New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-27
NEW FRENCH SHIP HERE.
La France, on Maiden Trip,
Forced Far to South by Bergs.
BRINGS BUST OF LA FRANCE
Work of Rodin To Be Presented
at Champlain Tercentenary
at Grown Point, May 3.

| Tceherrs I'm the westbound transatlantic
| lane which caused Captain FonceIet 10 go
much further to the south than is custom
airy. were responsible for the inability OF the
new French liner La France to arrive mere
Yesterday with a record. She is the Dig
gest French steamship afoat. and with her
high powered engines and quadruple screws
will most likely take third place in the mat
ter Of speed with the two Cunard flyers
Mauretania and Lusitania.
Captain Poncelet explained that his big
gest charge is new to him. but that when
he gets real intimate with her the France
will do something unusual for fast time
across the Atlantic. on her trial trip of
St Nazaire few weeks ago the France
maintained a speed of y knots Asked If
he considered his new steamship the best
the skipper said: 81 never say what have
is the best She is the biggest vessel
have ever commanded, but | VIII say
nothing against La Provence"
Seldom has a vessel brought TO port a
more representative body Of Frenchmen
than those who arrived yesterday on the
France. Prominent among them was a
delegation which brought over the bust of
La France, by Rodn. the gift Of the
French nation to the United States on the
occasion of the champlain tercentenary.
the presentation to be made at Crown Point
on May 8. The bust which is of bronze.
was on exhibition yesterday as the France
came up the bay and was seen by many
visitors. II represents, life size. the head
of woman in frontier garb. and on the
tablet back OF il is the following inscrip-
ton 0ranslatedD: "ROdn statue, Il sea-
To S. Champlain who discovered the lake
which bears his name. July 20. 1909. On
May g. 1872 the states Of New York and
Vermont having erected monument, a
French delegation sealed this figure OF
France" In the lower left hand corner
appears the name "A. Rodin."
The delegation which accompanied the
bust consisted of his excellcncy Gabriel
Hanotaux, member of the French Academy,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs, presi-
dent; lie Nicomte dc Chambrun, secretary
Of embassy. special representative of
NJ Poincare, the French Premier; NJ.
Rene Balm, Of the French Academy; NJ
Btienne Lamy, of the French Academy
Senator Baron d Estournelles de Constant:
NJ Louis Barthcu, member of Parliament
former Minister of Public Works former
Minister of Justice; General Lebon, grand
officer OF the Legion of Honor; NJ Fer
nand Cormon, member of the Institute
president of the Academy Of Fine Arts: NJ.
| Vidal dc Labache. member of the Tnsti-
tute; lie Comto de Rochambeau. NJ Leon
Barthou. of the Aero Club dc France; NJ.
| Bleriot, aviator Uhe first man to fly across
| the Straits Of Dover: NJ Girard 10 Duo
| de Choiseul, and NJ. Dial Piaz, member of
| the Comite France-Amerique. general man
ager of the French Line.
The visiting Frenchmen We're met at
| Quarantine by Henry w. Hill and James
| Foley. of New York: Walter c. Witherbee.
| of the Champlain Commission Viscount
| Dejean, secretary of the French Embassy;
Etienne Lamel. French Consul General at
! New York; McDougalI Hawkes. and Paul
| Fuller, representing the Comite France
Amerique, Of New York, and II. J.. Beaded,
| one Of the architects OF the Champlain
monument
The France also brought over many dele
gates to the Red Cross Conference TO he
| held in Washington Robert Bacon. the
| former American Ambassador to France
accompanied by Mrs. Bacon, was a passen-
| ger on the new liner. The France, which
| is a 3o,oOo-ton steamship, is 732 feet long
and has q beam OF rs feet She has lifeboat
| and liferaft equipment aboard to carry
| 2,7H persons. which is 2H more than she
will ever carry.