Show I A RACE AGAINST TIME The battleship Mississippi in anticipation of being presented with the gift of silver plate made by br the state of Mississippi which by the wa way will take place toda today was sent to New ew Orleans and up the river as high as Natchez that Mississippians might see their namesake Her lIeI visit over oer she sailed down from Natchez to New Orleans the other da day and made the miles in thirteen hours and thirteen minutes She ran from Natchez to Baton Rouge about half the wa way r at the rate of over two twenty and a half knots but below Baton Rouge had to slow up on on account of the coal barges in the river rh Half the people of the state thronged tho the river riverbanks riverbanks banks to see the swift fighting ship go by and greeted her all the way with cheers whistle blowing and cannon salutes Some of them talked of the therace therace therace race between the Robert E. E Lee and the Natchez fort forty years Jears ago but the they were only light draft steamboats nothing like the gr great at battleship which I has just rounded the world against all the winds and seas It was the most impressive object lesson that those people ever had of the real power of land of which they are a part The river itself may have felt it for when Horatius swam the Tiber in his armor though his prayer was 0 Tiber Father Tiber j. j To whom the Romans pray A Romans Roman's life a Romans Roman's arms Take thou in charge today x was he lIe not nearly spent with exertion wounds and the weight of his armor But his limbs were borne up bravely B By the brave heart within And Father Tiber our good Bare bravely up his chin Why should not our great river rivert bear ar r bravely up her mighty namesake 7 |