Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-25
He'll Gate Explosion.

rock which DISTRACTED navigation at He'll Gate |
has been successfully accomplished, IL the pre-,
else line and manner Intended and without a
single accident. About II o'clock yesterday
streams of pedestrians were pourl across the
city OF New York TO poiots of observation on
the east side. Vast numbers Of strangers went
TO see what everybody expected would be !
magnificent spectacle. Street cars going up
town were loaded with police aud citizens, and
First aud Second avenues, as viewed from
heights, were black with pedestrians moving
towards N,netieth street.
On the First avenue cars meu were see o sit
tiDg in the widows ut either side, with legs
dancing cut Of the windows. About Two
o'clock the cross streets and avenues from which
view could he had were sWarmlog With peo-
ple, aud the housa-toLs along the east side
were crowded, when a heavy shower OF RAIN
came down, and the immense multitude We're
Immediately under the shelter Of umbrellas.
Thousands GU Thousands OF carriages and vehl-
rlcs OF every description crowded the heights
and cross streets from which the explosion
could BE- seen. Great alarm prevailed among
many residents of First avenue and cross streets
trom Eighty Second to Ninety Sixth street,
and some houses were entirely deserted by the
residents through fear Of rocks being buried
across the river II huge waves being caused by
the uphcaraI. Every house in that vicinity had
d JorS and windows open as matter OIL pre-
cautiou. But great mass OF the people had
40 fears whatever, and spectators sWarIned on
the piers aod low grounds directly IN line with
the rocks, where they would have been drowned
by thousands 10 case OF wave
Police lined First and Second avenues, and
wrre stationed among tha crowds on the rocks,
to b.; available III case Of panic. \ bird s.eye
view of the point OF interest was had by twelve
or thir ecu thousand people at the heights be-
tween Nioety-Second aud Nnety-Sixtb streets
and Third avenue, where there are no houses
Directly opposite, across the river, was HABITS
Point, aud the timbcrs and sharties at the
opcalng of the shaft. Nearly midway in the
river, but little to the north, Was little
island, With boat house. and few hundred
yards south little rock, surmounted by ad
yertiSipg boards. The rock to be blasted lay
beneath the surface between little island ADD
Hulet's Point.
Government scow and police aud emigration
board steamers and hundreds Of barges and row
boats Law between NV York aud Wards
Island, about opposite Oae Hundred and Teuth
street. At = . clock faint cuff OF smoke
arose, followed by a report of the first gun, and
there was instant c0mmOtlon, crowds sWaylng
about 10 eagerness TO get good standpoint.
Cries nt down Umbrellas were UNDECIDED
| Ter miru'cs later another report, ard a deep
hush fell upon the multitude. Stiffness was
COMPLETE and uobroken from then until the
third cuu, at $50 o'clock, which was followed,
precisely at 2:5l o'clock, by the explosion. In
a straight and seemingly narrow line ruoniug
north and south, for about three hupdred yards,
, water whitened arose evenly three or four feet
high. A dull thud was heard, rocks trembled be
meath the feet OF the multitude astrom two quick
pulsations Of an earthquake The water, which
appcared to remalu stationary, for an instant
broke, and spurted up in irregular dark yellow
! ish masses about twelve feet high, nixsd with
dark smoke from the dynamite, and then 1t fell
back In moment the river resu med its usual
peacefui aspect. Then mighty cheer arose
from all the northeast side OF the city and from
steamers and boats, aud steam whistles Were
blowo and bells were rung joyously, and all was
over. The report was scarcely noticeable. Not
he smallest fragm Mt Of rock was hurled up,
and not 50 much as ripple was caused upon
the water save just over the spot where the ex
plcsiou tnck place. There was 20 corcusslou in
! ne air anu hUl q paHe .! SldsS Ndo ulchcu III
the city or on Ward's Island.
Imulcdia;cy alter the explosion hundreds OF
row boats set cut at their best speed for He'll
Gate, each anxious to have the honor oil first
passing over the scene of the explosion. That
the work was cfectually dune is the general
! feeling, aud this also appears from the fact
that The police boat passed over the spot safely.
The tide has been changed materially by the
explosion, and cow the current sets directly to
Big and Little Mill rocks. They will have to
be Exploded next.
Hell Gate is a narrow, rocky pass in the East
river, about sc7en miles northeast oil New York
city.
General Ncwtons daughter Mary a child
aged three years, touched the key which TX
pIod,d Hall, It's Point reef yesterday.
The Baltimore Sun says:
THE name is corruption of the old
Dutch word Horil Gait siguifyiug whirl pas
sage or whirlpool strait, which Was applied to
the place on account Of the dangerous eddi s
formerly produced there at certain tides. The
removal Of the rocks which have caused these
eddics, if successfully accomplished, will be
very important to the safety Of the navigation
of the East river, aud will shorten the passage
to the ocean considerably"