Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-10-25
THE COMING GREATBLAST.

The work of deepening and charging the East
River channel at Halett's Point, Hell Gate, New
York Harbor, is fast approaching completion, and
it is now attracting the special attention Of ens-
neers and men of science throughout the country.
Owing to the peculiar formation of the rock at
Hallett's Point, together with the narrowness of
the present channel and the almost uninterrupted
passage of vessels, the work has been done under
many advantageous circumstances. After a
tedious work of nearly six years the task Of exca-
waiting has at last been completed, and the second
airy work of preparing for the grand blast is now
gong on. Inasmuch as the explosive power to be
used on the final blast will be about fifty thou
sand pounds Of nitro lycerine, or about eight
times as much as has ever been simultaneously
discharged before, much interest and not little
anxiety is being manifested in the result
THE SUBMARINE GALLERIES.
The work, which is being superintendent by Mr..
William II. Heuer, was begun in 1862 and the
amount expended on it has been roughly estimst-
cd At about $750,O00. The excavation extends I'M
der u acres of gneiss rock vertically stratifed
mi running in q northeasterly and southwesterly
direction. Starting from main shaft "a feet be-
low mean low water, ten main headings, sioping
down to 80 feet below mean low water, have been
extended out to An average length f250 feet each
The height o. these main headings varies from
to % feet each, with average width Of IA feet.
From the main headings intermediate headings
have been cut, and at uniform distances circular
galleries have also been cut across the headings,
thus forming q series of piers at their point Of in
tersection. There are in all l73 piers, which form
the entire support of the roof and OF the water
above it, and which also separate the Al headings
and 10 galleries. 1t is estimated that the entire
amount Of rock to be broken by the proposed blast
will aggregate about $4,000 cubic yards. Since
the completion of the excavation and the bringing
down OF the piers to a uniform size, the work OF
boring holes in the roof and sides has been begun
For this purpose six Burlcigh drills used daily
boring about twenty-one holes in twenty-tour
hours. The working force now engaged in this
work is 100 men, divided into three gangs, each
of which work eight consecutive hours, in order
that there may be no cessation
THE GREAT BLAST.
Captain Heuer expects to complete the drilling
about the last of January, when the important
work of charging each hole will be begun. This
will have to be done by experienced workmen,
with great care, and will probably occupy about
two months. The explosives will be placed in
iron tubes, each Of which will have a direct bat
terry connection, besides being connected with the
adjacent holes by the means Of series of small
tubes filled with nitro glycerine This precauton-
airy measure will be taken ina;much as the expe
riment of discharging c, 200 charges by means of
one battery has never been tried, and by this sys-
tenn it is claimed that. although one battery should
fail to ignite all the charges simultaneously, yet
the discharge will, nevertheless be instantaneous
proposed to have the 4th of July, 1876, in cele.
bration of Americas centennial-will entirely de-
molish the undermined two and half acres of
rock and break ii into small pieces, which can be
removed by dredging. This will necessitate an
additional outlay, as estimated by General New
ton, in his recent annual report to the War De-
partment of about Si50,000 for the next fiscal
year AS regards the explosion of SO large a
quantity Of nitro-glycerine, Captain lleuer does
not anticipate that there will he any great shock
10 the neiphbOrhood, nor that there Will be the
least danger attending the blast, as upon previ-
GUS occasion, when he fired blast OF AZ 600 pounds
Of powder in the San Francisco Harbor.
The only external vlsable effect was the eleva
ton of an immense volume of water, whose trans
verse diameters were 200 and 250 feet to height
Of about one hundred and fifty feet. Here, as will
be the in the expected explosion at Hell Gate
the water let into the tunnel, thus operating as
lamp.
Excavating is still going on at Flood Rock al
though the work will be necessarily delayed I'M
Ill after the great blast at llallets Point is over
There are at present only about ten men engaged |
upon the work. shaft sixty feet deep has al |
ready been sunk, and two tunnels, each about |
twenty feet long, have been excavated, the one |
running across towards the New York shore and |
the other in the direction of Ialletts Point. 1t is
thought that il will take about two years TO COM
plete the work, by which time nearly all Of the
distractions will have been removed from the |
neighborhood Of Hell Gate-N. Y. Herayd.
Once in while we get Judicial u,terancc
from the bench in New York which indicates
purpose TO make the law terror to evil.doers In
the case OF Jacob Stauderman, convicted of the
murder Of young woman, Notwithstanding his
efforts TO simulate insanity, Judge Barrett in pass
ing sentence Of death declared: There never
was 3 himsier preiense than that of your insanity
An enlightened jury has not failed TO distinguish
between the guilty frenzy of wicked and re-
yengeful mind and the innocent Inconsistencies
Of a diseased brain and darkened mind Il