Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-09-27
THE LIFTED LEDGE.
Hell Gate Vanished at the Ap-
pointed Moment.
Being Witnessed by q Half
Million Spectators.

New YORK, Sept. 24-The explosion
at Hell Gate this afternoon was, of
course, the chief-indeed the only
topic of interest, and was generally
regarded, even among scientific men
and prominent engineers, as the most
extraordinary piece of engineering
work in modern times. To say that
the explosion was not looked for
warded to with considerable nerv-
business by the bravest of those who
expected to be close spectators, would
be lie On every hand this after
noon, along the entire river front OF
Manhattan Island opposite the point
Of interest, people without the slight
est reserve expressed the greatest fear
that rocks great and small would de-
scend upon their devoted heads, and
that the sensation beneath would be
like q terrible earthquake, and yet
they stayed and gazed and watched
during hours of q drizzling penetrat-
ing rain-somc with umbrellas, some
without, some quarter of mile
from the river front, which at the OPP
posite point, ia a half mile from the
scene Of the explosion, and some priv
LEGGED few close to the waters brink,
on lumber piles, brick piles, stables,
sheds, trees, every commanding posi-
ton was occupied from Ninetieth to
One Hundrcdth street, distance of
half mile, facing Second Avenue.
The police drove back the populace,
which was half mile from the river
front, and one mile from the scene.
Notwithstanding the cold, drilling
rain, thousands upon thousands OF
spectators left their homes in the low
err part of the city for the suburbs OF
, Gotham. Cars were crowded fol
hours, and hundreds of steamboats,
. on the East river actually surged
. from side to side with human freight
1t is impossible to estimate the exten,
of the assemblage gathering around
A the point of interest on either side O.
the river, and on the islands adjacen
r thereto, but it must have been at least
( 100000. Boats anchored near thu
| shore, to put out, as they did, direct!
2 after the blast. People had the hard
n est time getting home, most having t.
h walk several miles.
At 80 when the first signal gul
was fired, there was rush to al
}. points from which view of the OK
Is plosion could be had. The polio
o were with difficulty able to restrain
a the immense crowd of spectators o.
+. the New York. side from Nineteent
l. to one Hundred and Second stree
II There was an immense throng. ever
If hill and point Of vantage bein
e. crowded with dark masses of human
% ity. At Astoria, behind the point {
d explosion, nearly every one ha
h moved, carpets were taken up, an
" everything movable moved. o
IF Blackwell's Island, where all the go,
&c eminent institutions are, the seen
lr was one of the utmost alarm. I'll
p lunatics were marched out in squads
v police officers were detailed to guar
n the convicts, and boats were place
upon the river to watch those VIII
might attempt to escape. On the Ne
York side of the river, at the Hous
rs of the Good Shepherd, occupied by
R. number of nuns, Magdalenes an
k children, sent there for reformation
tn purposes, the excitement was intcns
IN From that point for ten blocks on 9
e. Their side. there was collected tho
lg sands and thousands of spectator
he The nuns moved out of their bull,
k, ing, and were in the garden in fro
u of their house, praying. Thousan'
were gathered along the shore, jo
ing and anything else but prayin
When the signal gun before the bla
was fired, there was general hu
and period of thrilling exciteme
he and interest, When the last nome
ed came and the great explosion to-
hit place, feeling of keen disappoir
he ment settled upon all faces. 1t W
NJ in every respect dull and tame {
ce fair. The waters did not rise mo
than fifty feet above the explod
reef. The terrific noise expected W
re- nothing but dull, rumbling, thu
der-like sound. Nobody was hu
= not building was tumbled no &c
to ing cracked, and if the explosion h
ay not been SO fiercely advertised in t
st. papers no one would have thought
,rs it. 1t was doubtless a big feat frc
a scientific point Of view, but tho
sands who came to see it were sore
disappointed.