Show GOV SPRY TElLS ABOUT BIG SHIP i I Utah Executive Back From the theL L Launching of Largest Fight Fighting Fighting ing Vessel I IS AN HONOR T TO CHRISTENING MOST SUCCESSFUL BUILDERS EVER HAD HADI I thought I had seen real battleships of the United States navy in the tue last few years but they aro toy ships as corn com compared I pared to the new battleship Utah said Governor William Spry yesterday In his office after his return from the east The Governor dill dil not arrive In Salt Lake un until n til 6 Wednesday mornIng and was tired all day as a res result it of the trip and the long dela delays s between Denver and Salt Lake No sooner had hd he arrived In the cIty than he was asked to attend the opening session of the at Ogden today and will leave this morn mornIng morning Ing for the days session Really one cannot appreciate the size of the new nev battleship unless he sees It continued the governor When you ou fig figure tire ure that the very largest ship In tile the navy at present the South Carolina has a ds dis displacement placement of tons and that the new Utah when ready for action will be 22 IJO tons you can g get t a little Idea of the size of the new battleship Everything went off flue fine at tile the launch launchIng log Ing and the officials of the tho New York Shipbuilding company told us It was the most successful launching the they had ever had When the appointed time came the bottle bottie of champagne was wis broken and th great mass of quivered like a live thing and started to move d dOwn wn the ways Into the water She floated gracefully the breast of the tho water like a asan aswan swan san was received by three tugs and brought back to another Part of the shipbuilding yards ards where the work worl will willbe willbe be completed Ready in Fifteen Months Th The great turrets and guns have not Hot yet been put In place and amI a great amount of other work is yet vet to b be done The work on the ship started last spring but It will vill be 15 13 months more before she Is completed and ready to be put Into corn com commission mission The sister shIp of the Utah the Flor FlorIda FlorIda Ida Is now being finished and will l 1 put Into servIce some time after the Utah The They are the same size and design They rhe will be the two greatest battleships In th world It Is II a great honor f r this tate state to have the argest fighting vessel of the world bear the name of Utah and the people of the state canno be too proud of that honor Of course the honor will not be as the thena th na navy department has already contracted for two larger shIps than the th Utah and Florida But we can have thIs satisfaction satisfaction tion for a time and will alwa always s have th the gratifIcation of knowing that one pf the most powerful vessels in the world bears the name of this state The guns on the new Utah will be as agaInst for the largest guns on any other ship In the navy It ItIs ItIs Is a wonderful ship and made us aU all proud of the state from which we hailed The statement attributed to Senator Smoot at the time of the launchIng that It had been prearranged for the battle battleship battleship ship to be launched on the anniversary of Prophet Joseph Smiths birth December 23 Is all bosh I 1 was on the platform be before before fore Senator Smoot arrived d and we left together If he had said anything like that I would have heard of It It Is a coincidence that the christening of the ship should occur on the same day as the anniversary of the birth of the found founder er of the Mormon church but there was wal no thought of arranging this day by either myself Senator Smoot or others Builders Set the Date The date was set by the shipbuilding company They feared the rIver would freeze over and the they hurried the launch ing also the ship was getting heavy and It was tho wise to have the launch big occur as quickly as possible Everything that could be thought of was done for us and we all had a most enjoyable time from be beginning to end There was Quite a large Utah contingent from New York and Washington present outside of the congressional delegation and Frank Pierce and we felt quite at home among old frIends friend The night before tile the launching we were the guests of Lieutenant Commander Pearson a Utahn and had the honor honorof of first learning of his engagement to a Miss Norris a charming and accomplished pushed young woman of New York Lieu Lieutenant Lieutenant tenant Pearson made this the first public announcement of his engagement and It was a pretty compliment that was certaInly certainly appreciated Another native of Utah present was LIeutenant Commander Snow At the governor and party stopped at the and amI started from there thee on the morning of De Dc December cember 23 for the launching The Governor also went to New York and to Massachusetts whore where he visited relatives If the people of Utah could see the weather they are having In the east now they would think this the mildest climate in the world the Governor said A large quantity of business has accumulated mulat d during the absence of the Go Goy which hI he partly disposed of yes hut but which will keep hIm busy for days |