-
lore she is commissioned.
The Neptune is the eighth ship OF
That name that has had place In
the navy. The first Neptune was
hired merchantmen of 81 guns
which took part in the expedition
TO Algiers In 1921, The second Nep-
tune was 9O-gun ship OF 1497
IONS built In 1888, and its day few
Iha Nau OF Slu nan..x-