The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-23
THE HELL GATE EXPLOSION
THE PREPARATIONS FOR A GREAT
EVENT OF THE CENTURY.

Caverps Precautionary Measures In tho
Hell Cato Keeion-Rcsdy for the Blast.
One hundred and four men entered the
pit at He'll Gate yesterday morning. As all the
explosives were packed In wstertieht packages
the drizzlinR rain that fell did not 10 any wav
delay the work. Only n few minutes were lost
| at noon, when dstacbmsnts from the different
groups silently asoended, dripping from the fiow
| Of water below, to hurried dinner and Whit
| OF pipe. but this was made up to them later by
| a generous disbursement OF steamine hot coffee,
given them by Mr.. Streidenger and served In the
main tunnels below.
Each group Of cartridges was primed from
box containing tho precise number Of primers,
| to which was attached the exact length Of wire
coiled on reols. These boxes were marked with
| the number OF the group to which their primers
| belonged, and after having been lowered into
| the shaft, were taken into the gallery near the
group and delivered to the men who were prim-
ing. An average Of fifteen minutes was con-
| sumed In priming a group Of twenty charges,
and then the reel was laid near the rock, ready
| to be taken out OF the gallery into a main tun-
mel, wherein they enter covered wooden troughs
leading to tho middle OF the shaft, where they
were punched In a large wooden reservoir and
then taken up through q covered wooden spout
| over the top Of the coner dam and under ground
| into the battery, but not attached to IL.
1t was the most exhausting day for the mon.
seventy OF whom have been working In the ex-
| cayation from the time OF Its commencement,
| and are experienced miners. Thirty OF the men
belong to the scow and ere sailors. At three
| o'clock many Of the groups had been finished,
| and the men commenced clearing away the
| pumps and other property, and the wooden
| troughs were covered with heavy stones. All
property Of any value near the shaft Is to be re-
| moved, with the exception OF an engine a dunn
| my and the old boilers which arc not worth the
trouble Of taking away; All the temporary
1t Is thought that they will not be injured aud
| may be used again.
| The scow that Is to be anchored between Big
| Mil Rock and Wards Island has been arranged
with a platform IRON which the explosion Is to
be yieweo ~ Gen. Newtons wife and a mum Der
OF friends. About eight hundred tickets were
given out yesterday for the four guard boats
tnst will make tue circle from the Ninety
point Of Blackwells Island TO Wards Island,
aud thence to Woolseys Point, north OF Pot
Cove. These boats will start from the Battery,
Iwenty-third street, Thirty-third street, East
river. and Broome street. respectively, In time
steamer will start from the foot Of Ninety
third street, but on II no guests are TO be per
mtted. The completion Of the circle on land
from Ninety-second street to Pot Cove and the o
North Shore line will DO kept Intact after the
Halletts Point during tho afternoon. owing not
alone to the actual danger OF the falling rocks,
but because OF the advice Of Gen. Newton to
those who live inside the line to leave their
houses with doors and windows open. To pro.
tect these deserted homes will necessitate the
expulsion OF every one. even those who for
merly were on the works.
"A gun is 10 be fred from the Government scop
az t,penty,fre minutes precious 10 the explosion.
1hs secGd gun at ten minutes precious 70 the a.
| Many visitors brsved the storm yesterday 70
| look for the LIST time at the excavation, not .
| few OF them ladies, who walked with perfect
coolness over mine of Nifty thousand pounds
| OF the most destru otive OF known explosives.
| - At Woolssy Point beyond the mansion OF Mr..
M haa,
| built, from which the ladies will embark for the
10 pss. tho and sster1 s S1y.
| meet with the larger one In a bomb proof situ-
stsd east % Of th: shaft toward Pot Cove, dts
| tance of 800 feet from the centre OF the mine
| In this he will remain and view the upheaving
Of tqe three acres Of speis rock. After the
sells must give tue Point very wide berth. II
the rock takes up twice, or one and oDe-half the
| water will be only one foot lower; after the ex-
| plosion the surface will be very uneven, some
| lower. As soon as possible after the explosion a
prope. survey is TO be made and the reef buoyed.
After that the rock Is to be removed by the Nor
| rison graphing machine"
Tue Mayor and Aldermen will view the eIplo-
| sion from Ward's Island, and the American
Society Of EnRineers will attend in a private
| vessel.
Gen. Nowton's timely letter to Tns syn, pub
| lishsd yesterday, has done much to allay the ap-
| prehensioDs Of the Inhabitants Of Astoria, and
there is general feeling OF confidence that the
| shock will do no more serious damaee than,
and, possibly, some destruction OF plasterine.
| II must not be supposed, however that the vio-
lencs Of tho explosion will be in any degree
| nitiaated because IL Is under the East river. on
| the contrary, water being almost incompressibls,
| tho conclusion may be felt at . much greater
| distance than " the dynamite were to oe eX-
Is at lie asst one class Of persons who should be on
| their guard tomorrow afternoon. Engineers
having charse, OF boiler: WI & DO well TO reduce
approaches, or, better and safer stl. to lay their
| boilers up altogether.
| A fh.f fin.a Of fha NIL nsi alt a.
| not be felt with any great degree OF violence
even at SO near point as Astoria, boilers II sub
| edly he Affected, even though they should be no
nearer to Hell Gate than Hunters Point. Naval
vessels IN action always reduce the pressure OF
steam in their boilers to escape the danger of
| their bursting under the conclusion caused by
.hs dsss T's OF ns guns and h IKE Is
| where violent thunder storms are OF frequent
| occurrence, prudent engineers never fail 10 re-
| duce their pressure OF btoam during The contin-
| uance OF a tempest. but neither thunder storms
nor discharges Of artillery could test boilers so
| severely as The blast at Hell Gate tomorrow af-
| ternoUn, and perfect safety cAn DO secured only
| by laying them up for the time.
| In steamers In the ryer even at a considera-
| Bile distance from the scene Of the explosion, IL
| Is Of especial Importance that this precaution
ger with which contrary course may be attend
| eu 1t may be mentioned that In 1859 wheD arock
| near Peck slip was being blasted for the Fulton
| Ferry Company, boiler situated at what was
| supposed to be q safe distance on shore and un-
| der charge OF well known engineer, had one
| L
was being run under an ordinary pressure of
| steam, and tho catastrophe was caused by a
| single blast, the conclusion being insi cant
| as compared with what must attend the ex-
ploson at II ell Gate to morrow.
| At O'Clock last evening tho last OF the ex-
plosves were sent into the caverns
| The work In the pit was continued through
supper time, and then u small detachment OF
men were sent home TO change their clothes.
| At 7 O'Clock the hundred men were hard Al
work In the mile and 4 half OF gallery under the
river and at 6;15 o'clock Mr.. julius StreidenRer
| reported to Gen. Newton that the last primer
had been Ad djusted and that all the galleries and
tunnel heads were being vacated. Then a
| wooden bar was nxed across tho ten main mead
ings, and nothing was left but TO clear the shaft
| Of all the rubbish. This, however, proved q
| tedious job.
Later last evening Gen. Newton and Capt Mer-
| cur held q consultation In the little wooden
| house over tho shaft. Tho few pounds OF dy-
Mantle that has been left will be placed on the
| projecting nose" Of the gridiron rock on The
day OF the explosion, and II Is expected that the
concusslon Will explode II. Some OF the extra
wires OF the great battery will be used by Gen.
/ III. H. Abbott to determine the velocity OF trans
mission OF the shock. The instrument used is
| so sensitive that a twentyfou pound ball fall
lug 800 feet from 1t will register Itself as sound
| wave. The delicats manipulation Of testing the
| wire attached TO the primers after they had been
| inserted was carefully done yesterday BY Mr..