The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-05-24
BATTLESHIP TEXAS LAUNCHED
THE BIG SHIP cHRlsTENEo BY
MISS LYON OF TEXAS.
Spectators - Shipyards on James
River include Many Notables, Rep
resentEng State and Nation.

Newport News, Va.-With a precls
ion and smoothness declared by ex
perts never before to have been
equaIed, more than eleven thousand
tons of steel was given life Saturday
as battleship ghded gracefully into
the James river from the yards Of
the Newport News Shipbuilding Com.
pany after being Christened Texas"
II was the infant battleship Of the
United States navy, but the largest
and most powerful war vessel in the
world The launching was declared
to have been an engineering feat
never before accomplished. A daugh.
ter Of the biggest state in the Union,
favored with perfect sunny South
day, broke over the PROV of this great
hulk bottle Of champagne. and as
il crashed pronounced in distinct
tones. Il christen thee Texas" The
sponsor was Miss Claudia Lyon, 10
years old, daughter Of Colonel Cecil
Lyon, republican national committee
man from Texas Eight pretty Texas
maids carrying bouquets of flowers,
maids OF honor, stood b. while the
daughter of the president of the Unit
ed States, Miss Helen Taft closely
watched the ceremony from near By
the christening platform.
Crowds of NotabIes.
Secretary Meyer of the navy, repre- |
senting the president as we'll as the |
navy department, stood by the nose of |
the great battleship as she started |
down the ways, marsed with admira- |
ton the perfect ease with which the !
enormous steel structure moved into
the water Crowded on the launching
stand, built at the vessels PROV, was
d notable gathering, which included.
besides the christening party, which
was chaperoned by Colonel and Mrs.
Cecil Lyon, senators and representa-
tlves, especially those on the naval
of congress, the chief con
tractor of the navy and numerous of
ficers of the building corps, as we'll
as high officials OF the construction
department of the revenue cutter
army officers, ship builders
naval attaches of
several foreign powers and thousands
Of spectators.
1t was a holiday at the shipyard,
md the several thousands of employees ,
;ongregated about the docks watched ,,
With fatherly attention the birth of >
he great dreadnought mightiest of :
III fighting vessels.
Weighs Eleven Thousand Tons.
AS the great ship was launched she !
Weighed more than eleven thousand !
ons Her boilers, part Of her machin- 7
ry and some of her armor were q
laced as she glided down into the \
waters. About 10000 pounds of tallow +.
we're used to grease the wooden ways !
yer which the heavy steel hull pass
q on Its way to the water. =,
At almost the exact moment SEIZED. +,
led year or more ago, the Texas A
egan to move slowly from her f
radIe. In less than two minutes q,
ne was floating majestically on the W
'aters of the James river not far II
rom where more than fifty years ago /;
er prototype, the Monitor, engaged
battle as the urret-armor-clad
arship. Could the original Monitor
ave been placed alongside her pres.
midday prototype she would have w
'oked like pigmy.
An innovation at the launching WAS
lie use of steel triggers instead of
le usual blocks, which are sawed
way to free the vessel These were oil
led for the first time and were de- TO
AIRED a great success. mi
After the launching a banquet was ca
ven by the builders at Old Point ed
at which speeches were Br
AIDE by Senator Gallinger of New tor
Representative Hobson of tn,
ALBANIA and others. 20