Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-07-18
NO. 1863.
Miseellat1epMs.
THE EXCAVATIONS At HE'LL GATE.

1he southeastern corner of the Govern
ment building contains model of the
excavations now being made in the reef
at Hallets Point, He'll Gate, New York.
| The model represents a portion of Long
Island at that place, with horses, trees, SC.
and near the point are the machine shops,
| engines and engine houses erected for the
purpose OF keeping tools in repair and
COMPRISING air and the motor of the
drilling machines. In front is the Golfer
dam. constructed to keep back the water
during the work, and inside of this pro-
lection can be seen the shaft which was
sunk into the rock below. Beyond the
dam is perfect Typographical represen-
tation OF the reef which has proved so
disastrous to navigation, and if water
from the East River only could be made
to flow above this the counterpart would
be perfect. BY an automatic contrivance
the upper portion of this rock can be-
raised SO as to show its catacOmb excaya-
tons and gazing beneath this the visitor
can at glance obtain clear conception
OF the magnitude of the work. The roof
Is something less than one inch in thick
ness, and represents by its scale ten feet,
which is the thickness of the rock above
the excavations. Between the roof and
the base are large number of columns
or pillars left in the excavations which
were made by tunnelling in radiating
lines from the shaft, and intersect-
ing those with smaller tunnels.
These supporting pillars are so
slender that with the roof, three acres
in area, there will be 10000 cubic
yards OF debris to take up after they are
broken by explosions for over so, 900 cubic
yards were taken out in working out ex-
cayatlons. All this part of the work is
now complete after an average of four
years of labor, and 1000 holes have been
drilled in the pillars and roof, so that little
remains to be done except to lay the wires
prepare the explosives for the grand finale,
which, however, did not take place on the
Fourth OF July, but will occur several
| weeks later.
The explosive to be used will consist of
one, or perhaps several, of the prepara-
tions OF nitro-glycerine, which will be
simultaneously ignited by electricity; but
even with 1000 charges of the most des-
tructiye compounds known to science the
force of the detonation will be much less
than Is generally apprehended. 1t is
well known that vast collection of indi-
vdual explosions have less effect at a dis.
tance than one-fourth the same power
concentrated at one place, and in addition
to this fact the excavation will first be
| flooded with water, which will serve the
double purpose of tamping the holes and
deadening the concussion. When the
roof and pillars are broken the debris can
soon be removed, and then there will be
at this point twenty-six feet of water at
low tide. and thirty-one feet at high tide.
AS the Sandy Hook channel has only
depth of twentyseven feet at high water,
and as several hours time can be saved by
entering at Monlauk Point and passing
through Long Island Sound, the new
channel will probably become the favorite
course for European vessels. .-Philadel-
phia Press.