Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-09-13

GLIMPsEs OF MEN, THINGS, AID PLACEs-No as.
NEW YoRx, sxrrrxHxR 2. 1851.
II risit to He'll Gate" and a blast upon rot
Rock."-The great terror to navigators through
Long Island Sound, known as He'll Gate," or
Hurl Gate," as some choose to call it, is situated
opposite Harlem, eight or nine miles from New
York Battery. The East River, or Sound, from
the Battery up to Harlem, runs northerly
course. Here it makes sudden bend, almost at
right angle, and runs easterly for mile or more,
when it makes another bend to the northward.
Between these two bends in the Sound lies this
celebrated estuary, realizing to the mariner all The
dangers and difficulties Of Scya and Chsybds pictured by
the ancient post The end of Long Island Sound
has broad opening 10 the and the tide presses in
from the sea- finds broad channel most Of the way through
the Sound, eight, ten, or dozen miles wide: When
reaches this neck between the bends mentioned above
It is compressed 10 about half mile in breadth, producing
very rapid wild And u here, in the midst Of this
rushing flood. that several rocks and reefs rise up from the
current Into the widest CONJUNCTION. Around sgsnS, and
cveg thea isdsss hs mad watcss rass snr and whh with
tremendous power.
There brief cessation Of this warfare for few inutes
during slack tide, high and low water, when the giant
foods il from exhaustion lie down quietly rest Now
MARINER is your chance you have favorable wind seize
the opportunity and scud by while the fearful combaiants are
asleep Crowd all SAIL for that sleep sho the tide turns
the strife renewed and betde your poor schooner you
are within reach Of 81 Pot Rock" Ways Reef"
"tte Frying Pam" The formidable Of these and the
mos in the way, is Pot Rock, which lies nearly midway in
the channel To the westward OF this, and little nearer the
northern Shore is the Frying Pam And Ways Reef lies to
the souhwad Of Pot Rock towards the Long Island shore
Ever the settlement of the country the navigation
the Sound has been obstucted by these terrific barriers, and
hopes entertained that they would ever bs removed
To drill and blast hem especially Pot Rock was seen to be
utterly impossible for vessel structure whatever which
could raise could be stationed upon to effect the
drilling At length, however, few months since, French
gentleman by the Of Maler advanced the bold
ion that he could blow Pot Rock TO atoms without drilling,
and clear of the channel to sufficient depth to render
navigation il safe at all times of tide. The idea was
garded a. absurd and but little attention paid 10 it, The
assertion repeated and evidence was produced that M
Maleer had already performed similar feat at Nassau
New Providence, where he had without drilling, blasted and
removed nearly hundred Of rock eighteen twenty
feet under water M MaIefe offered to undertake the job
removing Pot Rock, if the means were furnished to carry
On the work, stpulatng not to receive dollar for his own
services till the work fully accomplished Some interest
began to awakened upon the subject and length HENRI
nIrrELL Es whose beralty in aid Of humane and public
enterprise is we'll and widely known subscribed FIVE thou
sand dollars for commencing operations Assurances Of aid
obtained from other quarters fast there should be
any evidences of success and the enthusiastic Frenchman
lweDt to work. 5e3
His mode Of operation sink tin canister Of powder
down upon the top Of the rock and there ignite through
wire by means Of galsanc battery. THIS Is performed
during the few minutes Of slack tide at high Uat for the
deeper the the powder the better By the
sve force Of the explosion he large cf water above and
around must be instantly removed lifted But the motion of
all matter requires s The expansive force s created IN
stany by The explosion, and exerts itself instantly in every
direction It will not willingly wait for the slow rising Of
the mass Of waters high enough afford it relief It there
fore makes its way time downward upon the solid
rock crushing. crumblng, and grinding 70 pieces All
tp0uv - and
rocks are moro compressblc than Philosophy should
theress teach that sudden expansive force between
lbody Of wstsr and body Of rock while requires time =
remove The watsr necessarily extent crush tht
surface Of lhe rock h too large or too much confined
be removed in body And this hiss proved 10 BE- The ac
BY every blast which Maileen hssmsde Al high water
ne top Of Pot Rock eighteen feet below the surface
After blast il is found be covered with broken ssmen.,
some Of which gapped and taken up One piece was
taken up yesterday weighing two hundred pounds and car
red to the city, The rushing tide sweeps the top Of
rock clean and after the blast is again covered with
esemens There have been nineteen blasts seventeen
on Pot Rock and Ways Reef Not one has missed
hfe and all have done execu,ion The blasts were com
menced with sxywo pounds Of POWDER and increased at
to eighty pounds and the last blast to-day was
hundred and pounds About fourteen hundred
pounds Of powder have already been used and many tons
win doubtless be required before the work is completed
went up to-day witness the operation OF blasting
considerable number Of spectators lined the shore near the
vIsge Of Astoria for the purpose Lieut sshsgton
a. Bsrtett of the u g. Navy, was present. aiding and
assisting the operations, having been detailed by Professor
Bsche Of the Coast Survey, to come and make survey OF
rocks and observe the progress Of the work and the
changes produced in the He has partially surveyed
Pot Rock taking the depth Of water upon its LENGTH but not
yet upon the sections The top Of the rock has
been knocked away and lowered four feet there being former
eight feet Of water upon at low wate and now twelve
that is previous to the blasts to-day the effect Of which
has not been asceaned But the work descends the
surface the rock be blasted becomes extended The
the rock low water s twelve feet and the
length of the rock about twelve fourteen. At dPh Of
feet low water according to observations Of Lieut.
Bartlett the length Of the rock will. be twenty feet; at q
depth Of twenty feet the length Of the rock is eighty feet at
depth Of feet the length hundred and twenty
Eve feet and depth Of thirty two the length hundred
and y To obtain the last mentioned depth Of wae there
| fore, q vast amount Of rock must be removed.
couple Of Fanciss e-boats there, furnished gra
tutousy BY that gentleman 10 aid the work large float
anchored in the channel about eighty feet from the rock
About dozen Of us accompanied by Lieut. Bartlett went
in the eboats to the Aoa to have view Of the
explosion. Precisely high water there being but three or
four minutes cessation Of the current the large tin canister
carried from the float and sunk upon the top OF the rock
The boat the Aoat Bringing the end Of the wire
attached the canister. Mons. Maert attaches the wire
to his battery and completes the circuit Instantly report is
heard and the macs of the rock rise into the air
There seemed be solid body Of water perhaps twenty feet
in diameter rising height Of fifteen twenty feet and
then towering up in broken fragments and jets twenty or
thirty feet higher And If The deep did literally boil
like pot" it in that portion Of it that moment lying
Il rho o6ac all h,f