Evening star., 1915-06-20
GIANT DREADNAUGHT
ARIZONA LAUNCHED
$15.OOO,OOO Sea Monster Is
Christened With Wine
and Water.
SHE AND PENNSYLVANIA
WORRIES GREATEST SHIPS
Miss Esther Ross Swings Double
Bottle That Baptized Mon
ster Warship.

NEW YORK. June Ia.-The super
dreadrausht Arizona. one of the two
greatest OF United States battleships. was
successfully launched today at the Brook
lyn navy yard The Arizona shares the
honor with the Pennsylvania. They are
the last word to date in warship con-
struction.
The Arizona slid down the ways
smoothly. hitting the water at exactly
l:l2 pm She went TO the river win
the wine and water of her christening
trickling i'll rivulets down her bow from
two broken bottles. that swung. bound
together one. from the tassel of long
red. white and blue cord of silk that
daEsled from her deck. Miss Esther
Ross of Prescott. Ariz.. the battleshp's
sponsor made 4 fair throw as the big
hull quivssred and slid slowly forward ;
the froth of the wine s2attered her gown
and the clothes Of those in her party.
From the navy yard, black with a holi-
DAY throng: from the spans Of the Brook
Ign and Williamsburg bridges. from the
docks and piers along the Manhattan ana
Brooklyn water fronts. from scores of
craft hugging the far shore of the East
rlver ana nom every vantage point Of
window and house Top in the vicinity
MANY tens of thousa ands saw the newest
of American battleships glide down the
creased ways.
Terror to EvildoerS.
Two hundred workmen with axes had
been choppng away the restraining
timbens for three quarters of an hour. the
invocation-Bishop Atwood of the
Protestant Episcopal diocese of Arizona
hot Sha ,,erI,f 20 70
doers of evil''-had been said. and the big
crowd had stood long and patiently. when
inree blasts from whistle announced
mat the moment of preparedness had
come.
In moment the signal was echoed
from scores of steamers in the river
and their below was taken up and
swollen by the salutes of almost every
steamer in the harbor till the crash
ing of the six navy bands was lost
in the din.
The crowd tiptoed and looked ex
pectantly at the big hull: the bands
united in playing The Star Spangled
Banner, the ship trembled and moved.
the sponsor Swung the two bottles.
they broke: deafening roar went up
from the crowd. and in few moments
the battleships stern was cleaving the
waters of the East river.
Swung Far Into River.
She settled gracefully in the water
and carried forward by the weight of
her $4,000 tons swung far over in the
river toward the Williamsburg bridge
A fleet of little navy tugs. dwarfed by
her towering form, scurried after her.
drew alongside. made fast and soon
started back with the unwieIdy cap
ture toward the navy yard docks.
From the grandstand the christening
was witnessed by Secretary of the
Navy Daniels, Gov. Hunt of Arizona,
United States Senator Henry F. As
hurst. army and navy officials and rep
resentatives of the city of New York,
including Mayor Mitchell.
After the launching Secretary DAN
iels was the guest a luncheon 1T the
navy yard, where he was to max. a
brief address. The official party which
represented the state of Arizona at
the launching also was present at the
luncheon.
Hope to Protect Dreadnaughts.
After describing the work done on
three of the five dreadnaughts author
ized for the navy by the last Congress,
the Secretary said:
The experts are at present consider
ing the best general type for the two
remaining authorized dreadnaughts,
while experiments are being made with
water against the submarine torpedo,
which has proven SO deadly in the
present European war.
The launching of this big dread
naught. Mr. Daniels added lis an
event which tells better than can be
spoken by any words the steady and
orderly growth of the navy. Within
the past year I have had the pleasure
or witnessing at Quincy the launch
ing of the Nevada. at Camden of the
Oklahoma and at Newport News of the
Pennsylvania. and now today of the
Arizona. This follows close upon the
naughts, the New York and the Texas.
Work on California to Begin.
"As soon as the Arizona leaves the
ways we will begin actual construction
work upon the California, much of the
material for which has already been
contracted for. and which will be
equipped with electric propulsion, be-
ing the first Of the modern dread
naughts of any country to utilize this
recently tested and successful new mo-
tive power. which promises TO be a rev
olutionary invention. 1t Is estimated
that by its use the oilburning Califor-
MIA, steamfnR twelve knots will he a hIa
10 steam for eleven days longer than
coAlburning dreadnaught and that
during that time she could go more
than 5000 miles further. This contem-
plates her using only her normal bunk
er supply, but with her emergency
bunkers filed she could steam an add :
uonal 5000 miles further In other
words. the California will be able to
steam about twice as far as the Wyo-
ming"
The Secretary said that the back
bone of the navy Is still the powerful
dreadnaught. but declared the navy was
keeping abreast of progress in the
building of submarines and destroyers