New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-19
UNDERMINING ) HE'LL GATE.

| r." H ID
THE PLANS AND METHODS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
NG PRodREss-nALLgTTs POINT TO BE hhApi
FOR EXPLOSION MKT YEAR r..rIf! r. sfH
more remarkable natural formation than
that OF Hell Gate Is seldom found. Long Island SCUM"
has width OF 20 miles and length OF moro than nun
dred Wide In It's extent open TO tho eoD ano 10" "
the tide and little protected from winds py tne 'oW
ahores whioh bound It, IL 10 rough. sullen ana perous
expanse At It's western end It gradually narro"s'-
y,nds In and out among islands and headlands, and,
suddeny shrinking into the mereet strait. meets the
East River At south side Of this strait ana attn
puer side OF the half circle which the uniting waters
make Just the current ia swftest and where YES
sels are most likely to strike low ledge OF gness rises
out of the marsh only few feet above the wster and
then with gradual slope runs down into the water and
far out into H. Just opposite this rock. which Is known
az Halletts Point, lie o number OF submerged reofs
known az the Frying Pan, the Hogs Back, Holiness
Reef, &C. These are directly opposite to the north,
and arc close TO the shores OF Wards Island
Il Is proposed, when the Haletts Point rock
ia removed. TO cover these reefs with bulkhead,
when they will cease 70 be objects Of dread But 70 the
eastward OF Halets Point, and toward the south side
OF the channel Is reef known Pot Rock which is too
far to be disposed OF in this way and will have to be
removed But Just west of the strait proper and partly
In the East River, where the distance from Haletts
Point 70 tho NewYork shore Is about 1000 feet there
rise two reefs, long and partly submerged The one
nearest Haetts Point Is known az Flood Rock and the
one beyond this Is called Great and Little Mil Rocks.
there being two parts OF t exposed The distance be
tween the latter rocks and Hales Point Is about l2Oe
feet, and Flood Rock IL midway between The double
channel thus formed the chief Of the waters
between the Sound and the East River the channel
between Min Rock and NewYork leads more directly 10
the Harlem River This division OF the main
channel 400 feet wide, by Flood Rock. has twot
marked results. First, the great bulk OF submerged
rock obstructs the channel which even without IL
would DO very The consequence OF this Is that
the tidal current which in the East River Is about
knots "a knot being equal 10 10 miles, hour, owing
TO the narrowness OF the channel Is piled up and sud
denytakes velocity OF 81 knots an hour. 1t is this
sudden increase In velocity which great element
danger vesse The second result or tho division
OF the channel that vessel passing from the Sound
to the East River. and striving to keep away from
Haotts Point Is in danger OF sheerng too far to the
other side and OF being carried by the rapid current
upon Flood Rock II thu tide running toward the East
River ut s running toward the Sound the danger Is
simlar In trying to avoid Flood Rock the tendency Is
10 20 too and strike Haetts Point or the oppo
site reefs And thus 1t that this gorge through solid
gness seethes and foams with turbulent waters and
seems kind OF evil divinity, that Summer and Winter
In sunshine, fog, and tempest, yawns insstiate 10
swallow up the unwary voyager. ANY thorough plan
for the removal OF He'll Gate distractions Will In
volye most or all OF the following elements
l. The removal OF the shelving ledge at Halletts
Point that there will be deep water up TO the very
be little danger Of running the abrupt rock as the
swift current would keep Vessels little tie. out II INTO the
submerged and shelving part q the rock -.
reefs which form part of IT, By TINS the double chan
mel would be reduced to- single one the water course
enlarged and tho velocity OF the current thus reduced
I'LL The covering Of tho Frying Pan, Hogs Back, and
Holiness Reef with bulkhead. which can be done
" The removal OF Pot Rock which Ia an obstruction
similar 70 those mentioned but which is too tar out
In tho channel to be disposed OF In the same way.
Thechief arguments for undertaking the Improvement
were these:
l. The remova, OF the distractions would be great
saving OF life and property, whatever might be the Ell
tent Of the traffic which might hereafter seek that out
pecally that between NewYork and the upper waters
q the Hudson. and the Nex-England States: -.
port The bar at Sandy Hook, occasoned by sediment
ss an6 asso aeS Gne
vessel drawing ~ feet can be put over II a. high
Of xasr but as the ae yares four or i've feet and
as at cerainperods the tides arc especially low nefa
Gate on the contrary the swfness OF the current pre-
vents any accumulation OF mud the bottom Is washed
and about 90 feet at high water; So by way Of afford
ing deeper channel for entrance to the har6or Hell
Gate its perls be- obviated win be of great ser-
vice Then the to Europe through itisconsder-
ably shorter than that through sthe Narrows, and
large part of the OF the city 20 European
ports; and than all IL The city continues 10 grow
IN commercial Importance traffic VIII become 50 great
convenience ifthe Sandy Hook passage wore ever
THE ORIGINAL AND THE MPRovED PLAN.
The subject Of tho possible removal OF the obstruc-
lions has under consideration for ascore OF years.
or more As early 1884, the citizens of NewYork oon-
Iibuted considerable amount, to which the Govern
nen afterwsrd added sOsO for the purpose OF letting
Frenchman named Mailletert, who was then expert
nenng In surface blasting, try what he could do toward
removing Pot Rock which was then pinnacle. rising
above the surface. His method very effective 40
drst and he succeeded in bastingt away TO depth OF
s feet but tho farther down the work went che moro
tedious 1t became and the undertaking was abandoned
Here the matter 10 have rested for many years.
At about 1869 Cen John Newton OF the United States
Army Engineers. encouraged TO take tho matter In
hand He proposed TO remove, frstof all tho Haletts
Point LEDGE as the most dangerous OF the distractions
Meanwhile, werk Pot Rock was to be resumed, and
the blasting 20 DO carried TO depth OF 20 feet The
building OF bukheads- about the Frying Pan, Hogs
Back and Holiness Reef was to- be postponed till the
removal OF the Hallotts Point Ledge had made an In
crease in the the opposite side OF the
channels and the OF Flood Rock and tho accom-
panying reefs be deferred till the other improve
ments had been completed Accordingly for the pres.
ent Haetts Point to DO the chief seat of active
measures.
The plan for removing the reef was most novel and
yet most simple. Golfer dam was to be built around
that part Of the rock which was just above water so
that the waves might be kept from OVERLOOKING the rock
and interfering with the work. Within this dam q
poly gona excavation then to DO made, having q
general length Of about 10 feet and a~general
hrS;sAth OF Sbout.4o feet, with depth of 10 feet
"a below low ater Is landward face was 70 coincide
with tho proposed waIef,SS q that Gle syS Walton
he in "a
tho bottom Of this great pit 10 tuhes were TO run out