New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-29
The He'll Gate Explosion.

wagon to be guarded by ons or two white
men.
The He'll Gate Explosion.
The New York Times of the twenty fifth
contains an extended and remarkably in
teresting account of the explosion of the
reef at Hallett's Point on Sunday. The
report WAS much less than the frmest be-
levers of General Newton had expected.
An area Of twenty-five feet, close to the
Golfer dam, is all that shows any effect
More than $4,000 pounds of explosives were
under. Except the moving of the little
shed on the right Of the pit twenty-five
feet, tie rending of the timbers of and the
bank along the Golfer dam, and destruction
of the stairs, there was NO damage done
not even pane of glass broken.
Thousands Of people came from New
York and Brooklyn and Witnessed the
operation from Central Park, Astoria, Man
haitian Island, the numerous guard boats
and ipnumerable craft of all sizes outside
the lines. At twelve o'clock the prepars-
tions were completed by filing the 800 cells
of the batteries, q pint and half to each
cell. Two hundred and seventy. five thou
sand feet of insulated copper wire con.
nected the batteries and the $3.50 charges.
The device for completing the circuit was
suspended over the bomb-proof by q rope
which was to be severed by dynamite
torpedo connected by wire with the bat
tory 1t the firing point on Wards Island.
Three signal guns we're fired from the
soow ON which the engineer corps we're
placed. After the third the waving of
. white flag gave the final signal. General
Newton then took the tiny fingers of his
little daughter Mary, two years and half
old, and pressed them on the Morse key.
In two seconds the little lady's hand had
destroyed Hsllett's reef. The description
| Of the Times is as follows:
Probably all held their breath, certainly
the writer did, and il about two seconds OF
| re ecorded time, though it seemed actually a
minute, he telt sensation as if he was CO.
ing to become giddy and fall. This was
actually the tremor of the earth from the
explosion, but it was 90 unexpected that it
| s-emed as if it was . nervous action upon
the body, not an expansive force acting
upon the nerves through the body. And
there was also slight contraction of the
heart, such as q man might feel from
some great sorrow. In the presence
Of real sensation recorded time is q
mockery. and it is impossible for the
writer to say how soon after came the
sound of the explosion. But it was sharp
and not very loud, not in the least that
rending, crashing sound which one is &C.
customed to connect with nitro glycerine
and its relatives. Then came grand and
thrill ng spectacle. The water rose up like
wall OF many geysers, separate, yet
united, to height OF from sixty to seventy
feet. It was sn0wwhite in color, and
formed of huge cones, which had domtlike
terminatiOns. But there was 80 much spray
between the cones that it produced the
etfect of . wall from which great columns
stood out in high relief. Suddenly there
came ont from the eastward dark cloud
of mingled stones and earth, in front OF
which were hinge wooden fragments Of the
Golfer dam. This cloud epread over the col
umnar Qeysers and hid them, and even while
:st sHpsrGn s vas Vas ssr1S ie1iS. .moad usd
rose mp from the seething waters and
brooded over them. This was composed of
the terrible gases from the explosive agents
that had done their work and found their
way to the atmosphere. The gaseous fog
hung heavily over the place, but seemed to
spread itself like oil over an increasing area,
until it was ne more than . screen over the
stream, upon which the black floating frag-
m. nts of the poor Golfer dam were distinct
| ly visible.
Contrary to the expectation of many. the
batteries under the bombproof showed nc
traces OF the explosion; even the scaffold
that supported the torpedo that closed the
circuit was unipjured. A cat, left there be
cause she absolutely refused to be removed
was found uninjured, but in state of mind
similar to that of Mark Twain's ton
Quartz"
The first survey of this dangerous chan
mel between Wards island and Hallett'l
Point was made in 1913 by Lieutenant
Davis and Porter. Some portions of the
distractions, Pat Rock, Frying Pan ani
Ways Reef, were partially removed b,
N,23l pounds of powder in 1852. Nothing
more was done till General Newton wa
placed in charge in 1866 In 1869 Congress
made its first appropriation of $4,000
The work ON Hallett's Reef was begun il
August by building . Golfer dam with
diameter of l40 feet, and sinking shaf
los feet by thirty-five feet in diameter. Th'
aggregate length Of the tunnels and CALLER
les was 7425 feet. The total amount appro
priated has been $l.94o, 900. and the tota
amount expended up to August !, $l,6S6,
Sal As. The sum Of $5,l39, 100 is estimated
as required to complete the entire work O
improving He'll Gate and East river.
Mass Meeting and Barbecue in 81
/ Bernard