Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-09-29
The Hell Gate Explosion


board the ferryboat that crosses to Astoria
from Ninety second street. A round Of in
spection was immediately commenced. The
pit, filled with sullen green water, was first
visited, and look was given to the little
Office Of the overseer of the work, Mr.. Ber-
nard Boyle. Next the bombproof Of the
electric batteries was entered, and the oper-
alton Of filling the cups with mercury was
curiously surveyed. Then the gentleman
charged with the electric operations went off
with his men with choice Provision, battery
wires, and demijohns containing sulphuric
acid, to the firing place. Here little shell
ter had been established for the use Of the
electrician, aud q wire had been stretched
that communicated with the cartridge hang
ing from the galleries on the top Of the bomb
proof. To this cartridge was connected the
rope holding up the device Of closing the
electric circle Of all the charges in the various
headings in the reef; and hence, as soon as
the electrician arrived, he established guard
Of soldiers from the engineers battalion at
West Point to prevent any one being even
in proximity TO that dangerous battery.
There we're at this vital point only few
persons, journalists, artists belonging to illus
trated papers, and n photographer. BY 100
O'Clock the different guard steamers had ar
rived and taken up their positions, and other
steamers, containing officers of the port and
Lighthouse Commissioners, furnished with
buoys, and municipal authorities had arrived
and come to anchor 10 various localities.
Last Of all, the steamers of the jarring Nor.
risania and Harlem lines at peace for once,
came up loaded with such numbers Of people
that the white steamers, when they came
stem on, looked completely black. There
were two small steamboats, employed by
General Newton and his men, a light launch
and heavier tug, and these kept coming
and going as busily as possible A cat that
had made her home in the boiler house where
the air was compressed during the excava-
tons, remained there, and could not be driven
away. Whether this arose from thorough
confidence 10 General Newton, or from a
resolution to stick by her feline lares aud
penates, after the habits Of some Of her tribe,
could not be known, but bulge she would
not. AS the visitors were crossing in the
tug to the firing point, the gun from the
scow was fred for the first time, % minutes
before the explosion. The tug went immedi-
ately from the landing place at the firing
point over to the scow, aud returned, bringing
Mrs. Newton, q nurse and little Miss Mary
Ann Newton, aged two years and six months
They did not disembark, however, but awaited
the coming of the General. Boom went
the second gun. Ten minutes to the explo-
sion. The General and his staff were seen
running to their launch, and in a trlce that
swift little craft was bounding over the wa
tiers. General Newton, on arriving, led his
wife up tho little pier, and the nurse fol-
lowed with the little girl, whose fairy fingers
we're to set in action agencies more terrible
than the affects of the Arab fables. Boom
the gun was fred for the third time. Cap
tain Mercer now took his station upon the
slope with 6eld.gass to watch for the wav-
ing of a white flag from the scow wher G
we're the principal officers of the Engineer
Corps and many ladies. All turned their
eyes in that direction, and soon a small white
object huttered from the platform Of the scow
"Now !" shouted Captain Mercer, aud every
eye was turned mechanically to the galleries
where the momentous cartridge was suspended
Probably all held their breath certainly
the majority did, and in about two seconds
Of recorded time, though it actually seemed
a minute, a sensation was felt as if one was
going to become giddy and fall. This was
actually the tremor Of the earth from the
explosion but it was so unexpected thai
it seemed rs if il was q nervous action upon
the body, not an expansive force acting upon
the nerves through the body. In the pres
cnce Of real sensation, recorded time is o
mockery, and it is impossible to say how
soon after came the sound Of the explosion
but it was sharp, and not very loud one, III
the least, Of that rending, crashing sound
which one is accustomed to connect with
nitro.gl yccrne. Then came a grand aud
thrilling spectacle.
The water rose up like wall Of many
geysers, separate, yet united, to height o
at least 100 feet. 1t was snow white il
color, and formed Of huge cones which haC
dome-like Examinations. But there was s.
much spray between these cones that 1t pro
duced the effect of wall, from which great
columns stood out in high relief. Suddenly
there came out from the eastward darL
cloud of mingled stones and earth, in from
Of which were huge wooden fragments Of tn
Golfer dam. This cloud spread over the cal
umnar geysers and hid them and even Will
this last apparition was sinking, lurid
greenish yellow cloud, like terrible SIMEON
rose up from the seethng waters and broode,
over them. This was composed Of the ter
rible gases from the explosive agents tina
had done their work and found their wa
into the atmosphere. This gaseous fog hum
heavily over the place, but seemed to sprea
itself like oil, over an increasing area unit
it was no more than u screen over the rockin
surface Of the He'll Gate reef stream, upo
which the black floating fragments of tn
poor Golfer dam were distinctly visible. In
mediately from 80 points row boats darte
out toward the point, aud those who wer
with General Newton crowded on the tn
and launch. But first they gave vent t
emotions by giving three cheers for Gener'
Newton with will, and tho people on til
Boulevard took up the cry and re-echoed
from thousands Of throats. Then the boat
were loaded by the impatient spectators an
sped rapidly to Hallets Point, where a
ready the row boats were dancing upon tn
heaving waters, and men with scoop net
, were gathering up the dead fish whose al
badders had been burst by tho explosion
On reaching the landing it became almos
difficult to reconcile what the party saw wit
what they know. For it is a fact that thor
was nothing injured, nothing broken, twiSte
or contorted until spot within Eve feet {
the northern end of the Golfer dam wa
reached. Here the tramway was broker
the sleepers shivered, aud the rails fractured
The earth had been apparently deluged wit
water; but there were no rocks, and there
, fore there had been evidently no shower {
them as was anticipated. The bank alon
the Golfer dam showed a tremendous rendiu
of the hard sandstone qualification, and tn
office Of the oversecr that stood to the RICH
Of the stairs going down into the pit hu