The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-31
WORLDS CHAMPION
SHIP IS LAUNCHED
NEW YORK. MOST POWERFUL Or
FIGHTERS, FLOATS OFF BROOK
Lynn NAVY YARD.
PRE- SIDENT AT SCENE
GOVERNOR DIX, ,. PIERPoSr NOR
GAN, SECRETARY mEaER AND
OTHER NoTAgLEs ATTEND
CEREMONY.
PRE- SIDENT AT SCENE

NEW YORK. Oct. 3o-Tha battle
ship New York. the most powerful
bsttieship ever put into the water was
launched at ii O'Clock today at the
Brooklyn navy yard n the presence
Of President Taft Secretary OF Navy
Won l.. Meyer. scores of other high Of
ncials and brilliant asemblage of
New Works socially elect There
were 3o.o00 spectators in all.
Miss Elsie Calder. daughter of
Congressman Caluer. broke the chris
tening bottle of wine on the great
STEEL prov, but only after two unsue-
cessful attempts. She finally threw
it at the fast receding hulk and the
disaster OF an. unchristened sh % was
averted.
FoNr battleship bands played The
Star SPARED Banner as the great
ship slid down the ways accompan ed
by booming of guns and shrieking
OF whistles that could be heard ali
over Brooklyn.
Prominent among the spectators at
the launching were:
Governor Dix and his staff, J. Pier
mont Morgan ana his daughters. Nj SIS
Anne Morgan and Mrs. Herbert Sat
terlee; MIR. SatterIce. Miss Helen
Cloud. Mr2 August Belmont, Mr..
Robert Bacon, Congressman Bacon
and Admirals osterhaus. Fiske and
Watt
The New York ~v.il be completed
in eighteen months.
The new Lal...~4.4p New York carries
ten 14-tnch guns. mounted along her
enterl.ne. and able to deliver broad
side from either SIDE Of the ship. The
Texas is the only other vessel in the
American navy equipped with the Ia
| inch guns
This latest accession to the navy is
! 565 feet long, 81 feet longer than the
Florida. Her displacement Ii q. 600
IONS, which is 1000 tons more than
the Wyoming or the Arkansas, She liz
95 feet 2 SIS inches across the beam
and her draught is 2S.5 feet.
+ The New York's beam will give her
about fifteen feet leeway in the locks
! of the Panama canal.
The capacity Of her coal bunkers are
IL 2, $50 tons, fuel oil storage capacity 400
tons, and her speed VIII be not less
then u knots an hour.
The cost of the New York approx
mated $4,000. 600, and 1t has taken Just
ne year to prepare her for launching,
her keel having been laid in Septem-
Der, 1911.
/ Built by Naval Officers.
/ The construction of this ship was
under the supervision of Naval Con-
structer Robert NJ Stocker, Naval Con-
structor j. e. Bailey. Commander g.
r.. Bird and Lieutenant Commander w.
b. Tardy.
In the case of the Arkansas and the
| Wyoming the old custom OF having the
officers quarters aft and the men
quarters forward was reversed. But
| il seems that this departure from an
arrangement that Is as old as history
did not work out satisfactorily. There
fore the older order has been restored
in the New York, the officers quarters
being aft and the men in the 70 castle.
The New York was built along lines
as graceful as is compatible with
prodieious fighting equipment This
is perhaps most noticeable in the bow
Instead Of the plain. grim ram bow OF
the other ships, she looks not unlike
IL graceful merchantmen forward.
Powerful Armament.
In addit on to the ten i4-inch guns
the New FORK is supplied with two
2l-inch submerged torpedo tubes on
each side of the hull; twenty-one s.
inch rapid fire guns, four FOUNDER
saiuting guns; two i-pounder semi
automat guns for boats, two 3-inch
held pieces and two 80 cal!ber ma
| shtne guns.
The New York is equipped as flag
ship and she is manned by sixty-three
officers and over 1000 men.
Her ten fourteen-inch guns cost
$4,000 each and their spective
mounting platforms cost $4,000 even.
Every shot fred from one of these
big guns will cost $500. But they can
do some shooting since they w II be
capable OF ser ng projectic'e crash
ing through an armoured cru ser over
twelve miles away.
When launched today the New York
was only about So per cent complete.
Her engine and machinery had not
been installed. but this work will be-
gin at once.
She Is not due to be finished until
Nav, 1914, but the men who have the
sh p in charge say they will be able
to complete their work several months
before the scheduled time.
The old New York. Adm raj San,p-
sons flagship at Santiago, In lying Idle
at Philadelphia, with all OF her NOV
abe eoniern~nts stripped out OF her.
She has been renamed the Saratoga
and is now but humble member Of
the reserve feet
Rettprocasing Engines.
| The engines Of the New York are OF
the rectprocat'ng type and were built
by the navy constructors They Will
ba 2s.l00-horse power she will have
four triple exnan9'on engines each OF
which will drive twin sc~ews
The Arkansas and the WYOMING arc
enu pned with four screw truhtaes. hut
the ~ecinrocating tyne Of eng ne "a said
70 he much more economical and thew
VIII rrohs biv he used exclusively on
alt shfpseb built nereaftef THAI is un-
III something better Is discovered.