The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-13
FLORIDA, SEA FIGHTER, BORN
IAN saws NEWEST BIG Gun
EtFTLESHIP LAUNCHED.
~, %, -rhoard AZ the nrOaklyn Navy
,srI puh FrSm $4,000 10 100000
,brcripE Amerirans l.oaklng tln-No
u,y wave Al Done WIthout = lIltch.


U,y wave Az Done Wiihout lIitCh.
r,. l,rl.ship Florida. tho newest
30 .. tho navy Nas launched at the
40, Navy Yard In Brooklyn yes
NV morning The ship started down
.t..arr. 90 n - O'Clock and in shout
,...r ...1nis was floating in tho water.
Tt..s .a. uo Ing nave. as had been ex-
,..,.s rre hig ship With great dignity
.rif. .r.r,tior went into the water with
A.. ss.., IT frrrvtoat gliding into a
Il. ..I. tbls vas going out 1t a slip
.-s., % .fluCr IT about $40 yarcls up
a.. E..r River and then stood still for
an. nuJt,E tug. 10 come and GIT hSr.
There vt~ rot tho slightest hitch IN the
.,.,ra,. launching arrangements
OBJ. FLORIDA Is q sO-callsd DrcadrouRht.
Al req hartleships now are Dread
r.uglr. ar al big gun ships This u
,ba fourth ~ Uncle Sans warships Of
A,, -.as, The North Dakota and the
nshnnrr are Two already in commission.
Tbs Utth. SISTER ship Of the Florida, was
br,cr-i IN March. Two others that
s-s coming along are the Arkansas and
Wyoming
lfrne Florida had eyes painted on her
tors Yesterday. after the fashion Of
Ch.ns,s iunSs. she would probably have
o7so.i them wide In amazsment over
arfha uss ard how -de-do that was made
over her. M that case had she been
r,su..r .p disposition she would probably
have w.r so one eye a tribe after she had
e, 600, 20 th- Fad River. and could She
have gwen tongue 10 her feelings she
o. gtr have -sid.
4 fo1.si YOU all Just a little What
A. vo4 masing all this fuss about? I'm
r4. a rattlenip vet. ! can't make any
trlgr.a The absence Of thai bag wave
"a ItrIs ioas 81 mine. Now take me
h4.s BOB nv berth ard let's stop tins hui
kasco Wait until I'm full grown. and
t1sa Il YOU want any first class shooting
o. H. tone IN be there
Stately 90 the launching was. this
comedy element. in the opinion Of odd
rae-rs tu he launching business. added
r.1uarry 10 the occasion. A. she went
in.o the water the Florida weighed =. Tpi
tons When flashed aud fully loaded she
vii weigh = s25 tons. She had all her
to,sr in position yesterday. bu. none u
far enginss An her inside amor was
a.o TO- place with the exception Of that
or he after tlrrst In addition to thai
ne aunch vas unusual in that all four
% PIE screws were in place. The pro-
reers are usually put on a ship after
launching. when she is placed IN a dry
dock There IA no dry dock In the Brook
lrr yard ready 10 lake her in and she will
have % he -ent - Boston. u Is neces-
-arv therafore. 20 have the propellers IN
place. 81 tlat when she is ready FOR the
DIV ilcs she viii he aole 10 60 " Boston
lu.er her ovn steam
The task N launching the new ship
w.. therefore 10 take this 200 tons 81
s'-aI 70 the form Of ship. carry IL hack
ward o. On. water about ~ feet and
drop 90 down into the water. a distance
o. -av h'tv feet Or more. All this had 10
a. GoEo ~ about a quarter ~ a minute
p ~rs the biggest launching task the
.assr1ment officials ever had % do,
Ir-ra have hesn two other hattlsships
y u~h,i w the BROOKLYN ward the Maine
..q ,ae Connecticut nut this launching
..ari1ppai them and called Tor a com.
r.ateness ~ preparation that was Hevor
algaiied In a navy yard before. The
chief constructor and his assistants made
god ~ the smallest detail
A tine schedule had been arranged for
every move. The launching really began
t.-fore clock Ia the morning. On the
starbcard side 81 the craft there had
heen erected GA the launching way,
telephone booth, and there Capt. Baxter
and his assistant. Naval Constructor
GrOesbecS took their stand and re-
osived reports a. % the progress being
made Below and above and through
the ship from dozen or more stations
Young naval ofiosrs we're put on the
Job Of bossing the details.
Foe the launching the ways had been
iened 70 six feet. These ways are
aoruanently in position. bat they were
made one foot wider IN an before on
7.~ount Of the extra weight Long
before the first Of the spectators arrived
here had been the first rally. 4 rally
insists Of driving home a lot Of wedges
.s he be Ween the underpinning Of the
.n and the Top Of the ways Driving
mr Ihese wedges raises the ship from
.s keel blocks upon which she has been
POI ng ever since a start was made IN
ding her Three Of the rallies gen
s-sIv nft a ship clear Of the keel blocks.
m are then Knocked out of tho way.
l.i there is nothing to hold tho ship
from slipping into the water but some
Gug shores. or big Cleats. which are 10
r.. pn amidships. and the big string
ere 20 which the ways are bolted near
'ra .0w
prom nine to ten tons Of tallow ha 4
raer -meared between the upper and
0Trr Ways ~ each side. For about forty
foe from the bow the keel blocks had
f'"n ranoved and bags Of sand had been !
30 % their places. To remove these /
'H1 Was necessary was 10 cut the bags |
s.. %. he sand slide out.
Tie rowds began 10 arrive before /
p Fully 5000 persons were IN /
'.- .s p ward az n O'Clock. Thousands /
'.tsa 20 from nearby buildings. The
b. So ing bridges were crowded. and
.-... MO consideration the thousands
n.ai on from the Manhattan shore
1abie hat from 5000 20 10000
rr -hip pa, overheard. There was
- . a'sy Of bunting In the navy yard.
.. il had a tremendous United
p o.. -Hg draped over her bows. Every