The New York herald., 1870-08-25
A VOLCANO AT HALLETT'S POINT.

Government Carelessnexs-Houscs Ratified and
Factories Smashed-One Man Fatally In
jured, Others Narrowly EEcapc-Ssuber q
Co.'s Oil Works In Oanser-Thsy Seek an
Injunction.
The removal OF the rocks and shoals at Hailett's
Point is going forward at steady rate day and niQhs
under the general super vision OF General Newton
and the immediate superintendent OF Mr. Reitheim-
er. Three gangs OF about thirty men eaoa are en-
poyed, and the work prosecuted on the eight hour
plan. semi-crcuar opening or mine about sixty
feet In diameter has been cleared out twenty feet
deep, and 1t is the purpose OF the engineers 10 In.
crease Its depth still ten feet more. From this mine
six headings" are being cut beneath the water and
hastings are made in these. They are named re.
speotively Humphreys, Newton, Sherman, Grant,
Mcclellan and Franklin, and are numbered one two
three, &c. About sixty explosions day are made
IN these headings and In the open space and seye-
raj thousand tons OF hard rock removed each day.
The work Ia carried on 80 carelessly, however that
the lives and the property Of the residents and the
manufacturersi In the vicinity greatly endangered
Occasionally, too, some OF the w0rkmen become
manned and disabled by rocks md panks falling on
them. On Monday man named Wallace had his
skull fractured his collar bone and several ribs
broken by plank falling on him. He was removed
10 his boarding house in Astoria and surgical aid
procured and on Tuesday he was removed to hos.
ptal, where his recovery is extremely doubtful
Messrs. Stuber Co., oil manufacturers, bitterly
complain OF the danger to which their lives and pro-
perty have been exposed by the extraordinary care.
lessness manifested. The government not oniv
seized their leased property, without glv1ny them
any equivalent, but und er the forner opc-
rations OF Mr.. Pierce compelled them tn
close their factory and works for abour
twelve months and when blasting was re.
sum cd under the supervision OF Mr. Retheimer no
promised to conduct operations more carefully, and
Stuber Co., under these assurances, recommended
work. But the change has been Tor the worse and
not for The better, and they have placed the matter
In The hands OF able counsel Judge Beach) to obtain
an Injunction against General Newton and his SUBJ
ordinates. 1t must be said, however, that General
Newton is not on the ground every day, and conse-
qucnty, the complaints made by Messrs. stuber d
Co. fail Ike idle words on his agents.
short time ago the faucet OF large tank con.
falning crude petroleum, from which the Oil ID
manufactured. and distant only seventy-six feet
from the government operations, was malctously
broken, and seventy gallons OF the liquid were lost.
1t soaked away into the blasting ground, and all the
next day that place was Ia nanes. SO that little
Sre eo feet dsan but w.@s
from Ave to seventy five pounds ..e hurled within
stones broke through the frame still mousse on Satur-
day evening, aud fell within . foot OF
Tss man and his my live MS .dns sns
brick house near the OIL works, and but 1876 feet
from the government mine. In the manufacture OF
oil 1t Ia necessary that the nIos be kept up day and
night, and that the oil be carefully excluded from
air during the process Of distiation But there are
certain pipes exposed, which, should they be broken
by one OF those heavy pieces Of rock. nothing could
save the entire place from destruction by fire. The
stlman and his family are kept constant dread
Of their lives by pieces OF rock falling about thelt
DWELLING and his services which very valuable,
owing to his experience are retained only by his
employerD assurances that they will seek an injunc-
don In the courts Messrs. Stuber 90. have 100000
invested In oil works and they are justly indignant
at this defiance OF their rights The property owned
by Mr.. Halsey who, In consideration OF receiving the
stone raised from the mine, gave his consent TO the
trespass, but with the understanding that there
should be neither dange nor annoyance 10 his ten-
ants by the operations The 0int. A lew days ago
piece OF rock weighing seventy-nve pounds was
picked up at the outer entrance TO the oworks 500
feet or, and on Monday piece about twenty pounds
weight crashing against the side OF the ONCE,
and was only kept from entering by striking against
the heavy timber frame. fhe detonations from the
blasts are 80 heavy TO shake the houses, and
these blasts are repeated sometimes at intervals Of
five minutes.
All the drilling is now done by hand, but In few
days the government engineers expect TO have tho
centre OF operations sunk 10 sufficient depth Ia
lower the steam drilling machine and thus to work
the headings. AT present very little progress ID
made. The rock Is very hard and not many large
pieces are cast on. IL is estimated that II will
quire four or five years steady work to accomplish
tons VI coal now lies sunk near Pot Rock.