The United States Navy.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 24 June 1901, Page 4

The United States Navy.

The launching of the battleship Ohio was indeed a notable event. The vessel is one of the three largest in the American navy. The new Maine and the Missouri are sister ships, of equal size and power. They will be in every essential—size, power, weight of metal thrown, destroying power of guns, speed, armour, and appliances -equal to any of the world's battleships. Tho Ohio is forty feet longer over all llian Oregon, and has a thousand tons greater displacement. Tho Spanish war proved to naval experts the uselessness of enormously largo gun calibre, and the pound for pound six and twelve-inch guns of the Ohio are oxpectcd to excel the eight and thirteen-inch guns of tho lowa and tho Oregon. The Ohio and her clas3 are the first battleships of tho American navy in which water-tube boilers aro provided. The construction of tho Ohio and her class was authorised by Congress in 1898 at a contract price of 2,899,000 dollars for the hull and machines. She will be ready for service in about a year. Preceding tho launching of the great ship, ; the President delivered a graceful speech, which was received with most enthusiastic applause by the three thousand or more men assembled. The President expressed his thankfulness to God for tho merciful change which permitted him to be present and spoke feelingly of his interest in the battleship which would carry the name of his own beloved State into the far seas. He responded to the|presentation of the beautiful gold phte, which the workmen had prepared as a souvenir to him of the occasion. Mrs M'Kinley's Illness. The visit of President M'Kinley to the Pacific coast proved to be an occasion of anxiety and distress, though many of the original plans were carried out, and there were some enjoyable functions. Mrs M'Kinley's illnes3 was most alarming, and for some days people of the city watched from hour to hour for the flags which moved so gailj over the city to be placed at half-mast. Beforo the day set for the launching of the battleship Ohio, the suffering lady was much bettor, so that it was possible for the President to carry out the programme for the occasion, in which he was to play an important part. Mrs M'Kinley has been an invalid for many years, and the fatigue of the jounney culminated in an attack of dysentery, which was expected to terminate fatally. The President was most attentive to Mrs M'Kinley and for many hour? could not be induced to ieave her bedside, even to take needed rest. The party remained at San Francisco nearly two weeks, and from there returned to Washington by the most direct route. Two days after the President had vi?ited the Union Works, and had there delivered an address to the workmen, which was most enthusiastically received. The Pan-American Exhosition. At the Temple of Music, as the " Hallelujah " chorus died away, Bishop Fowler offered an opening prayer. Telegrams and cablegrams from all parts of the world were read, includng a congratulatory address from President McKinley in San Francisco, and congratulations from the Governor-General of Canada and others. Vice-President Roosevelt delivered an able address, which was received with the wildest enthusiasm. An elaborate exhibition of clay fireworks followed. The admissions to the grounds for the day were considerably over a hundred thousand. Wonderful electric light effects at night are a leading feature of the Exhibition. California has fine exhibits of canned food, wines, native woods, grain, ores. etc. A model of a combined harvester commonly used on great grain ranches of the State excites the wonder of Eastern farmers, who gaze incredulously, being accustomed to producing their crops on quite another scale. Nevada has sent a magnificent exhibit of ores, and Oregon and Washington have taken especial pains to show what they can do in the same direction. The greatest source of natural power in the United States, the Niagora Falls, is but twenty miles from Buffalo, and this power has been harnessed to great turbine wheels, and made to transform part of the prosaic, though handsome, city of Buffalo into a scene of mystic beauty, peopled by picturesque Turks and Arabs, and by the more familiar folks in holiday garb. Many lands have sent of the brightest and best to make this American city for one summer a dream of beauty and wonder, even as they gave their aid to the glorification of Chicago a few years ago, and even as they are already preparing to glorify for a time the city of St Louis in 1903.