Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-26
The He'll Gate Explosion.


following particulars are taken from the New
York Times:
1T was 1880 when Gen. Newton went Cd
hna I'd the ferry boat that crosses 10 Astoria from
Ninety second street. When he arrived at he
Govcrnmeu, works he found himself at the
head # u cortege Of correspondents aud report
er+. all fully impressed with feeling o.! thank
fuincss that they we're to have the brsI oppor.
luui les Of seeing everything, and that PRIV
lages were extended TO then as faithful. ser
wants If the great public which We're dehoIte-
" refused 10 ali others Then commenced
round of inspection. The pit filed with suIlen
green water was fist visited, aod look was
given to the little ,hice OF the oversecr OF the
work, Mr.. Bernard Boyle. Next the bom;
proof o the cectr C batteries was entered, and
the operation of filing the cups with mercury
was curiously surveyed. Then The gentleman
charged with the electric operations went on
with his men aud with choice provisloo OF
batteries. wires and demjohns, containing sui
pu,ic acid to the firing poln', III front OF Mr.
Rausom. house, 20 tie Boulevard Here a
hI,le heller ha4 been established for the use
of he electricians, and wire had been stretch
ed that communicated with the cartridge hang
IN. from the gailoWs 90 the top OF the bomb
proo!. ~ this cartridge was connected the
r.re holding up the device for closing the cleo
lrc circle of all tho charges 10 the various head
iu.s ~ he roof aud hence, as soon as the cleo
trio az arrived he T. abb shed guard OF soldiers
{, III the engineer batalO at W est foinf, 70
nrey.ut aUy one being even 10 proXlmty with
that dangerous battery.
There we're at his vital point only few per
sons. journalists. artists belonging tolustrated
papers. and photographer The snail slope
on which the 6,ing point was established was
separated from the main ROAD of the B,ulcvard
BY slight fence, through which passage was
obtaipahle by little gate. There wasa sentry
here also but though the crowd wasquitc deus.
along the Boulevard there Wa no attcnp!
wna.cycr to break tlrcuAh auG satisfy NOR.
u!d curiosity by uching the mysterl US appIl'
auces below The soldiers 10 doubt wcr" 10
part the cause of this good behavior, but prob
ably tie III joriy OF people Is the road had
soue misty pec! that it was dangerous spot
down there, and that they were safer lar where
they wcrH.
By 1880 Q cock the different guard steamers
had arrived aud taken UP their positions, and
other steamers containing officers OF the port
ant, l. ghthouso Commissioners furnished with
tu ", aud municipal authorities, had also ar
rived and c me to anchor 10 various localities.
IL
;.nia o.! Harlem IiUes, 1T peace Tor once, came
NJ loaded from the texas to the lower deck
with such nun. bers ul people that the white
steamers when they came stem on looked COM
s]etely black. There were TWO smaIi stcauIboats
empl wed ny Gen. Newtoa and his men, light
LAUNCH AID heavier tug, and these kept con-
ing ana going as 5usily as possible. Regard
iat the journalists prescott as the servants
of the public. General Newton gave to them
the frees: liberty to come and 20 on these
boats, to pass tiryuoh the military lines, to
visit the scUw-!o d., il siort, whatever a
sense of their Gu!y might suggest as proper
and this privilege was duy used and thank
fully appreciated. On the last trip but oue OF
tie launch, Genclal Abbott, the famous co
worker with General Humphreys on the Ms
siss;p,i nves!i gatops, arri7cd and joined Gen
! cral Ncwtons party, which was IL reality, re-
strctrd to the members OF the press, Captain
M.rcur, Lieu. vi lard and MIR Bowie, the
ovc1syer. At $50 o'clock all left Hall>tt's
Reef and repaired to the firing point, save
Gen. n wton, Capt. M=rcur, Lieut.. Willard
| and tLr over seer. Every other human being
went on board the tug, the launch remaining
Tor the engineers A cat that had made her
home iu the boiler use, wh9re the air was
COMPRESSED durlog the excavations, remained
there and could not b. driven away. Whether
this aros, from thor ugh confidence in General
y w,on. or from resolution TO stick by her
feline Lars AID Prnates after the habits of
some Of her tribe, could ut be known. But
bulge she would not. As the visitors we're
crossing 10 the tug to the firing point the gun
from the scow was fired for the first time.
twenty-five minutes to the explosion.
The tug went Immediately from the landing
Il Gr,p tc rho oDn
re. urned. bringing Mrs. Newton a nurse, and
Miss Mary Ann, N.wtop, aged rwo yrars aud
six months. They dii not disemblrk. how
ever, but awaited the coming o. the Geoeral
Boom weot the sec md guu. Ten mioutes to
the explosion. The General and his staff we're
seen ruuDing 10 their lau9ch, and 10 a trlce
that swift little Graf! was bounding over the
waters. General Newton, GU arriving, led his
wife UP the little pier, and the nurse followed
with the little girl whose fairy tingcrs were to
SCI 10 action ageLcies more terrible than the
Afntes of the Arab fables. BONN the gun was
fred for the third time. CaptalD Mrrcur DOW
took his station upon the slope with field
glass to watch for the waving OF white flag
from the scow where were the prlucnal ntl-
Gers of the Engineer Corps and many ladies.
All turned their eyes 10 that direction and
soou small white object huttercd from the
pla!lcrm of the Sow. ''Now!' shouted Capt
NJ rcur, and every eye wss tut ned nee ancally
10 he galleries whence The momepous cart
ridge was suspended Probably all held their
breath. Certainty the writer did, ADD 10 about
two seconds of recorded time, though it seemed
actually minute. he icit sensation as If be
was gorg to become giddy and fail. This was
actually the tremor Of the earth from the ex
plosion, but it was 80 unexpected that it seemed
as ii ii was a ncrvouS action upon the body, not
an expansive force acting upon the nerves
through the body. And there Was also a
slight contraction of the heart. such as a man
might feel from some great sorrow. 10 the
presence Of real s. nsatlou recorded time is a
mockcry. and il is impossible for the writer to
say how soon after came the sound of the ex-
plosion But ii was sharp and not very loud,
not in the east Of that reudlug, crashing sou0u
which one is accustomed to conncct with nitro
gIycerine and It's relatives. Then came grand