The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-09-02
HELL GATE.
Progress OF Opernsions--The Plans Adopt ed
T,rty Feot DeDsh of Water TO 0e Secured
The Superintendent Defence.

Progress OF Opernsions-The Plans Adopt ed
Thirty Feot Depth of Water 10 DE Secured
The Superintcndemts Deience.
1t isa very natural interest which the citizens OF
New York, and. in fact, the people or tho whole
country, take In the operations going on for tue
clearing OF Hell Gate from all distractions to free
navigation. Time and again the HERALD has demon
straed the urgency Of the speedy completion OF this
work, Its national character in view Of its import
ance to our transatlantic well as c0asting trade
and also In regard to the immense amount or
money values to be affected by the opening OF this
channel. After tinkerng at 1t for generation
and more, the nrst efforts in this direction
dating back as far as 1912, and accomplishing but
little, now, for the last year or two the matter
seems to have been taken in hand more energeti-
cally; anu few years hence we are assured by the
officers in charge Of the work. will one portion
OF the channel cleared, that is the immense sub.
marine promontory-if the term be auowed-at
Hailett'5 Point 1t is not believed that the other
great rocK-tne Gridiron-w have to be blasted,
since by all known laws OF water courses 1t seems
probable that the removal OF the rock at Haletts
Point will nave such an influence upon the current
that blasting out few OF the rocks In nearly the
midst OF it will leave sufiicen. breadth OF deep
water east OF the Gridiron, with any OF the
sucking currents, now so dangerous, that the
walling about Of the Grldiron, as IL WERE by
bubble fence Will suffice
Hence ali efforts Of General Newton, IN charge OF
the work under the authority of the War Depart
ment have been concentrated for the past eighteen
months on the reef at Halletts Point. The method
sorted to in England Scotland Egypt, and lately In
san Francisco harb0r, IN California. For this pur
pose shaft has been sunk into the rock near the
the following dimenstons:-Length, lis feet; cross
section, 95 feet; and "datum lineu so feet beow
mean low water. This datum line' constitutes the
moor Of the shaft, from which eight headings or
tunnels arc being driven into the rock, as 80
the shaft, and In 80 many directions, These
tunnels or radh will be from eight to ten feet
length. This distance Of about fifty feet out. Will
be mterseced, or, perhaps It may be better TO say
o by forming or rh
viii be repeated at every fifty feet OF the length OF
| the tunnels. This Is what Is called the cellular
vOus occasions has proved so enective. In the in
tervening rock standing 'persn between the gall
struck, and charged with suffclency OF powder to
carry away thirty feet Of rock overhead and twenty
is slow one, the rock operated upon being hard
gneiss, yet 1t proceeds as rapidly as Is possible.
Of Ss afs cs testing so
pIeted in about two years one grand explosion WIN
m the a,ry ee coae TO aS sore a
| to the farthest point Of the present rock
Mr.. Retheimer. the superintendent Of these
eral Newton, seems to have had extensive expert
| ence In this kind Of work. In a communication 10
|
pressed that any danger to life and property is to
be feared from this grand explosion when II Is had.
| He Says
Excepting slight elevation of the upper strata OF the
water gentle trembling in the knees of the observer
the effect Of the intended grand explosion wiz hardly be
percepble 70 the public No detonaon Whatever vii be
the European professional which annually pub
shed, prove than 400 similar operations with
charges from 5000 pounds Of POWDER
calculated and fred BY the writer Of this article Without
doing damage one dwelling or endangerinC the lie Of
single individual.
MIR. Reitheimer also takes exceptions to certaia
statements which appeared In the public press. az
to injuries already done to private property near
Hsllett's Point by the mining and blasting going on,
and he calls these statements incorrect" 'tech-
meal absurdittes, which were evidently cleaned
from outsiders, also interlarded with deliberate
falseh0od." And N order to justify this strong lam
guage, he adds
This tina proper tms, my province to entes
into history OF the impedmens and annoyances with
which rites have seduously endeavorod from The
yey to embarrass the operations The docH
uers file Ia Washinstpn 70 bo used whom wanted