New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-31
THE HELL-aATE oBsTRucrIoNs.

Nhlle people are expanding admiration upon
new plans and ingenious inventions for overcoming the
channel difficulties 1t Is worth while to ask the practical
question, What is being donei The public are aware
that contractors have undertaken work Of removing
the distractions What they doing aud how does the
work actually standi The contractors are Messrs.
Maefert and Shelbourne each acting Independently,
according TO his own ideas and methods and on separate
ground Mr. Maleferts plan he has patented long ago.
and II is easily described and understood 10 simply
ssts IN depOsng quantity OF powder on the surface Of
the rock TO be removed and then exploding t. There is
cumbrOus apparatus used sounding pole, 10 aseer
employed. The explosion IS erected by electriS-
Operators are stationed near or far they need never be
danger This method Of blasting whore there no Dor
the surface, Is not Thought well Of by many yet more
has attended 1t so far than any other Mr Mhe-
est bat he claims that it is the only practicable one In
this passage of Hell Gate where the force OF the current
What adds poWer 70 the force Of the explosion is
IL takes place under some IS or so feet OF water ana the
resistance solid rock As illustrating the effect OF
superficial charge in blasting downwards t will be re.
exploded in wagon. in Wilmington, NJ o. making hole
in the ground nine feet deep MT; MSidete EN-
is chipping away every day. He has already
reduced the reef from five feet depth OF water to feet
Yesterday he nred three charges Oh pounds OF poWue
eac two produced considerable effect the other not SO
much To-day the blasting will be continued from a. m
TO m Mr. Maillefert estimates the cost OF clearing
the channel at e8O00OO, and the time seven or eight
years Gen. Newton has made two or three estimates
ranging from six to ten millions Of dollars.
The other contractor Mr. shelbOurne, is not idle Yes
terday be engaged In setting new submarine drill
ing machine OF his invention He is working on Fry
ing Pan He did not succeed yesterday In getting his
drilling machine properly in place and VIII try again TO-
day. This machine is somewhat complicated and heavy,
weighing altogether % tuns The boat which he used In
lowering 1t was not properly anchored, but drfted
good deal hence hts machine missed the
precise spot intended. This drill is simply IN
tended bore hole in the rock, TO any depth then
charge Of gycerne to be got down. and the rock
blasted This drilling machine may be likened, In shape,
sugar loaf with the top cut or The base Is heavy
metal ring % feet In diameter the top Is similar ring As
inches diameter AS the machine lies In the water at
present one edge OF the base is tilted up considerably,
leaning rock the other edge rests on the bed OF
the river and the slant line is nearly perpendicular Inc
side only skeleton, consisting OF four wrought iron
bars CONNECTING the two rings each bar four inches In
diameter The driu-bar proper works up and down
through tube that ordinarily would be tho
axis OF the whole apparatus. but which ls hung
I'm such always TO maintain the uerpendicu
lar This drill bar alone weighs quarter Of II is
tipped below with steel bit The perforatlon effected,
not by circular motion that OF gnlet but solely by
impact downward The drill bar lie raised by steam, then
falls and strikes the rock by its own momentum The
mechanism produce this effect is Ingenious, aud the
inventor has said that worked well out OF water IL now
remains be what the whole will do In the water