The daily gazette., 1876-09-25
He'll Gate Reef Blown to Atoms.

200, 900 EXCITED sPEcTAToRs-THR MINE
YIRED BY GENERAL MENTIONS L-rTLE
DAUGHTER.
New York, September "a.
As early as eight o'clock this mornins
housewives Of the streets Of Astoria, ad
jacent to the government works anc
near General Nswton's big excavation
might have been seen packing in baskets
their china and glassware, and SC perrin
tending their removal to places Of safety
All was then ready, and it remained
only to press the key to explode the 52,.
900 pounds of explosives. General New.
ton and his assistants hastily boarded
his little steam launch and steamed
away up the shore. There was real dan.
ger then, and they were in hurry to get
away from it. They thought that they
had driven every person from the spot,
but one enterprising daredevil reporter,
who had braved bullets on the battle
field, had crawled into the empty shanty
where. the dynamite had been stored,
three hundred feet from the shaft, and
braced himself for the shock.
A TINY HAND AT THE KEY-THE EXPLOSION
General Newton went to the little shed
in which was the key, and there met his
wife. Their nurse held the General q
little two-and-a-half year old daughter,
Mary, in her arms. The General looked
at his watch then at the tide, which was
flood, and gave the signal for firing the
gun, two minutes before the shock. The
nurse then held little Mary close to the
key. Mrs. Newton took hold of the
child's tiny wrist, and at the word from
her husband, placed the child's hand on
al 10 vl 4, L. a. l.
The earth trembled and b .eat volume
the air. 1t first looked like spray then
it had a definite water color, and then
came a pillar of muddy, murky Llack
water. The discharge of carti idges was
not Simultaneous, and for at least ten
seconds the mass seemed to hang in the
air, then it fell and great wave rolled
away from the spot. The reporter near
the shaft says the earth shook beneath
him and almost stunned him. The
water parted and was lifted in great
spouts where tie channel had been cut
under the rock. Only few stones were
thrown up, but one mass Of rock, weigh.
ing at least sixty tons, was lifted high
in the air as gently as balloon rises, and
hanging suspended an instant was lower
ed as easily into the water again.
AFTER THE TRIUMPH.
The multitudes shouted, scores of
steam whistles blew salutes and General
Newton's friends overwhelmed him with
congratulations. Engineers :and every
body saw that the work had been COM
pletely done, and pronounced il one Of
the most successful engineering exploits
OF the century. General Newton said he
was satisfied that the work intended to
be done had been completed, The shock
was not great on the islands, and in As
toria, where the greatest damage had
been anticipated, not window was
cracked. The jar throughout the city
was plainly felt and even in Patterson
and Newark it was experienced, but no
damage was done to property anywhere,
A shanty close to the Shaft was blown
over, but not broken. The electric spark
that exploded tine mine carried the news
of the explosion to different cities, cir
cult having been formed, and it was
made useful in certain electr1c tests.
After General Newton had assured him.
self that there could be no after-exnlo.
l sion. the guards were removed and the
l multitude allowed to visit tie work
They broke the wires in pieces for me.
men.oes and carried off everything they
could lay hands on. Soundings were i'm.
mediately begun, and the reef will be
buoyed without delay.