The New York herald., 1876-09-25

senativcs from the spanish. Portuguese. Brazilian and
other Of the Centennial Commissions and the members
OF the Russian Commission came in body. There
also present prominent engineers from Canada,
South America and from all over own country.
Tue probable effects OF great bias, the subject
OF discussion, and the result confirmed the ex-
pressed by most OF them. Mr. G. NJ. Mowbray gave
perfect description of what coming. When asked
II he thought there any danger, he remarked as
folows:-'Not a bit; you Will see the water rise in a
volume, possibly 100 feet high; that will be followed
quickly BY of dark OF earth aud stone.
In descending, the water will it strikes and IN
a few moments IL will all be over. The ar Will be
nied with heavy gas, the smell of which you
VIII appreciate If We happen to be TO eeward
OF the basL" The warning guns were not heard on
board the Pleasant Valley, but the time approached
all eyes strained toward the surface OF the great
mine A heavy, rumbng sound was heard, and the
scene accompanying 1t exactly wnat Mr. howbray
bad predicted Fortunately, the steamer was TO wind
ward aud the heavy yeliowish clouds OF gas noated
slowly away from us The water had scarcely de-
scended when a perfect drove OF small boats shot
out like from every nook and corner of tho
surrounding shores all pointing and converging to
the shot of the upheava The men in them rowei
If life depended their getting there ia the small
est space OF time. Steamboat whistles blew, men
chcered and thousands OF umbrellas waved in the
pr from the surrounding emineuces As the heavy
gas began TO move away ridge appeared on the sur
lace OF the and first thought to oe formed
by the upturned mass OF earth and broken rock. On
approach 1t found 10 be the debris Of the
Golfer dam the timber used in the chambers. The
anxiety OF some OF the rowboats reach the
found explanation. Hooks and ropes and all
OF apparatus soon brought TO bear the
floating timer, and load after load of 1t was towcd
away Notwithstanding the opinions OF the scientific
gentlemen that there would he no serious results from
the explosion, there was some surprise at the little
noise and shock created by II.
GUARD BoAr NUMBER .
At halfpast one O'Clock tue steamboat Eliza Hancox
left he Battery with about so persons, of whom
were females for the OF the explosion. Captain
Smith, who In command, remained in the pilot
house during the trip tho greater part OF the time,
keeping his weather eye open in of danger.
Among those board the Hancox was a very snowy
looking, blonde young woman, who company
with negro who paid her considerable attention
during the trip. General Meeker, OF General Newon's
stan; Colonel Meehan of the engineers; Mr. Stouten-
bursb, who made the lin cartridges Joseph Warren,
who manufactured the nitro glyccrine used in the
charging of the mine, and large numoer OF gentle
men connected with the salJ and uiacturo ex-
posve materials. The conversation OF these gentle
men was OF rather ghasty nature, beng principally
IN raation TO the and nature of such cheerful
jects as duan, rendrook, giant powder, nitro glyccr-
ine, dynamite and illuminate of mercury The
on board calculated to give one spell
OF tho blues, the sky above being cherries
and steady pouring down, with u
chilly breeze piercing even heavy overcoat Jokes
of a mortuary nature passed from mouth to
mouth and the humorists batc each other 'Goodby."
stating that they would meet better world that
II was no use OF taking drink even, the span OF
lie allotted each man would not extend after three
O'Clock oil the afternoon An enterprising veuder OF
ea,ables had started counter, from which he sold
pressed corned beef SANDWICHES, cheese sandwiches
and hard boiled eggs of very brittle consistency.
AS the moments passed and the timo ap-
preached for the first gun to be fired the inter-
est in every ones face aboard the Hancox was
visibly heightened and the practical okers com
menced to oner each other htc preservers or to
Tie themselves with ropes The 1rst gun was
fired at ha-past o'clock, and there was a
pause in tho conversation, and men gszeG at
each other then with look OF inquiry
their faces. When the second gun fired
the watchers all with one impulse braced themselves
on their legs, bending them slightly receive the
shock The last gun Gred and the report doomed
the river ond the smoke lifted from the dschare
there very short interval and then came
thu dun, far away sound OF the mighty force that
tearing the bowels OF Huett's Reef Every ego
was strained toward the reeI han mile distant.
There were seen push up into the two
large and irregular masses OF Opaque smoke,
Of dirty, suphuric yellow, which stretched out
about 800 feet from the shore cLd Of the reef while the
thinner, loer and irregular mass was of
dirty cloudy, black color, containing rubbish, coal
dust, timber and planSs, OF the latter being
rent into fragments 10y the mighty annhilation. The
dense Opaque masses OF matter were from thirty
In height, whore they yel!owish, dly sixty
tet ia shore. where dirty black hue was more OBJ
scrvab!c. The water in the East River south of
the rect IN sort OF white, foamy wall OF about
ten feet in eight tho the report was heard
md this wall 500 in length Stretching ata
'isht anglf direct from the shore The water iu The
rver ioaned and became oil dirty, turuid yellow,
which the result of the burning of the dynamite
below its surface But at a distance of half a mile, on
The Haucox rom the roof, there trcmor felt
uudor her keel, there either concussion or
vibration in the AR.
GUARD 40. 3.
The steamer Arrowsmith. which LETT the foot OF
Broome Tor the of the explosion yesterday
had board mixed of curiosity seekers inter-
spcrscd with few gentlemen who proiesscd them
selves willing to be martyrs to sclencc' III case OF
accident. Ghc moist atmosphere and clouded skies
without evidently had effect upon the passengers so
depressing that frequent bations judged needfu
10 sufficiently them Tor the catastrophe
that most Of them anticipated. When the boat moved
up the river and took its position the channel be-
tween BlacKweis Island and Eighty street. The
whole limo OF the New York shore was black with
spectators In Bellevue Garden and vicinity every
roof cnce and tree supported OF humanity,
and away down the river at Fiity-nInth what
seemed immens, dark rock resolved itself close
Inspection into dripping multitude. Behind the guard
boat aud covering the channel from bank to bank, a
ieet doatcd that had in 1t samples OF every craft
known to the river aud many quite unfamiliar to these
Or any other waters. One d!mnutivc skill, propelled
by umbrella and sieercd by barrel stavc excited
considerable humorous comment and the exchange OF
courlcsics oy the navigators of passing yawls ana
1ingles who venturcd forth In quest OF piscatoria