The New York herald., 1876-09-11
DANGER
NITRO-GLYCERlNE.
NO ADMITTANCE.

sghtseers gave vent to their disgust In language
orcibe than elegant. and tnereupon retired to neigh
boring beer saloon to seek consolation. As fast
ses got tired Of this another arrived and
the throng WIS kept oil day, much TO the prodt Of
tho saloon keeper and man with . magnetic battery.
While Tho would be sightseers coming and
going In full tide HERALD reporter sought out AE
Boyle, who has been foreman tho work since ~
commencement i've years ago, and from him learned
the following iacis:-At hafpast seven o'clock thh
morning the work Of charging the columns with en-
posives will begin and expected that every hole vii
bo filed with dynamite vulcan powder and rcndrocx
NJ. Boyle has picked out fifteen srusty to whom
the work OF nlling the holes will given Each one
Of them will have special assistant to attend upon
his movements and hand the cartridges up to him
when no Is obliged to stand upon platform 10 nn
holes In the upper part Of tho pillars and IN the
roof Besides these thirty men q number have
been selected to handle the powder and dynamite upoa
the wharf, lower It into the shaft and convey u
through the headings 10 those engaged In charging
These will fall TO work this morning. and Il 10
pccted that 500 pounds Of explosive material will bs
slowed away the holes drilled for i. before night
Each OF the
rHRRE EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS
used IL supplied by different company, and each
pany contract deliver the and place
and in quantities demanded by the government officials
charge OF the work. orders have been issued for
about 900 pounds to be delivered at the wharf BE-
side tho shaft this morning, and probably those
lines meet the eyes OF the reader three boats will hays
quietly moored at the place indicated each having
board enough compressed force TO tear the whole end
off Long Island Tho explosives will be delivered In
cartridges packed in boxes each Of which contains 100
pounds. Tho material will be directly enclosed in
metallic cartridges. Those will contain from ten to
Nh
less than feet in length each, and will be OF fous
different dianeters, the smallest measuring and
three quarter inches the and seveneighths
inches, the third two inches and the fourth
two aud one-half inchex The purpose Of this
Ia to accommodate them TO the size of the holes
which about cight feet IN depth three inches 10
diameter the face Of the rock and only inches u
the further extremity, II being found impossible -
drill holes o. such depth OF an equal diameter the
whole length The most powerful explosive will b
packed in the smaller cartridges, which are packed
the further extremity Of the hole, where, ol
course force will be required to shattcr she stone
The next larger cartridge Is placed next 10 that
and SO on TIL tho fourth 10 in place, when space
OF eighteen inches In deph measuring from tho ,orcs
Of the rock, Will be still left untitled When all The
7COJ holes IN the excavation shall have been thus
packed, the electrician Will come along with what
might be called the explodent cartridges These wia
and each will have inserted in brass cylinder,
two inches long and avceighss Of an inch IN diameter
filled with illuminate OF mercury Into the illuminate
will project two wires by means Of which the vhok
mass will be exploded through a shock from heavJ
battery
thus equipped placed the drilled hole last or all
and is calculated that when IL explodes the concus
will discharge all the cartridges packed below u
the Same hole
In order to get clear Idea OF the plan Of blowing op
him 70 70 and the OF operations The
gentleman not only acquiesced, but at once volun.
ever 20 20 ius, shsn. a. The mpa.en. crowd chains
without tho fra barrier would, should any one how.
ever authorised be seen crossing II. as once break
denccs Of the coming rain storm became
unmistakabls and the fading light warned
the crowd OF the lateness OF the hour and
IL began TO disperse. the gentleman named with
friend and the reporter proceeded 70 the shed a the
mouth OF the SHAFT, and arming themselves with the
customary torches and umbrellas, descended. When
below the reporter found that the bottom OF the shaft
had been cleared Of the iron tracks, hand aud
other appliances used TO carry of and hoist up the
displaced stone from the tunnels, and now pro-
sened clear open space couple Of hum
IN the solid twenty-five fcet below the
txco OF the ground On the side OF tho wall toward
and eight feet wide, radxng out under the river and
extending more than half way across H. Each Of these
main headings extend In right line 10 point beyond
which there can be no possible trouble to navigate from
the rocky bed OF the river They thus form q per.
feet fan-shaped figure, all convergIng in the shaf.
Where the space between these tunnels 10 widest In
termediste short parallel with the main
lines that counting these short headings there
not .en but thirty headings In ALL Beginning al
point about twelve the headings measuring
from The face OF the shaft wall cut series OF seven
galleries or tunnels, sweeping across tho entire
ming parallel 70 each othor, completely honoycomt
the entire area, leaving only liz supporting pars
OF unexcavatcd rock, each aboct four feet square,
regular intervas Tho entire oxcavated is about
two and dve-cighths Entering the main headin1
from the roof OF which water leaked In some places
In q heavy shower, which most beat down the pro-
tectnx umbrela-thc reporter through the kindness
Of his guido, had ample opportunity TO exam
inc by the light OF smoking torch the
manner in whicn the most important Of all the
parts OF the work-the charging-will be
executed Standing before one Of the supporting p-
lars. down which tho water poured In q perpetual
srcam he noticed that ut toeraby regular intervals Of
u couple OF feet the rock was pierced with holes from
bottom top, and IN the horizontal wall overhead.
or ceiling. it might be called several
holes wero drilled where The pillar
white pinc wood the end OF which projected four OF
Eve inches on the end OF each was nailed small
gng with No. at the bottom they up to No. 20 ~
the top From peg TO peg ran piece OF stout twino,
securely fastened to each This series Of twenty holes
thus connected - called "a group" and, looking
around the 900 holes found be arranged
in Just such groups, ench with its name and each
hole having Individual number TO designate
from all others In the dim light OF the
nels and half hidden by the msts oi the
water continually dripping from the roof and forming
pools undcr loot tae arrangement OF pegs and strings
bore slight resemblance TO the chords OF monster
piano or harp, and an involuntary shudder shook
the frame OF the scribe he thought Of tho
bic which would be struck from thcm and
dercd what would DC the result should careless
hand strike the inetrumcnt Dciorc u Is properly
timed Tho obJect OF all this sysom Is shat the work.
men charging may not become confused interfere
with each other when the holes shall have been all
nlcd with explosive material oxplodcnt cartridge
with Illuminating cap will take the place OF each
peg and the wires connected with the caps will form
Gordon from cap TO cap uniting each entire group except
that OF the two bottom caps From each OF the latter
wire will extend, and these wires, stretching from
dozen groups. will be joined to larger single wiro,
number OF these In turn will with still larger
wire, so that when the ends OF the wires roach tho
shalt they Will all converge, perhaps, TO single w,rs
xunir In uita SlSt Inn txoss~
Besides the holes 1red TO the full depth exploded
by an expodent cartridge and Illuminating cap,
there are many which we're drilled but
nve feet or even less, when they bad
TO be abandoned. some because river began pour
IN through them making an immediate plugging neccs
cary anu others because the point OF tho drill struck
ono OF the beams OF harder stone, which, like layers
OF cement unite the horizontal layers IN which
thc stone Is formed and made n impossible
lfncaed iher IL i,oa hale I'LL