The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-30
The New York, Uncle Sans Latest
Slid Down into the Sea This
Morning In Presence Of
Prominent People.
To Carry Ten Fourteen Inch Guns an
Main Armament and Crew Of
Ono Thousand Men, Be-
sides OFFICERS.
lUnited Press Leased wire service.I

United Press Leased Wire Service.l
NEW YORK. Oct. 3o.--In the pres
ence Of President Taft and a great
company Of invited guests the mann
moth battle ship New York, last word
In Uncle Sans sea fighters, slid In
to the waters OF the East river from
the Brooklyn navy yard today. Built
In the yard by government labor, the
great fighting machine was declared
by officials responsible for her to be
the greatest OF all battleships al
though she Is only 81 percent COM
pleted and 1t will be May, 1914 before
she will go into commission unless
war breaks out In the meantime and
she has to be rushed to completion.
Not In many years has there been
so pretentious ceremony as marked
the giving Of this enormous fighting
machine to her element. The presi.
dent, Secretary of the Navy Meyer,
Governor Dix, Mayor Gaynor and ev-
cry high official of the army and
navy who could possibly get TO the
scene were Interested spectators. In
order that there might be no hoodoo
attaching Miss Elsie Calder, is year
old daughter of Congressman William
Calder, who christened the war craft,
and Miss Kathleen Fitzgerald. year
old daughter Of Congressman John J..
Fitzgerald, the flower girl, had prac-
ticed for hours throwing bottles and
bouquets at marks SO that their re-
spective tasks could be performed
without hitch
Standing high above the surround
Ing country the great hull OF the ves-
sci stood out sharply against the sky
when the first OF the visitors arrived.
At the bow end great stand had been
erected and covered with the ma
tional colors for the use Of the visiting
party. All night long workmen had
been busy getting everything in readi-
ness, testing the water tight compart-
ments, inspecting every inch OF the
ways down which the vessel glided
and getting everything ready for the
cutting away OF the shores
Just before the New York started
on her journey down the ways 1t was
stated that she represented dis
placement OF ten thousand tons. To
support that weight and make GER
tain that she reached the water with
out accident, fully a quarter of mil
lion feet OF lumber had been used in
the construction Of the cradle"
while twelve and one-half tons Of
grease had been carefully spread by
the yard workmen.
One picturesque effect was absent
from today's launching. When Naval
Constructor j. D. Bailey, who has
had charge of the building of the war
ship, gave the order look out below"
he failed to couple it with the old
time admonition saw Off" There
were no men along the sides to saw
away the holding timbers. Instead.
Bailey pressed little valve. Imme-
diately hydraulic pressure released
two steel fingers which had held the
giant mass in check and the vessel
started down the ways as slowly as
though just moving along 1Svel un-
der tow.
The launching took place a. the top
of flood tide. For half an hour before
the time set, 10:30, the East river was
closed to travel with the exception OF