The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-11-19
MISCELLANY.
AN ARTIFICIAL EARTHQUAKE.
They are Arranging for One in New
York Harbor Sixty Thousand
Pounds Of Nitro Clyeer-
fne Being Planted.

The New York Sum says: A few rods
above the village of Astoria, on the East
River, is HaIIett's Point, where exten-
sive operations looking TO the improve
ment Of the channel hayeeDeen going on
for the past six years. The operations
consist in undermining the bed rock of
the river for q considerable distance by q
system of tunnels, or "headings," as en-
| gineers term them. leaving columns to
support the roof until the charges are
ready TO be fred. AS no external evid-
ence of the extent and character of the
work exists, but few persons are aware of
the great labor involved No less than
two and a half acres have been tunneled
under, with an aggregate length of tun
mel of one and one half miles; the width
and height being respectively eight feet
and twelve feet A plan Of these excav-
atioRs appears like an irregular checker
board, the black squares representing
the piers which still remain holding the
roof. These will be removed in the fn-
al blast, which is expected to throw
down the whole bed rock involved, and
probably much subjacent. All of the
HEADINGS HAVE BEEN DRIVEN
and the only remaining task is to bore
the piers for the admission of the charg-
es. The roof il being bored in each cham
ber with holes leading diagonally; in
these nitro glycerine, or its equivalent, is
to be placed and the whole exploded by
one battery. To insure certain ignition
Of this immense quantity of explosive
material. 5000 charges of about eight
pounds each, every charge connects with
the others by system of pipes or iron
tubes. probably half an inch in diane
ter, filled with explosi ve in quantities to
almost constitute a charge of itself.-The
work is system of gigantic pockets cut
in the solid rock charged with explosive
connected intimately with fuses, and to
be fired by one battery at the proper
time. The greatest depth of water over
the works is twenty six feet, the greatest
thickness of the roof eighteen feet, and
the longest heading 315 feet. All the
holes have been bored by drills driven
by compressed air. and about 1000 holes
yet remain to be made. The leakage
through the roof amounts TO 500 gallons
per minute. This is all led into one of
the headings, which also communicates
with a we'll at the end of the tunnel,
WHENCE 1T Is REMOVED BY PUMPS.
The successful termination of this work
will straighten the shore line materially
add very much TO the width of the chan
mel, and alter some of the currents,
which set so strongly now at food and
ebb tide as to greatly endanger COM
merce. AT this place the tide sweeps
through with velocity Of nine knots,
or over ten miles. per hour and as the
channel is only few hundred feet wide
and hedged abont with rocks above and
below. il is easy to see that navigation
will have reason to pray for the success
of the undertaking. The cost of the
work up to the present time has been
ahont S750.000, and it will require at
least $500,000 more to complete it. It is
expected that the final operation, that of
firing the charges, will transpire some
time early in the summer of 1876. ].
will be an event worth witnessing. The
effect of $4,000 pounds of glycerine fred
at once would create a small earshquake
ifin one base, but it is stated by Captain
William III. Huer, of the United States
engineers, to whom the Sun is under OBJ
legations for personal attentions and in
formation, that subdividing this quanti-
ty into numerous small charges very
greatly lesseDs the shock.